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What It Means To Be In A Covenant Relationship With God (Exodus 34:8-17) I. The Right To The Covenant II. The Reiteration Of The Covenant III. The Revelation Of The Covenant IV. The Response To The Covenant

Context:

In a world of broken promises and shifting loyalties, God’s covenant stands unshaken. This sermon explores Exodus 34:8–17, unpacking what it means to be in a binding, eternal relationship with the Almighty. From Abraham’s unilateral covenant to Moses’ awe-filled encounter with God’s glory, we discover a covenant that is unconditional, unchangeable, and centered on Christ—one that demands our exclusive devotion and transforms how we live.

Hook:

"What if your most important relationship came with a warning label?

God’s covenant with His people is not a casual agreement—it’s a sacred bond marked by fierce love and radical exclusivity. When Moses bowed before the burning glory of God, he glimpsed a truth we often forget: the God who saves us is also a jealous God. Why does this matter today? Because compromise starts small—a treaty here, an idol there—until we’re trapped. But the covenant offers a better way: grace, faithfulness, and a love that lasts forever.

Read on to discover:

• Why God alone passed through the animal pieces in Abraham’s covenant ceremony (hint: it’s all about Jesus).
• The stunning moment Moses pleaded, “Pardon our sin—take us as Yours!”—and what it teaches us about prayer.
• 3 dangerous compromises Israel made (that we’re still making today).
• How to spot—and smash—the hidden idols in your life.

This isn’t just ancient history. It’s your invitation to a relationship that defines your destiny."

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

THE COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

Text: Exodus 34:8-17 (KJV)

I. INTRODUCTION: THE NATURE OF GOD'S COVENANT

A. Definition of a Covenant (Binding Agreement)

B. Human Contracts vs. Divine Covenant (Unchangeable Nature)

C. Key Text: Exodus 34:8-17

II. THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT: A MODEL OF GOD'S PROMISE

A. God’s Call to Abram (Genesis 12:1-3)

1. Land, Descendants, and Blessing
2. Genesis 15:5-7 (Stars and Sand Imagery) B. The Covenant Ceremony (Genesis 15:9-17)
3. Animal Sacrifice and Divine Ratification
4. Unilateral, Unconditional, and Unchangeable C. Christ as the Fulfillment (Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:16)
5. Singular "Seed" Prophecy
6. Connection to Genesis 3:15 (Protoevangelium)

III. MOSES AND THE COVENANT RENEWAL (EXODUS 34:8-10)

A. Moses’ Response to God’s Glory

1. Worship and Humility (Exodus 34:8)
2. Prayer for Grace and Presence (Exodus 34:9) B. God’s Reiterated Promises
3. Marvels and Wonders (Exodus 34:10)
4. Exclusive Relationship ("I Will Be Your God")

IV. FOUR ESSENTIALS OF THE COVENANT RELATIONSHIP

A. The Right to the Covenant

1. Access Through Grace (Ephesians 2:8-9)
2. Prayer in Jesus’ Name

B. The Reiteration of the Covenant

1. God’s Unbreakable Promises
2. Assurance in Doubt (Exodus 34:10)

C. The Revelation of the Covenant

1. Purpose: God’s Glory
2. Believers as Salt and Light (Matthew 5:13-16)

D. The Response to the Covenant

1. Warnings Against Compromise
• No Alliances with Idolaters (Exodus 34:12)
• Destroy Idols (Exodus 34:13)
• No Intermarriage (Exodus 34:16)
2. God’s Jealousy as Protective Love (Exodus 34:14)

V. APPLICATION: GUARDING THE COVENANT TODAY

A. Separation from Spiritual Idolatry

1. Rejecting Ecumenical Compromise
2. Marriage: No Unequal Yoking (2 Corinthians 6:14) B. Progressive Nature of Sin
3. From Tolerance to Participation (Exodus 34:15-17)
4. Historical Consequences (Israel’s Exile) C. Heart Vigilance
5. Identifying Modern Idols (Wealth, Status, Pleasure)
6. Eternal Perspective: Covenant Love Endures

VI. CONCLUSION

A. Summary: Covenant = Exclusive, Eternal Relationship

B. Call to Faithfulness: "Love the Lord Your God Only"

C. Closing Assurance: "In Heaven, We Dwell in His Love Forever"

Sermon Transcript:

[18:47]

Our text for today's message is taken from Exodus 34:8–17, and we want to learn what it means to be in a covenant relationship with God.

A covenant is a binding agreement. Most of us have entered into some form of agreements in our lifetime—perhaps a business agreement, a housing agreement, an employment agreement, etc. We are familiar with contracts and agreements. Failure to keep the agreement, there is a penalty. When two parties sign an agreement, it cannot be changed. A third party cannot come along years later and alter that agreement—to add anything to it or subtract anything from it is illegal.

If a human agreement cannot be changed, how much more the covenant of God? To help us better understand the significance of God's covenant, maybe you can turn with me to Genesis chapter 15. When God called Abraham (who was known as Abram at that time) out of the Ur of the Chaldees, He promised to give him the land to inherit it, to bless him with descendants like the number of stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, to bless them that bless him and curse them that cursed him. (Genesis 12:1-3, 15:5,7)

Verse 6 tells us that “he (Abraham) believed in the LORD, and he counted it to him for righteousness.” So, on Abraham's part, he believed in the Lord—he was a believer. But Abraham was childless, and he could not understand how God's promises could be fulfilled, so he asked God in verse 8: "Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?"

God confirmed His promises by cutting (or ratifying) a covenant, and He performed a ceremony. He instructed Abraham in verse 9 to take a heifer, a female goat, a ram, a turtledove, and a dove, and then cut them in half and to separate the two sides of the slain animals opposite one another with a path in between. Usually, both parties would walk in between the slain animals to seal the agreement, signifying the seriousness of the agreement—the obligation to keep the agreement. Failure to keep it will result in them being like the dismembered animals.

But interestingly, after reassuring Abraham of His promises (as sunset came), God caused a deep sleep to fall on Abraham, and God alone symbolically passed between the slain animals in the form of a smoking furnace and a burning lamp (you can read about that in verse 17). This means the covenant God made with Abraham was unilateral (to be performed by one party). It was entirely unconditional, and God would make sure that it was fulfilled. The covenant of God was unilateral, unconditional, and unchangeable—and it involved faith in His Only Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

How do we know? If you look down to Genesis 22:18, God said to Abraham: "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice." The original word for "seed" in Greek and Hebrew can be either singular or plural. So, simply reading Genesis 22:18, the meaning "seed" can be either singular or plural. But by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul in the New Testament made it very clear that it was singular—referring to one person, not many.

Paul said in Galatians 3:16: "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." In other words, God's covenant was a Christ-centred covenant, which would be fulfilled by Christ alone.

This reminds us of a much earlier promise in Genesis 3:15, where the usage of the word "seed" was also singular. God said: "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." A reference to Christ, who died and shed His precious blood on the cross of Calvary, where He dealt a potent blow to Satan, sin, and death.

Just as the children of Israel had entered into a covenant relationship with God through faith in the blood of the unblemished lamb, we—the believers on this side of the cross—have entered into a covenant relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, the ultimate Lamb who died and shed His precious blood on the cross to save us from our sins. So, that is a brief background of the significance of God's covenant.

I. The Right To The Covenant [26:39]

Now, we come back to our text in Exodus 34:8: "And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped." Remember, Moses had asked to see the glory of God, but God was not willing to do that (and it was to protect him, because no man could see Him and live). What God was willing to do was to show Moses a glimpse of His glory, and it was revealed through His attributes—His mercy, grace, longsuffering, goodness, truth, and forgiveness. (Exodus 33:18-23; Exodus 34:6-7) The moment Moses caught a glimpse of that glory, it was too much for him to bear. He immediately bowed in humble adoration and worshipped the Almighty God.

Verse 9: "And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray Thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance." Here, the first thing we learn is the right to the covenant. No man can worship God, let alone pray to Him. Even if men were to pray, God is not obligated to hear and answer their prayers. He will only hear and answer the prayers of the believers on the basis of His only begotten Son. That is why we always end our prayers with ‘in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.’ That is what it means to ‘have found grace in His sight’.

Grace is undeserved favour. It is to be saved by grace through faith, not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Some people feel that Moses’ prayer was redundant because God had already promised to be with His people, to forgive their sins, and to help them inherit the land of promise (Leviticus 26:11-12). If God had already made all those promises, then what was the point of praying about them again?

Do you realise that often we ask for the same thing again and again? We know that God is always with us, yet we ask Him to be with us. We know that God is in control of every situation, yet we ask Him to take control of the present circumstances. We know that God will guide and lead us, yet we ask Him to guide and lead us in the face of trials and temptations.

Why do we do that? Because repetition is an essential part of prayer. The reason why we repeatedly ask for those things is not because God does not know (He knows the end from the beginning), but we are acknowledging that all the things we have received come from Him.