1. t This slide deck does not seek to answer the question “why covenant”?
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
This slide deck does not seek to answer the question “why covenant”? t

2. The Covenant stream – God builds a people
Quite simply God chooses to interact with His creation through covenant t

3. The Covenant stream – God builds a people
This slide deck, rather, seeks to illustrate how the key covenants interact with each other t

4. The Covenant stream – God builds a people
This slide deck, rather, seeks to illustrate how the key covenants interact with each other
and thereby to better understand how “Enlargement Theology” works in practice t

5. The Covenant stream – God builds a people
There is a sense in which covenant, like any formal agreement, has a purpose, a direction and a destination

6. That is why we show it as an arrow symbol here
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
There is a sense in which covenant, like any formal agreement, has a purpose, a direction and a destination
That is why we show it as an arrow symbol here

7. There are four key covenants related to God’s salvation purposes:
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
There are four key covenants related to God’s salvation purposes:

8. These four are each closely associated
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
The Abraham Covenant
The Moses Covenant
The David Covenant
The Messiah Covenant
These four are each closely associated
with the spiritual and physical history of Israel

9. The Messianic Covenant
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
The Abraham Covenant
The Moses Covenant
The David Covenant
The Messianic Covenant
Through Israel God has a plan and a
design that brings blessing to all Mankind, whether Jew or Gentile

10. The Messianic Covenant
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
The Abraham Covenant
The Moses Covenant
The David Covenant
The Messianic Covenant
Each covenant is directly associated
with Jesus the Messiah – but we will not fully explore that aspect in this slide-set.

11. The Messianic Covenant
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
The Abraham Covenant
The Moses Covenant
The David Covenant
The Messianic Covenant
We can almost say that each covenant
adds progressively “finer detail” to God’s overall salvation plan.

12. Genesis 12:2-3; also Gen 12:7; Gen 15:5-7;
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
The Abraham Covenant
Through Abraham, God will create a great nation
Genesis 12:2-3; also Gen 12:7; Gen 15:5-7;
Gen 22: 16-18; Exodus 3:8; Ex 3:17; Ex 6:6-8.

13. The Covenant stream – God builds a people
The Moses Covenant
The Hebrews will become a Nation of Priests, to
the blessing of the entire world
Exodus 19:5-6; Exodus 20 (all); unlike the Abraham and David covenants, this one is conditional on obedience. Exodus 34:10ff sets out the conditions applicable.

14. The Covenant stream – God builds a people
The David Covenant
God promises to David that he will, forever, have a
descendent reigning upon his throne
2 Samuel 7:13-16; see also 1 Samuel 16:13; Also 2 Samuel 7 (all) and 2 Samuel 23:5 .

15. The Messianic Covenant
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
The Messianic Covenant
God points towards what the role and the office of
Messiah will be
> in Jeremiah we learn what the Messiah will be
> in Ezekiel we learn how God will bring life from death
> in Isaiah we learn who this Messiah will be

16. The Messianic Covenant
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
The Messianic Covenant
God points towards what the role and the office of
Messiah will be
The Scripture passages confirming this
are too numerous and diverse for this
short slide set

17. The Messianic Covenant
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
The Messianic Covenant
God points towards what the role and the office of
Messiah will be
These and other covenants are plotted as
a Table in e.g. “The Prince of Peace” (see
Glory to Glory Publications)

18. The Messianic Covenant
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
The Messianic Covenant
God points towards what the role and the office of
Messiah will be
We will simply summarise here: the promise of a “new covenant” that will vastly enlarge
upon the older Moses covenant, is expressed in Jeremiah 31: 31-40

19. The Messianic Covenant
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
The Abraham Covenant
The Moses Covenant
The David Covenant
The Messianic Covenant
With these four covenants we can see
that God has an inter-linked Salvation plan that involves

20. The Messianic Covenant
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
The Abraham Covenant
The Moses Covenant
The David Covenant
The Messianic Covenant
.... a global family with people from every nation ‘adopted’ to be a part of God’s wider, enlarged family

21. The Covenant stream – God builds a people
Within this salvation plan – to build a family that will enjoy God’s blessings forever - we can begin to see how the four key covenants work together

22. Abraham – a mighty nation
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
Abraham – a mighty nation
Moses – a nation of priests
David – a mighty king Who reigns forever
Messianic – the Messiah will be a King, Who
will also be the suffering servant

23. The Messianic Covenant
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
The Abraham Covenant
The Moses Covenant
The David Covenant
The Messianic Covenant
We can perhaps begin to see, in a simple way, that these are different aspects of
God’s Salvation plan

24. The Messianic Covenant
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
The Abraham Covenant
The Moses Covenant
The David Covenant
The Messianic Covenant
So which covenant is “enlarged” so as to encompass and bless all mankind?

25. The Messianic Covenant
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
The Abraham Covenant
The Moses Covenant
The David Covenant
The Messianic Covenant
In one sense all four key covenants are enlarged to encompass all who place their faith and trust in Jesus

26. The Messianic Covenant
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
The Abraham Covenant
The Moses Covenant
The David Covenant
The Messianic Covenant
But we might say that “operationally” it
is the Abraham covenant that is truly enlarged

27. The Messianic Covenant
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
The Abraham Covenant
The Moses Covenant
The David Covenant
The Messianic Covenant
To Abraham was given the promise of a mighty nation – and Disciples of Jesus are “adopted” by Him to be a part of that spiritual nation, which encompasses both believing Jew and believing Gentile

28. So how does this work, “operationally”?
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
It is the apostle Paul who provides that wonderful metaphor of in-grafting to the olive tree root in Romans chapter 11
(Rom 11:17)
So how does this work, “operationally”?

29. So how does this work, “operationally”?
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
So how does this work, “operationally”?
We can think of the “grafting-in” as a point of continuity with the past, as well as a point of discontinuity

30. The Covenant stream – God builds a people
Abraham
Moses
David
Messianic
Four covenants coalesce towards God’s ultimate purpose – a Chosen People amongst every tribe and tongue (Rev 5:9 and Rev 7:9)

31. We repeat our question, how does this work, “operationally”?
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
We repeat our question, how does this work, “operationally”?
Abraham
Moses
David
Messianic
Keep in mind continuity and discontinuity

32. Abraham The Covenant stream – God builds a people Moses David
historic point of in-grafting
Abraham
Moses
David
Messianic

33. t Abraham The Covenant stream – God builds a people Moses David
historic point of in-grafting
Abraham
Moses t
David
Messianic
crucifixion
resurrection

34. t Abraham The Covenant stream – God builds a people Moses David
historic point of in-grafting
Gentiles grafted - in
Abraham
Moses t
David
Messianic
crucifixion
resurrection

35. The Covenant stream – God builds a people
We can say with certainty that those who place their faith and trust in Jesus, that those who receive Jesus as Lord and as Saviour t
New Covenant Era
are grafted-in to the four key covenants. The contours of the covenants remain the same, but the Abraham covenant (to become a great nation) and the Moses Covenant (to become a nation of priests) is enlarged so that all of True Israel inherit these blessings

36. The Covenant stream – God builds a people
In a very real sense the four key covenants remain unchanged by the reality of the promised new covenant t
New Covenant Era
The Bible (actually the Tanakh) anticipates this new era, and foretells the inauguration of a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31)

37. t Abraham The Covenant stream – God builds a people Moses David
historic point of in-grafting
Gentiles grafted - in
Abraham
Moses t
David
Messianic
crucifixion
resurrection

38. t Abraham The Covenant stream – God builds a people Moses David
historic point of in-grafting
by faith,
through
Grace
evidenced by repentance and baptism
Gentiles grafted - in
Abraham
Moses t
David
Messianic
crucifixion
resurrection

39. t discontinuity Abraham The Covenant stream – God builds a people
God creates a people “chosen” (elected) in His Son
This is a “nation” of priests, grafted-in to true Israel
A priesthood of all believers
No more
priests
No more
Temple
Gentiles grafted - in
discontinuity
Abraham
Moses t
David
Messianic
crucifixion
resurrection

40. t Abraham continuity The Covenant stream – God builds a people Moses
historic point of in-grafting
Gentiles grafted - in
Abraham
Moses t
David
Messianic
continuity
The Chosen People are a nation of priests (conditional on obedience)
Abraham covenant continues -
Gen 12:2-3
(unconditional)
Moses covenant continues
(conditional)
Ex 19:5-6
Messianic covenant continues
(conditional)
David covenant continues -
2 Sam 7:13-16
(unconditional)
* Jeremiah (what) – Jer 33 (all)
* Ezekiel (how) – Ezek 37 (all)
* Isaiah (who) – Isaiah 52-53

41. The Covenant stream – God builds a people
We can perhaps usefully summarise these diagrams and thoughts in this way t

42. t New Covenant Era The Covenant stream – God builds a people
historic point of in-grafting
Gentiles grafted - in t
New Covenant Era
resurrection
crucifixion

43. The Covenant stream – God builds a people
Two other phrases help us to understand God’s over-arching Purpose in the relationship of Israel to that “enlarged” People that is the sum-total of all those who place their trust and faith in Jesus t

44. t Phrase 1 “The commonwealth of covenant”
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
Phrase 1
“The commonwealth of covenant”
This reminds us that there is a corporate sharing. As Ephesians 2:14 tells us, God’s purpose is to make “one new man” out of believing Jew and believing Gentile
(see all of Ephesians chapter 2:) t

45. t Phrase 2 “The commonwealth of Israel”
The Covenant stream – God builds a people
Phrase 2
“The commonwealth of Israel”
This reminds us that there is a destiny associated with Israel in which all Mankind has a ‘stake’. The King James Bible usefully renders this
.... at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: t
(Eph 2:12)

46. The Covenant stream – God builds a people
We conclude with this summary thought: non-Jewish disciples of Jesus are indeed grafted-in to the covenant promises, sharing the same family and the same destiny as Jewish disciples of Jesus. We are grafted-in to the root (Rom 11:17). That root in a very real sense emerges from the key covenants which we have explored.
It is in the “commonwealth” of Israel that non-Jewish disciples of Jesus find their family and their ultimate destiny. t

47. Please return from time to time
Please return from time to time! We periodically upload fresh slide decks which you may find helpful …..