FORMING AN AGREEMENT

1) Have we ever formed an agreement with someone?

2) Most of us have, and we probably did it in a typical way:

a) If it was a minor matter, maybe we “shook hands” to seal a deal.

b) For more serious agreements, we may have signed a legal contract.

c) At other times an agreement may have been based upon a conversation.

3) In the Bible we find that agreements were made in some very unusual ways.

4) Today we want to look at some of these ways.

5) We start with the first book of the Bible; Gen. 21.

6) Prior to this chapter God had promised that Sarah and Abraham would have a son.

7) Sarah became pregnant and gave birth Isaac, Gen. 21:2.

a) In Abraham’s household was a woman named Hagar.

b) Abraham had a child by this lady, and his relationship with her created family conflict.

c) One day Sarah told Abraham to throw Hagar and the child out of the household.

d) Sarah got her way, and time continued to pass.

8) Hagar’s son grew and eventually he married a lady from Egypt (Gen. 21:21).

9) At this point in the story attention is turned to someone else, a king named Abimelech.

10) Abraham and Abimelech formed an agreement with each other.

11) We want to see how this agreement was formed –

12) Gen. 21:27-30 – READ.

a) We hardly ever see agreements being formed in this manner.

b) People don’t give gifts to symbolize that they are making a contract.

c) A lending institution might give us a pen after we sign a contract.

d) Maybe the car dealer will give us a couple of free car washes.

e) Not too many people will fork over the value of several animals to cement an agreement.

f) In Bible times this was something that was done.

13) Another means of making agreement is found in Gen. 31; I will be reading from verse 43f.

14) Two enjoyable characters in the book of Genesis are Laban and Jacob.

15) Each of these men made various attempts to outfox the other.

16) Jacob said Laban had “changed his wages ten times” (Gen. 31:41).

a) Laban then offered a sly reply, Gen. 31:43.

b) In verse 44 Laban proposed that he and Jacob make a covenant – READ.

17) Jacob heard this proposal and he was agreeable – verses 45-46 – READ.

18) I doubt that a local financial institution would say they would make an agreement with a pile of rocks.

a) Or, what if we said to the local mortgage company, “tell you what”:

b) “Let’s plant a tree out by the parking lot.”

c) “That tree will represent the agreement for me to repay my house loan.”

d) We would be laughed out of the office.

e) This kind of contract is no longer acceptable, but it once was.

19) Another means of ratifying an agreement is found in Josh. 9.

20) This chapter was recently used to recount the story of the Gibeonites.

a) People from Gibeon decided to pretend they were not from the land of Canaan.

b) Israel didn’t ask God if these people were telling the truth, so they made an agreement.

c) By combining Josh. 9:15, 20, we find that some agreements were verbal.

21) Today we still use verbal agreements.

22) It may be as simple as a repair man coming to where we live.

23) If the phone company says they will be at our house between 2-5, that is an agreement.

24) Another type of agreement that is still used is shaking hands.

a) In ancient times (and until a few years ago), a handshake used to be like signing a legal contract.

b) People considered it a binding deal that would not be broken.

c) God referred to this type of bond in Prov. 6:1-2 – READ.

d) Handshakes were binding.

e) In the Bible there are examples of a “salt” covenant.

f) I hope to deal with this topic in a week or two.

25) My last reference to show different types of agreements is found in Ruth.

26) This passage describes the making of an agreement and like many of the others, it is also odd.

27) If you are not familiar with this part of that book, you might doubt that it is actually in the scriptures.

28) People sometimes made agreements by taking off a shoe.

29) This practice is described in Ruth 4:6-8 – READ.

WE KNOW HOW DIFFERENT TYPES OF AGREEMENTS WERE MADE IN ANCIENT TIMES AND WE KNOW WHAT IS CUSTOMARY FOR OUR CULTURE.

a) Now it is time to ask, “so what?”

b) How does knowing all this information aid us or have relevance?

c) You have been patient and now it is time to bring some things together.

2) Our starting place is 1 Cor. 11:25.

3) Jesus said “this cup is the new covenant in my blood.”

a) What was the Lord saying?

b) He told His people that He was making a very special agreement.

c) A New Testament was coming, and it would be very different from all other agreements.

4) God was not going to institute a new religion by signing a piece of paper.

5) Jesus was not going to take off one of His sandals and say, “things are changing.”

6) Jesus had no plans to go to the Jerusalem countryside and start piling up rocks like Jacob had done.

7) Neither did He go around and start shaking hands.

a) Jesus said blood would create a new contract.

b) Under the previous agreement, the Jews knew about an agreement made in blood.

c) Animal blood had been shed for hundreds of years

d) Jesus said the new arrangement would require human blood—His blood.

e) It wouldn’t be a pint or two; it would be the complete termination of His life.

f) Not only would Jesus die, He would die a horrible death.

8) We make contracts and after a time forget about them.

9) The car we paid off 20-30 years ago…that contract is old and long forgotten.

10) The contract for the apartment we rented after getting married…it’s long gone.

11) I want us to consider something about the contract written in Christ’s blood.

12) This comes from Rev. 5:9.

a) Many have their own ideas about what will happen in heaven.

b) John suggests heaven will be a place to praise God.

c) In Rev. 5 he refers to singing, and he tells us something about the song being sung.

13) READ Rev. 5:9.

14) This verse is a complimentary passage to 1 Cor. 11:25.

15) Jesus made a New Testament and His contract to purchase us was written with His blood.

16) In our day to day lives, we might form a contract in some of the ways described earlier.

17) Who here would form an agreement in the way that God the Father did?

a) In your mind select someone that you dearly love.

b) This person is as dear to you as anyone has ever been.

c) This person is someone you want the best for throughout your and their life.

18) Now imagine saying to this person,

19) “I have been presented with an offer; a contract.

20) “The only way I can fulfill my part of the deal is to let you be killed. You need to die”

21) “Your death is going to be one of the most painful deaths known to mankind.”

22) “You are going to be mistreated and misrepresented for many years.”

23) “Then at the end of your life, you will be humiliated beyond belief and punished without mercy.”

24) What would someone need to promise us in a contract for us to say, “Give me a pen; I’ll sign”?

25) Hardly anyone living now or in the past would be willing to sign this kind of agreement.

26) This kind of thinking is not how we are built; it is not a mentality of this world.

a) This is why Jn. 3:16 says “For God.”

b) Only God would make the kind of deal that we read about in the Scriptures.

27) The New Testament is a contract written in blood, and it is very precious blood.

28) It is the blood of the “dearly beloved Son.”

29) I submit that the Bible is one of the most unusual agreements that has ever been formed.

30) It is also the most expensive contract that has been written.

31) As a contract it is written with the strongest possible conditions (terms).

32) Fulfill the terms in God’s word and there will be an existence that defies description.

33) If we do not take God’s word seriously and follow it, we will suffer without end.

34) A long time ago a great man said, “choose you this day.”

35) We can view the Bible as a document with two signatures lines.

36) God has already put His name on one of those lines.

37) He is waiting for us to put our name on the other.

38) Once we sign on, Jesus said that we do not want to look back.

39) Have we said to God, “I am ready to become a Christian?”

40) God’s terms for being one of His children are plainly stated: faith, repentance, confession, and baptism.

41) Then we are obligated to live as faithful Christian. Is this how we are living?