A CONTRACT FROM GOD

1. This morning I have a contract with me.

2. According to this agreement, someone wanted to buy a car and finance it through a bank.

3. While this person’s name has been removed, the terms for this contract are still intact.

4. The bank was going to charge this man interest—9% is the stated rate.

5. How much money the borrower requested as well as the repayment terms are on this sheet.

6. In the “finer print” sections there are some important words.

7. Words like “security,” “default,” “cosigner,” “borrower,” “title,” and “late fees” appear.

CONTRACTS COME IN MANY DIFFERENT FORMS AND THEY VARY FROM STATE TO STATE.

a) I am not expert on them, but many of us are aware of some general (basic) principles.

b) I want to go through the basic parts of common contracts and then parallel these to the Bible.

2) A contract is basically a promise between two or more parties.

3) All parties involved in a contract promise to do certain things.

4) Contracts also have key words, some of which were just mentioned.

5) If this agreement is breached (broken)—a party does not do what was promised—there are consequences.

a) If we are familiar with the Bible, would we say that the Scriptures are just as I have described?

b) Can we view the Bible as a promise (agreement) between two or more parties? Yes.

c) One party (the initiator of the agreement/covenant) is God.

d) We are the second party. This was how the Old Testament was constructed.

e) This was also how the New Testament is put together.

f) In both testaments God said people had certain responsibilities.

g) When God chose to save mankind, He had to take the steps necessary to make that happen.

h) God lived up to His part of the bargain and now man must to do his part.

6) If we follow the terms of God’s agreement, we receive what heaven’s agreement says.

7) 1 Tim. 6:12 says we can “lay hold” on eternal life.

8) Not following the agreement leads to a negative consequence.

9) According to Rom. 6:23, “sin” (not abiding by God’s word) leads to “death.”

10) As we look at God’s word we often find repeated and key words.

11) Because there are consequences with contracts, people must understand what they agree to.

12) Contracts are documents that need to be understood.

13) Sometimes people say, “I didn’t understand what I was signing/agreeing to.”

a) God does not have this problem when it comes to His agreement with mankind.

b) When we look at the Bible, we find a heavenly contract that was written for accountable people.

c) God’s covenant was not designed for those who cannot understand it.

d) This point is in clear contrast to what is often taught in the religious world.

e) We live in a time when many think young children (infants) are guilty of sin.

f) More than a few religious groups believe young children need to be saved.

g) This is an interesting belief if we consider the Bible from the standpoint of a contract.

14) How can an infant (very young child) follow a contract or enter into a binding contract?

15) For a contract (agreement) to be binding, people must be accountable.

a) No banker would allow a 3 year old child with a sizeable inheritance to cosign a car loan.

b) Legal contracts signed by a 10-11 Christian child would likely be considered shaky.

c) The law does not recognize a contract between human beings and animals.

d) Contracts require mature parties.

16) Our agreement with God is for people who are accountable for their actions.

17) This is why in the book of Acts Luke says “men and women” were baptized.

18) Luke also says “men and women” (i.e. Christians) were drug off to prison.

19) Baptism is for those who are old enough to know what they are doing.

20) This is also why Jesus said in the Great Commission a person needs to “believe” before being saved.

21) In life people are usually given the chance to carefully read contracts.

22) I remember when we bought our first house.

a) We didn’t know the people at closing and since it was our first time I read all the papers.

b) One of the men sitting at the table said to me, “Where did you get your engineering degree?”

c) He had closed lots of loans and apparently found that engineers like to see all the fine print.

d) Not knowing the terms of an agreement can be very bad.

23) It is therefore not surprising that we find verses that talk about knowing the terms of God’s agreement.

24) For example, Jn. 6:45 says, “they shall all be taught of God.”

a) Before God will enter into an agreement with us, we must be taught.

b) We must have the capacity to learn (i.e. know what sin is) before we become a Christian.

c) It is impossible for a person to become a Christian (be saved/forgiven) in ignorance.

25) After we become a Christian God wants us to continue reviewing the terms of our agreement.

a) Thus, in places like 2 Tim. 2:15 the Bible tells us to “study” (KJV).

b) 2 Cor. 13:5 tells us to “prove our own selves.”

26) We are to examine our lives to see if it is consistent with our contract (covenant) from God.

AS WE CONSIDER WHETHER OR NOT THE SCRIPTURES MAY BE VIEWED IN TERMS OF A CONTRACT BEGIN TO SEE OTHER POINTS.

a) For instance, if we violate the terms of a secular contract, someone will contact us.

b) The contact may be phone, letter, or someone may come in person.

c) A contract means that we must follow the terms or we will have someone come looking for us.

d) Does God contact people when they break His agreement?

2) Certainly on the Day of Judgment, all people who violated heaven’s agreement will stand before God.

3) At the present time all who accept His agreement but choose to break are contacted.

a) See if you don’t agree with me.

b) Heb. 12:5-7 – READ.

c) Who does God chasten?

d) It is certainly not the righteous—the people keeping the New Testament.

e) If we are making payments to a bank on time, the lender doesn’t send nasty letters to us.

f) Wayward Christians are sought ought by God and chastised.

4) Contracts in life are very similar to the book God has given to the world.

5) Here are some other comparisons.

a) At times people sign a contract but later find that the terms are hard to keep.

b) People have bought cars, wrecked them, and owed more than their car was worth.

c) No one wants to make payments on a car they cannot drive.

d) People have borrowed money but when it came time to pay it back, they couldn’t.

e) Sometimes our contract with God can be difficult to fulfill.

f) Do we not remember how Jesus said, “take up my cross” each day?

g) We are fulfilling our part of the deal each day that we live.

h) God’s word is a binding document with very serious terms.

6) Like contracts in the world, it makes the terms very clear.

a) God says to those who say “yes” to the term of the New Testament, “You are mine.”

b) “Because you are mine, present your body as a living sacrifice” (Rom. 12:1-2).

c) Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed.

d) “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:16).

7) People who sign contracts generally make a commitment.

8) This is what we do when we promise to follow God’s word.

9) We are making a commitment to “seek first” the kingdom of God, Mt. 6:33.

10) We say to God, “not my will but thine be done.”

11) Our entering into an agreement with God is like promising to repay a loan: consistency is required.

12) There must be regularity. A bank doesn’t want to receive 1 or 2 payments out of 12.

13) When we sign on with the Lord, we are saying, “Here am I. I am yours.”

a) To remind us of our commitment, there is often an aid when it comes to contracts in the world.

b) We may get a monthly coupon to remind us of the agreement we made.

c) Or, we may see a monthly debit in our bank account statement.

d) God has a reminder for His agreement with us.

e) He established a day—the first day of the week—to keep before us of our agreement.

f) He has given us baptism as the final response to initially sealing our agreement with Him.

g) When we have been properly baptized we do specified things on each Sunday.

h) One of the things we do is have the Lord’s Supper.

i) This is one of the regular reminders about our agreement with God.

AS WE LOOK AT PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, WE FIND THAT MANY MAKE AGREEMENTS BUT THEY DO NOT HONOR THEM.

a) God is not like that. He will always honor His word.

b) He will do this because He cannot lie (Tit. 1:2).

c) The scriptures cannot be broken (Jn. 10:35).

d) Acts 1:16 says “it was needful that the scriptures be fulfilled.”

2) Have you ever paid close attention to Acts 1:16?

3) Have we ever looked at it from the perspective given this morning?

4) The scriptures must be fulfilled.

a) Why?

b) Why can’t God do whatever He wants?

c) Why can’t He say one thing in His word and then do something else?

d) That would be violating the terms of His agreement with man.

e) God will fulfill His word. God’s word must come to pass as He has said.

5) For those who choose to live as a faithful Christian, Acts 1:16 means you will not be disappointed.

6) God will do all that He promised.

7) For the unsaved, God will also honor the part of His word that applies to them.

8) He will bless the saved throughout eternity and curse those who are not.

9) I started this lesson with a contract and I am going to end it in the same way.

a) I have two documents with me: a bank contract and a copy of the Bible.

b) Which one do we have the most faith in? Which one do we consider the most reliable?

c) Do we have more faith in a contract signed by a bank or in the book authored by God?

d) I have a lot of faith in a binding legal contract signed by a bank.

e) There is a lot more faith in the contract given by God.

f) What about you? Would you like to know more about the book God has authored?