God Is A Covenant-Keeping God

We gather to remember Christ's sacrifice, celebrating the new covenant through Him by partaking in communion, the Lord's Supper. This morning, aligning with our discussion of the new covenant, we will examine the covenant God made with Noah. Please turn to Genesis chapter 8, starting at verse 20, and then chapter 9. The sermon title is: "God is a Covenant-Keeping God."

The Hebrew word for covenant means a binding agreement or a promise. In Scripture, a covenant refers to a sacred, sovereign, and gracious commitment that God initiates with humanity. The Bible is a book of covenants, with the word appearing 30 times in the New Testament and 300 times in the Old Testament.

The first appearance of the word covenant in Scripture is in Genesis 6:18, where God speaks to Noah before the flood, saying, "I'll establish my covenant with you. You'll go into the ark—you and your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you." This marks the first explicit mention of a covenant. While God had made promises and blessings to Adam earlier, this with Noah is the first formal declaration of a divine covenant. God's covenant with Noah becomes fully explicit in Genesis chapter 9 after the flood, where God promises never again to destroy the earth by water and sets the rainbow in the sky as its sign.

In Genesis 8:20, after Noah and his family exited the ark, "Noah built an altar to the Lord and took of every clean animal and every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. The Lord smelled a soothing aroma, and the Lord said in His heart, 'I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. Nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.' While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night shall not cease." God promises to renew and refill the earth through Noah and his descendants. He has kept this promise; these natural cycles endure.

Then in chapter 9, God blesses Noah and his sons, giving them the creation mandate: "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth."

Biblical covenants are made by God. It is not a negotiation between equals; God sets the terms, establishes the conditions, and initiates the relationship. He does this because He pursues humanity in love and grace, not because of anything good within us, but because of who He is. God's covenants reveal that He is a personal God who loves His people, desires fellowship with them, and promises what is best for them.

God's covenants are eternal. Hebrews 13:8 states, "Jesus the same yesterday, today, and forever." What He promises, He performs. God is not a man that He should lie, nor the Son of man that He should change His mind. Hebrews 10:23 says, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He is faithful who promised."

God's covenants are by grace. These covenants progressively reveal God's grace and redemptive plan, providing God's redemptive framework in Scripture.

A covenant is God's sacred means by which He establishes a relationship with a person or people group. It can be understood as a contract, a guarantee, a binding agreement, or a promise. Each covenant typically contains several elements.

A covenant contains a promise from God. Covenants also have conditions, with blessings for faithfulness and sometimes curses for disobedience. They are also accompanied by a sign, often used to confirm and remember the covenant, such as the rainbow with Noah, circumcision with Abraham, the Passover and Sabbath with the Mosaic Law, or the Lord’s Supper with the new covenant.

Covenants also have a representative—a covenant mediator—who assures the fulfillment of these promises. These covenants reveal God's unfolding plan of redemption, structuring how we read and interpret Scripture. They are progressive and revelatory; each successive covenant builds upon the foundation of grace, revealing more of God's redemptive purpose as history unfolds. These covenants form the framework upon which the entire structure of Scripture is built, guaranteeing God will fulfill the promise of Genesis 3:15—that the seed of the woman will crush the serpent's head. All of Scripture moves toward this fulfillment.

Ultimately, all covenants in Scripture point to Jesus—how He fulfills the shadows and types of the Old Testament. They bring in the reality of God's salvation, to which all earlier covenants pointed. Jesus Christ perfectly keeps the covenant obligations—the conditions we could never keep. He also secures the covenant blessings for His people, blessings we receive by faith. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:20, "In Christ the promises of God are yes and amen." We can be sure God will keep His word because we are united to Him through Jesus Christ. We are His own; He has bound us to Himself forever. Jesus is the true covenant keeper and the mediator of a new and better covenant established upon better promises, as Hebrews 8:6 says.

Let's quickly look at some of these covenants throughout Scripture. First, we have the covenant of redemption. The parties involved are God the Father and God the Son, made before creation in eternity past. The purpose of this covenant is that through God's eternal plan, the Son would redeem a people for Himself, a bride. The Spirit would apply salvation to all the Father has elected. God has chosen a select people as a love gift for His Son—His bride. This was the covenant between the Father and Son in eternity past. Jesus says in John 6: "All that the Father has given me will come to me. And He will raise them up in the last day."

We also have the covenant of works, involving God and Adam. At creation, Adam and Eve were on probation in the Garden of Eden. The covenant was: "You can live in this garden if you obey. However, if you eat the forbidden fruit, you die and are cast out." Adam failed, bringing sin and death. This covenant points to Jesus as the second and last Adam who perfectly obeys and secures eternal life for His people.

We have the covenant of grace, announced after the fall in Genesis 3:15. God will send a redeemer, one who perfectly keeps the law and bears the curse for His covenant-breaking people. We will discuss Noah's covenant, but I will briefly mention other covenants in Scripture.

The Noahic covenant in Genesis chapter 9, after the flood, aims to preserve creation and restrain judgment so God's redemptive plan could unfold throughout history. The sign of this covenant is the rainbow. Jesus fulfills this as the better Noah who secures peace and rest between God and creation.

Fast forward several hundred years to the Abrahamic covenant. God promises Abraham a people, a land, and a blessing, through whom all the nations on earth will be blessed. The sign of this covenant is circumcision. This is fulfilled in Christ, who is the true seed of Abraham, and through whom and His gospel all the nations on earth are blessed.

Hundreds of years later, we come to Moses and the Mosaic covenant God establishes at Sinai. God gives Israel His law. The law's purpose is to reveal God's righteous character, our sin, and our need for a Savior. This covenant is fulfilled in Christ, the better Moses, who is not just the law-giver, but the Word made flesh. He is the greater Moses in that He leads a greater exodus—not from Egypt but from sin. He perfectly keeps the law for His people and fulfills all righteousness, the sacrificial system, and ushers in the new covenant.

Then we come to David. God promises David an eternal throne, a king from David's line. Matthew 1:1 declares Jesus Christ as the King of the world, the Son of David who reigns eternally in righteousness upon His throne.

And then we come to the new covenant. Jeremiah prophesied this new covenant God would make with His people in Jeremiah 31:31-34, where He washes us from our sins, impurities, and iniquities, remembering them no more. He writes His law not on stone tablets, like in the Mosaic covenant, but in our hearts. He gives us a new nature and new desires, and a new intimate knowledge of Him, teaching us by His Spirit.

This new covenant was inaugurated at the Last Supper. Luke 22:20 records Jesus saying, "Take this cup, this is the blood of the new covenant." Christ inaugurates this new covenant through His death—His broken body and His shed blood for our redemption. Through His resurrection, He brings covenant blessings to His people. Through all these covenants in Scripture, God restores creation, redeems people from every nation, reveals Himself through His law, reigns, and regenerates through the new covenant. Jesus is the better Adam, the better Noah, the better Abraham, the better Moses, the Son of David, the one who brings in the new covenant. Praise God that He never breaks His word. His covenants are eternal—not because His people are faithful, but because He is faithful. Even when we are faithless, He remains committed to us. His promises are secure, His mercy is sure, His love is steadfast, and all the promises of God find their fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Through the new covenant, we are now in a covenant relationship with God. This means He has bound us to Himself for all eternity, and He has bound Himself to us forever. We will be His people, and He will be our God. What greater benefit of the covenant is there than to know that you are in Christ, safe and secure in His hands for all eternity? That God is your Father, that heaven is your home. There is no greater reward, no greater covenant benefit than belonging to God. Hebrews 13:20-21 refers to Jesus's blood as the blood of the eternal covenant, and in Christ, this covenant is unbreakable. We are forever His people, and God is always true to His word—what He promises, He is both able and willing to fulfill. We are in covenant with God. We have a God who is worthy of our complete trust.

In chapter 8:20-22, we saw the Lord's covenant with creation. Noah builds an altar and sacrifices clean animals. God smells a pleasing aroma and promises, "Never again will I strike down every living creature as I have done." Noah lives up to his name—he brings peace, rest, and restoration. But it is God who does that through him.

We know Noah was a man of righteousness, used by God to preserve life and bring a new beginning to humanity. But as faithful as Noah was, he could not ultimately reverse the curse. The sins of humanity remained. The ground, though not cursed in the same way through a flood, still bears the effects of the fall. Creation still groans with eager expectation, waiting for the revelation of the sons of God. The new covenant hangs upon a tree, as Christ takes the curse for us, reverses it, and redeems Noah's descendants. Noah's offering in chapter 8 is a shadow; Christ's offering is the substance. Noah's altar points to the cross. Noah brought his family safely through the waters of judgment, but ultimately, it's Jesus who brings His people safely through the judgment of sin into everlasting peace, rest, and eternal life. That is the Lord's covenant with creation.

Now we have the Lord's covenant with Noah. In chapter 9, God blessed Noah and his sons, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth." This covenant with Noah is a new beginning for humanity. It not only reverses the curse of God's judgment but also restores God's calling upon humanity. Noah now stands as the new Adam, the new head of the human race. He and his sons are the forefathers of all people on earth, and God gives him the exact same creation mandate He gave to Adam—to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth. But notice also a shift here: after the flood, verse 2 says, "The fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all fish of the sea. They are given into your hand."

"Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, just as the green herbs." Humanity is permitted to eat animals for food for the first time. There is also a new fear and dread between man and beast. This reflects a creation altered by sin and judgment. We look forward to the time, as Isaiah describes, when the lion lies down with the lamb, a time in the millennial kingdom when God brings peace and harmony once again to His earth. Though the curse remains, God's grace and glory are on display. He reiterates His relationship with humanity, renewing their purpose and giving them a second chance to live under His blessings.

God is reiterating His plan for these image-bearing humans to fill the earth, subdue creation, and spread His glory throughout the earth. But along with this commandment, there is also a prohibition. Look in verse 4 of chapter 9: "But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood." Verse 5: "Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning. From the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of every man's brother, I will require the life of man."

God issues this prohibition: they were to eat meat, but not with the blood still in it. Later in the Mosaic law, God would further explain this principle: "The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is blood that makes atonement by life," Leviticus 17:11. God is teaching Noah and his descendants about the sanctity of life. Blood is the symbol and carrier of life, of oxygen and nutrients, and it is to be treated with reverence because all life comes from God. God breathed into Adam, and Adam became a living soul. All lives come from God.

Therefore, the shedding of blood would be an attack upon the image of God Himself. Throughout Scripture, the shedding of blood is a central theme in understanding sin, justice, and redemption. This principle anticipated the entire sacrificial system whereby an innocent, unblemished animal would have its blood shed in the place of the guilty party. The seriousness of this act pointed to a greater sacrifice—the sacrifice of Christ. Indeed, under the law, almost everything is purified with blood, and "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins," Hebrews 9:22. Ultimately, this foreshadows the sacrifice of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God, who by His blood has redeemed us. As Jesus shed His blood, that inaugurated this new covenant. Remember once again, "this is the cup of the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you."

From the very beginning, God teaches that sin is so serious, so heinous in His sight that it requires death, because the wages of sin is death. The life of the guilty is exchanged for the life of the innocent. It also teaches us that God is deadly serious about sin, and His justice demands that sin be punished. Therefore, the way of the cross tells us that there is no other way of salvation—His blood had to be shed, it had to be poured out, He had to die in order that we would live. His death had to satisfy divine justice. It is in His shed blood that He inaugurates the new covenant. It is in His shed blood that justice is satisfied, and the love of God is manifested toward sinners. In this, God shows His love for us, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8.

We also learn that God established a system of law regarding murder. Since life is in the blood and all life is precious, God declared that anyone who takes innocent life through murder must be held accountable. In verse 6, "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God He made man."

Before the flood, violence had been rampant since the time of Cain, the very first child born, who became the first killer. God dealt with him directly, placing a mark on him and warning anyone who touched Cain that vengeance would be upon them sevenfold. But now, under this new Noahic covenant, God delegates this responsibility of bringing justice to humanity. Humanity is entrusted with the authority to uphold justice among themselves. This command serves as both a warning and a restraint. Since every human life is sacred, and every person, though fallen, still retains the image of God, any act of violence against another person is an attack upon the image of God.

This is still true today. God has ordained governing authorities to uphold justice and restrain evil. Paul says in Romans 13:1-4: "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. For he is God’s servant for your good. He does not bear the sword in vain." In other words, God has given civil authorities the power to reward good behavior and to punish wrongdoing, and even when necessary, to execute capital punishment. Scripture teaches us to honor and obey those in authority, and even if we don’t agree with them, to pray for them and share the gospel with them for their salvation. We are told to honor the king. 1 Peter 2:17; 1 Timothy 2:2: "pray for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives."

So God here gives us the first government, the government of man. He gives us this law, but here's the key: the law can restrain but it cannot redeem. The law can convict and condemn but it cannot convert. God has given this law to humanity. Yet humanity continues to harm and kill each other. This means we need more than just the law. We need regeneration. We need new hearts. We need to be transformed. We need to be under this new covenant, where God places His law within us and writes it on our hearts and gives us new natures and transformed desires.

What the law could not do—being weakened through the flesh—God does through the life-transforming power of the gospel in the new covenant.

We're going to end with this: The Lord, the Son of the covenant, in verse 7, reiterates the command: "Be fruitful and multiply." Verse 8: God speaks to Noah and his sons with him, saying, "As for me, behold, I established my covenant with you and your descendants after you." So this covenant is for Noah and his family. This covenant is also with every living creature that is with you—the birds, the cattle, the beast of the earth. What is God’s promise in this covenant? Verse 11: "Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood. Never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth."

There are localized floods, but we believe in the global flood. God has kept His word—there has never been a flood that has again cut off all flesh by the waters of a flood. Of course, since that time, there has never been a global flood that wiped humanity from the face of the earth. In verse 12, God says, "Remember—most of the covenants have an accompanying sign." "This is the sign of the covenant, which I will make between me and you and every living creature that is with you for perpetual generations." So this covenant is still in place, for us this morning as well. And this is it: "I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be when I bring the cloud over the earth that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud. And I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh. The waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. The rainbow shall be in the cloud."

"And I will look upon it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." And God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth."

A rainbow is formed when sunlight passes through water droplets in the air. Each droplet acts as a prism that reveals a spectrum hidden within the white light. This rainbow is a reminder that even though water was the instrument of judgment, it is now the combination of light and water that forms the sign of God's covenant of peace.

How fitting that God chooses the rainbow as a symbol of His promise, a sign that He will never flood the earth again. In the same way, we see the cross. Once a symbol of humiliation, agony, and execution, it has now become the emblem of our redemption. What once stood for death, shame, and wrath now stands for life, grace, and victory. As believers, we look up to the cross, not in fear but in faith, knowing that our judgment has already been poured out on Christ. There is no more condemnation.

Just as the rainbow appears after the storm has passed, we look to the cross, knowing that the storm of God's wrath is over. Jesus bore all of it. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. As new covenant believers, we no longer live under the fear of judgment. Instead, we live in the promise of peace, mercy, and new life, secured by the blood of Christ and sealed with His eternal covenant.

There are three rainbows in the Bible. The first, Noah sees the rainbow after the storms. The floodwaters have receded, judgment has passed. The rainbow becomes a covenant sign of God's mercy. He promises never again to destroy the earth with a flood. Then we see a rainbow in Ezekiel chapter 1. Ezekiel gets a vision of God's chariot throne, witnessing lightning, thunder, and wheels. Within the wheels is an awe-inspiring stormy scene of God's glory and awesome power. Yet in the middle of this storm, there's a rainbow that circles around God's throne. So even in the midst of judgment, God remembers mercy.

And then we find the third one in Revelation chapter 4. John himself sees a similar vision. He is taken up to heaven and sees the throne surrounded by living creatures, thunder, and lightning. But around the throne is the rainbow. A continual reminder of God's faithfulness and God's grace. This teaches us that God's mercy surrounds every storm. His wrath and justice are great, but His grace and mercy are great as well. God remains faithful. He keeps His covenant.

God gives this as a sign of the covenant He made with Noah. It is a visible, lasting reminder of His promise. Twice now God has declared that He will never again flood the entire earth. And this rainbow stands as a silent witness to His faithfulness. This sign is not for man to enjoy the benefits of it, but this sign is for God. Because God says, "When I look at the rainbow. When I look down to the earth. When I bring the dark storm clouds. God says, 'I look and I see the rainbow. In my judgment, I remember mercy.' Even though their sin is great and they deserve condemnation. My grace is greater still. This sign is for God."

Remember Coley read Isaiah 54:9-10. "This is like the days of Noah to me. As I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth. So I have sworn, I will not be angry with you, nor will I rebuke you. For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you. My covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord who has compassion on you." Praise God that He remembers His covenant of compassion.

This rainbow still stands today as the sign of God's enduring grace and the promise of God's unchanging word. When we look up at the sky and see that beautiful rainbow, we know God is looking at it too. It stands as a bridge between us and heaven. God offers hope to the hopeless. God offers healing to the broken. God brings beauty from ashes. God turns stormy clouds into rainbows of mercy.

As new covenant believers, we have a new covenant, a better sign of God's covenant. The sign of that covenant is the Lord's Supper. Every time we come to the Lord's Supper, we are remembering we are now in covenant with God. We remember His broken body. We remember His shed blood for our redemption. We do this in remembrance of Him, in remembrance of the cross, in remembrance that He took our place as our perfect, spotless substitute. Every time we come to the communion table, we are looking at the sign of our redemption. We are remembering that justice has been satisfied. That sins are forgiven. And that we are a people who have been bought, redeemed by the precious blood of Christ.

This is the sign of our covenant. It is not just eating meaningless bread and drinking meaningless juice. We are celebrating the body and blood of our Lord. And we are saying, we are under covenant with God. We are in communion with one another and with Christ. It is a visible representation of our eternal communion with the living God, who has purchased us to Himself and bound Himself eternally to us by covenant.

I want to leave you with one last thought. The rainbow is beautiful. This is a sobering image because, in Hebrew, when Moses' original audience was reading this, they would see that the same word used for rainbow is used for the war bow—the bow of battle. This rainbow is shaped like a weapon of war. There are several passages in Scripture that talk about God coming to war with His enemies and bringing about His destruction and judgment as arrows.

Listen to Psalm 7. "God is a righteous judge. He feels indignation every day. If man does not relent, God will sharpen His sword. He has bent and readied His bow. He has prepared for Himself deadly weapons. Making His arrows fiery shafts." Lamentations 3 says, "He bent His bow and set me as a target for His arrow. He drove into my kidneys, the arrows of His quiver." Psalm 64:7: "He shoots His arrow at them, and they are wounded suddenly." So we see that the war bow of wrath symbolizes God's judgment.

But friends, which direction is the bow pointed? Is it pointed this way to us? No. It's pointed this way—arched toward heaven. This means that God Himself would absorb the arrows of His wrath in our place. Rather than the bow being pointed to sinful humanity, it's pointed upward to God. Also, what do we notice about the rainbow? It has no arrows. Why? Because all of the arrows of God's wrath have been shot. They have been exhausted. There's no more wrath. Why? Because it all fell upon His own Son on Calvary. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. "The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." And now, since we're justified by His blood, we'll be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

When God looks at the rainbow, He says, "I'll never flood the earth." God looks at His Son, seated at His right hand, and He says, "I will not bring them judgment of that new covenant. I will not shoot arrows of wrath. Because my arrows of wrath have pierced the heart of the one I love." That's God's grace: taking a symbol of war and judgment and turning it into a symbol of mercy. That's the grace of God, taking hell-deserving sinners and making us the objects of His grace and affections.

Listen to what J.I. Packer says. "Between us sinners stands the cross of the Lord Jesus. If we are Christ's through faith, then we are justified through His cross. And the wrath of God will never touch us. Neither here nor hereafter. Jesus delivers us from the wrath to come." That's J.I. Packer.

Because the arrows of God's wrath struck the body of His Son upon the cross, God has now flung His war bow into the sky. It now hangs by the warrior's side. It is no longer aimed at us. Instead, God looks at us with grace and mercy. Judgment has passed, and a new covenant of peace is made with us. Praise God for the new covenant.

If you are lost today, you need to understand that you are still an enemy of God, and God's arrows are still aimed at you. Whoever does not believe in the Son is condemned already. The good news is, Jesus absorbed all the arrows of God's wrath in your place. If you will but believe, repent of your sins, trust Him as your Lord and Savior. For those of you who are saved, know that you are under an everlasting covenant with God. There is no sin you answer for—Jesus paid it all. You now stand forgiven and free. So start living in that freedom. Start looking up at the rainbow and the sunshine of God's favor upon you. That is given to you in Christ. This altar is open.