The Promise Of Glory Magnified: The Covenant Of Redemption

Please take your Bibles and open them up this morning to the Gospel according to John.

! We'll be in chapter 17, verses 1-5.

And then if you would flip just a few pages over and also put your finger in the letter to the Ephesians, chapter 1, verses 1-14.

Ephesians 1:1–14

John 17, 1-5, and Ephesians 1, 1-14.

And when you found that, let's stand in honor of the reading of God's Word this morning.

Amen.

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work you gave me to do.

And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

We'll flip to Ephesians chapter 1.

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus,

grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

In love, he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

to the praise of his glorious grace with which he has blessed us in the beloved.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of his will,

according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time,

to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him,

who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him,

were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance,

until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of the Lord endures forever.

Father, there is one gospel of Jesus Christ from all eternity,

and we pray now as we open up the scriptures one more time for one more Sunday sermon,

Lord, in this year, 2025, we pray, Father, that you would fix our eyes on Christ,

and would you be magnified in the gospel of Jesus this morning, we pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

You may be seated.

You've probably heard it said before that the gospel is like the ocean.

It's shallow enough for the youngest child to wade in the shoreline,

but it's also deep enough for an elephant to swim.

In other words, it's accessible to all,

and yet, at the same time, it is deep enough that the furthest depths will never fully be explored.

Well, this morning, together, as we close out 2025,

we are going to dive into the deep end,

and what better way to close out the year together.

Some of you probably know that the Gerrards and the Gillums,

they're not here this morning, so I get to call them out.

This is shared entirely without permission, by the way.

The Gerrards and the Gillums planned to surprise their kids with a trip to Disney for Christmas.

They'll be surprised when they listen on the way back home,

and they hear us talking about them this morning.

They decided to surprise the kids,

and of course, that whole thing had to be planned out in advance, well in advance.

I don't know at what point this plan was cooked up and hatched,

and I don't know exactly how it went down,

but at some point, an agreement was made.

I imagine maybe some texts were exchanged.

Maybe they cooked up the plan over dinner.

I don't know, but an agreement was made.

We are going to give this gift, surprise these kids with a trip to Disney.

The terms were agreed to.

You will drive.

You will plan out the meals.

You will plan out what rides we ride first.

Here's the day that we're going to give this gift to these kids.

Here's the plan that we're going to execute.

And then on Christmas morning, they executed the plan and delivered the gift.

And now, what they're doing right now as we speak is they are now enjoying the fruits of their labor.

What was planned out well in advance was then executed to perfection in time.

And it's a little bit like what we're going to see here this morning

with what we call the covenant of redemption.

Kevin DeYoung says it like this.

He says,

The covenant of grace in time, what we've been studying over the past four or five weeks now,

is made possible by the covenant of redemption in all eternity.

So here's the big idea this morning.

God in eternity past has made an incredible plan.

God has planned to magnify His glory by redeeming a chosen people in His Son.

In other words, the covenant of redemption is God's plan to magnify the glory of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is our mission, church.

So let's take a look together this morning.

And we'll see it in two parts here this morning.

First, if you're taking notes, first,

God from eternity past plans redemption.

God from eternity past plans redemption.

What we're doing this morning is we are peeling back the curtain a little bit on what we've seen over the past several weeks.

Maybe you've been to a show before, been to a play, a musical.

And you go and what side of the curtain do you sit on?

You sit on the side where you get to see the drama unfold in real time.

But you know that on the other side of the curtain,

there's all sorts of things that go into making that play happen, right?

There's moving parts and moving pieces.

There's directors.

There's stage managers.

There's costume designers.

What we're doing is we're peeling back the curtain of human history here for a minute

to see what stands behind all of human history.

What is it that undergirds and supports all of the covenants that we've seen over the past month

with Abraham and with Moses and with David,

ultimately all of it leading to this new covenant of grace in Christ.

Today we're actually going further back than that,

all the way to the writer's desk where God scripts out the plan for human history,

an eternal plan of redemption written behind the curtain, so to speak,

that will unfold in covenants in front of the curtain,

all leading up to the new covenant of grace, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is week five now thinking about these covenants,

and so we ought to know how covenants work by now, hopefully, right?

There's promises made between parties with certain prescriptions to fulfill.

Parties, promises, prescriptions.

I want to just take a look at each part here.

So let's ask, well, who are the parties of this eternal covenant?

Who are the parties of this eternal covenant?

The parties of the covenant of redemption are God the Father and God the Son.

And then by extension, all who are in God the Son.

The parties of the covenant, God the Father and God the Son.

And then by extension, all who are in God the Son.

You might have to just listen along here.

If you're fast, you can flip with me.

I don't expect you to keep up.

I'm going to be all over the place this morning.

So you might think of Titus chapter 1.

Titus 1 · chapter mention

Titus chapter 1.

Titus 1 · chapter mention

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ,

writing for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth,

which accords with godliness,

in hope of eternal life,

which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began.

And at the proper time, manifested in his word through the preaching,

with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior.

So Paul says, God, who never lies, made a promise.

What's the promise?

The hope of eternal life before the ages began.

Now we should ask, well, promise to whom?

Because we weren't there, were we?

You and I were not there before the ages began.

No one was there but God before the ages began.

And that's exactly right.

Clearly, this is a promise made amongst the members of the Godhead before the ages began.

Or you can look to 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 9.

2 Timothy 1:9

Paul says, God saved us and called us to a holy calling,

not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace,

which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.

Just mind-boggling, isn't it?

Because again, we weren't there.

How did he give us anything before the ages began?

This is a peek behind the curtain here.

Before you and I even existed,

God gave us redeeming grace in Christ.

And verse 10 says,

This plan of grace now has been manifested in time,

in front of the curtain, we could say,

through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus,

who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

So who are the parties here?

Clearly, God the Father,

God the Son,

had an agreement,

a covenant in place

before the ages began

that has now been manifested in time.

How's the water?

Are we drowning yet?

You with me?

What are the promises?

What are the promises of the covenant?

They are twofold.

God the Father promises

to give God the Son

a kingdom

and a kingdom people.

These are the promises made.

You might think of Luke chapter 22, verse 29.

Luke 22:29

Jesus says to his disciples,

I assign to you

as my Father assigned to me

a kingdom.

Or Psalm chapter 2.

Psalms 2 · chapter mention

I will tell of the decree.

The Lord said to me,

You are my son.

Today I have begotten you.

Ask of me

and I will make the nations your heritage

and the ends of the earth your possession.

You shall dash them,

break them with a rod of iron

and dash them in pieces

like a potter's vessel.

All things in all human history

is headed in this direction.

All the kingdoms of the earth,

all the nations of the earth,

one day,

all of it is going to end right here.

God has promised the Son

an eternal kingdom

where he will rule and reign

for the rest of eternity.

We sing about it at Christmas, don't we?

And he shall reign forever and ever.

Why do we sing that?

Because God the Father

has promised this kingdom

to God the Son

before the ages began.

We saw several weeks ago

God promised David

a son, a child

whose dominion will have no end,

who will reign forever.

Why does God promise David this?

God makes this promise to David in time

because God has promised it

to the Son in eternity.

God the Son

will rule

over an eternal kingdom.

And praise God,

the kingdom will not be empty

because God the Father

promises the Son

a kingdom people.

The kingdom has subjects.

People of the kingdom,

citizens of the kingdom,

people who will bow the knee

to the king,

people who will serve him gladly,

people who love the king

and worship the king

and exalt the king,

a transformed people

of the kingdom.

Who is that?

It is all of the redeemed

from every nation,

every tribe,

every tongue.

From eternity past,

God gave a people

to the Son.

This is what Jesus says

in our passage in John 17.

Look there with me.

Look there with me.

Jesus prays

right before he goes to the cross.

Right before he steps

into the cross.

What does he say?

Father, the hour has come.

Glorify your Son

that your Son may glorify you

since you have given him

authority over all flesh.

What authority is that?

What authority has Jesus been given?

What has he been given

the authority to do?

Verse 2.

To give eternal life

to all whom you have given him.

Or you could look to John chapter 10.

John 10 · chapter mention

Jesus says again,

of his people.

He says,

I give them eternal life

and they will never perish.

No one will snatch them

out of my hand.

My Father,

who has given them to me,

is greater than all

and no one is able

to snatch them out

of the Father's hand.

Ephesians chapter 1.

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

We just read it.

Paul says,

God chose us in Christ

before the foundation

of the world.

He says,

in love he predestined us

for adoption as sons

through Jesus Christ

according to the purpose

of his will.

Revelation 13

talks about those

who were written

in the Lamb's book of life

when?

Before the foundation

of the world.

Now I realize

this raises a lot of questions.

Now I won't pretend

that it doesn't.

I'm going to disappoint you

because this sermon

is not the space

to answer all of those questions

as much as I might

want to do so.

Clearly though,

I think we can say

with absolute confidence,

okay,

no qualification here.

The scriptures are clear.

There is a giving

of a people in eternity

that determines

the giving of eternal life

in time.

I have authority,

Jesus says,

to give eternal life

to all whom you have given me.

So,

recap.

Parties,

God the Father,

God the Son,

promises,

kingdom,

and a kingdom people.

What are the prescriptions?

What must be done

to fulfill

this covenant?

What's the mission?

Here it is.

You will receive

a people

and a kingdom

if you

will purchase

them

with your

own blood.

The mission

is the gospel.

What's the mission?

It's what we've celebrated

all month long,

isn't it?

The mission is

you will become

man,

you will become

incarnate

for the first time.

the eternal Son of God

will take on

human flesh.

You must become

like the people

that you will redeem

in every way

yet without sin.

You will live

perfectly

as the ideal man,

the perfect human

representative.

You will fulfill

perfectly

every aspect

of the law.

You will be

perfectly righteous,

perfectly holy

in every way

and then you will

die as a substitute

in the place

of your people.

This is the plan.

This is what

you will do.

This is the mission.

You will take

on flesh

and blood

and then your flesh

will be torn

and your blood

will be shed

for your people.

This is what makes

what we've just

celebrated all month long

at Christmas

so beautiful

and so powerful,

doesn't it?

We need to connect

the manger to the cross,

don't we?

Why did Jesus come?

Jesus came to die

for his people.

I came across

this quote

from John Piper

this week.

He says this,

listen to this.

He says,

the incarnation

is the preparation

of nerve endings

for the nails.

The incarnation

is the preparation

of a brow

for thorns

to press through.

He needed to have

a broad back

so that there was

a place for the whip.

He needed to have feet

so that there was

a place for the spikes.

He needed to have

a side

so that there

was a place

for the sword

to go in.

He needed cheeks

so that Judas

would have a place

to kiss

and there would be

a place for the spit

to run down

that the soldiers

put on him.

He needed a brain

and a spinal column

with no vinegar

and no gall

so that the exquisiteness

of the pain

could be fully felt

for you.

Jesus came in time

to fulfill the mission

God gave him

in eternity.

The plan is

die for your people

and in so doing

you will earn

eternal life

for all of your

blood-bought people.

In so doing

you will be exalted

as king

of an eternal kingdom.

In so doing

you will rule forever

over all your kingdom people.

That's the mission

rooted in eternity.

And so Jesus says

in John chapter 10

John 10 · chapter mention

again

I have the authority

to lay down my life.

I have the authority

to take it up again.

This charge

I have received

from my Father.

Friend,

the good news

of the gospel

that we proclaim

each and every week

is that praise God

Jesus has come

and completed

the mission.

Praise God

Jesus has come

in the flesh.

He has been made

like us.

God has stepped

into our human nature.

God himself

has been tempted

and tried as we are

yet without sin.

Praise God

we rejoice.

Jesus has suffered

and grieved

and felt pain

and felt loss.

He's been rejected

and humiliated

and he has given

his own life

for our salvation.

And praise God

it doesn't end

at the grave.

He rose from the grave

in resurrection power

so now

as a result

of fulfilling

this eternal plan

of God

now he lives

as the head

of a new

and better covenant.

And now he can

offer eternal life

to any who come

to him in faith.

And now he's able

to offer entrance

into his kingdom

because the kingdom

has come in him.

Now we're able

to stand

and proclaim

week in

and week out

come and repent

of your sins

put your faith

in Jesus Christ

and you will be saved

because Christ

has come

to accomplish

the eternal plan

of redemption.

This is the gospel.

Church what can we say

to these things?

It's overwhelming

isn't it?

on the sheer scope

of it

you see God's

grand plan

of redemption

unfolding here.

And before the world

existed

God planned

to redeem

the world.

Before you

existed

God planned

to purchase

you and redeem

you by the blood

of Christ.

Before sin

existed

God planned

that Jesus

would be the lamb

who was slain

before the foundations

of the world

as the perfect

sacrifice

for sinners.

This whole

grand story

of redemption

from Adam

to Christ

from Genesis

to Revelation

all of it

flows downstream

from this

one grand plan

made in eternity

before the world

began.

What can we say

to these things?

I'll tell you

what we ought to say

church.

Praise the Lord

praise God

for the gospel.

Praise God

that he has

planned all

of this out.

Praise God

that it doesn't

start with us

and our work.

Praise God

it's not dependent

on me.

It's not dependent

on you.

Praise God

it's so permanent

and effective.

It's a perfect plan.

It's executed

to perfection.

God the Father

plans it.

God the Son

accomplishes it.

God the Spirit

applies it

exactly as

he wills it to be.

Praise God

for the hope

of the gospel.

Praise God

for the finished

work of Christ.

Praise God.

What can we say

to these things?

The right response

to God's eternal

plan of redemption

is praise

to the Father

and that's exactly

as God

intends it to be.

God planned

redemption

in eternity

past

so that

second

God receives

praise

for all

eternity

future.

Ask yourself

why has God

done this?

Why has

the Son

agreed to this?

Yes I'll go

and die.

I'll go and

suffer.

I'll humiliate

myself and

become man.

Why has God

done all of this

like this?

There's one

grand

overarching

purpose

in all of it.

The covenant

of redemption

is God's

plan to

magnify

His glory

in the

gospel

of Jesus

Christ.

This is the

whole point.

The whole point

of creation.

The whole point

of redemption.

The whole point

of this

unfolding

story.

This

plan of

salvation

in Christ.

the whole point

of all

of it

is the

glory

of God.

Look again

at our

two passages

John 17

and then

Ephesians 1.

Look at

John 17

first here

and just

ask

yourself

here

moments

before

His

crucifixion

what is

Jesus

most

concerned

with?

What is

weighing

most heavily

on His

mind?

Father

the hour

has come

glorify

your

Son

that

the

Son

may

glorify

you.

Verse

4

I

glorified

you

on

earth

having

accomplished

the

work

that

you

gave

me

to

do

there's

the

mission

and

now

Father

glorify

me

in

your

own

presence

with

the

glory

that

I

had

with

you

before

the

world

existed

glory

glory

glory

glory

look down

at

verse

24

look what

he

prays

Father

I

desire

that

they

also

whom

you

have

given

me

may

be

with

me

where

I

am

why

that

they

may

see

my

glory

that

you

have

given

me

because

you

loved

me

before

the

foundation

of

the

world

do

you

see

it

God's

glory

is

the

main

reason

for

everything

God

does

he's

the

only

being

in

the

universe

for

which

that

is

not

sinful

if you

and I

seek

our

own

glory

that's

sinful

right

that's

pride

that's

self

exaltation

why is

that

sinful

for us

because

all glory

belongs

to

God

there is

no

greater

purpose

no

higher

end

than

to

magnify

and to

honor

the glory

of God

God

sent

his

son

to

save

a

people

for

the

praise

of

his

glory

glory

our

focus

in

alignment

with

God's

focus

is

our

emphasis

the

same

as

God's

emphasis

are

our

desires

the

same

as

God's

desires

what

does

God

care

most

about

God's

primary

mission

and

everything

that

he

does

ultimately

is

the

magnification

of

his

glory

are

we

in

alignment

here

ask

yourself

as

you

talk

about

your

testimony

maybe

you

got

together

with

family

this

past

week

maybe

you

have

plans

like

I

do

to

go

and

meet

with

family

this

upcoming

week

ask

yourself

who

is

at

the

center

of

your

story

is

it

you

or

is

it

God

and

his

glory

when

you

pray

is

it

mostly

about

you

or

is

it

about

God's

glory

the

way

you

approach

and

read

scripture

is

it

you

centered

or

is

it

God

centered

the

songs

that

you

sing

the

songs

that

you

listen

to

who's

it

about

is

it

is

it

ultimately

about

you

or

is

it

about

the

glory

of

God

the

goal

the

end

result

of

this

grand

plan

of

redemption

made

before

the

ages

began

is

that

Christ

would

be

above

all

that

the

glory

of

God

would

be

exalted

that

his

glory

would

be

magnified

look there

to Ephesians

1

again

and just

listen to

this

refrain

it's

constant

it's

like

this

beating

of a

drum

that

that

that

that

goes

it

provides

the

rhythm

behind

Paul's

theology

blessed

be the

God

and

Father

of

our

Lord

Jesus

Christ

who

has

blessed

us

in

Christ

with

every

spiritual

blessing

in

the

heavenly

places

even

as

he

chose

us

in

him

before

the

foundation

of

the

world

that

we

should

be

holy

and

blameless

before

him

in

love

he

predestined

us

for

adoption

to

himself

as

sons

through

Jesus

Christ

why

to

the

praise

of

his

glorious

grace

with

which

he

has

blessed

us

in

the

beloved

in

him

we

have

redemption

through

his

blood

the

forgiveness

of

our

trespasses

according

to

the

riches

of

his

grace

which

he

lavished

upon

us

in

all

wisdom

and

insight

making

known

to

us

the

mystery

of

his

will

according

to

his

purpose

which

he

set

forth

in

Christ

as

a

plan

for

the

fullness

of

time

to

unite

all

things

in

him

things

in

heaven

and

things

on

earth

in

him

we

have

obtained

an

inheritance

having

been

predestined

according

to the

purpose

of

him

who

works

all

things

according

to the

counsel

of

his

will

so

that

we

who

were

the

first

to

hope

in

Christ

might

be

what

to

the

praise

of

his

glory

in

him

you

also

when

you

heard

the

truth

the

gospel

of

your

salvation

and

believed

in

him

were

sealed

with

the

promised

holy

spirit

who is

the

guarantee

of

our

inheritance

until

we

acquire

possession

of

it

to

the

praise

of

his

glory

what's

the

result

of

our

salvation

glory

glory

glory

glory

glory

to

the

praise

of

his

glory

all

blessing

and

honor

and

power

and

glory

is

all

to

the

praise

of

his

glory

the

praise

of

his

glorious

grace

what

other

response

could

there

be

this

is

the

response

of

God's

people

the

blood

bought

grace

drenched

people

of

God

look

at

what

he's

done

see

the

scope

of

what

he's

planned

they

look

at

what

Christ

has

accomplished

what

he's

given

and

they

say

this

God

is

glorious

beyond

all

compare

God's

glory

is

magnified

in the

gospel

of

Jesus

Christ

it's

like

every

attribute

of

God

as

you

look

to

the

gospel

every

attribute

of

God

is

plugged

into

the

amplifier

and

it's

turned

up

to

11

his

infinite

wisdom

is

magnified

who

could

dream

up a

plan

of

salvation

like

this

his

measureless

grace

is

magnified

who

among

us

has

earned

this

who

has

merited

salvation

it's

the

free

gift

of

God

in

Christ

Jesus

our

Lord

his

mercy

his

love

are

magnified

God

shows

his

love

for

us

in

this

that

while

we

were

still

sinners

Christ

died

for

us

who

could

imagine

a

God

who

would

die

for

sinful

man

who

could

fathom

a

God

who

would

come

as

we

are

to

make

us

as

he

is

who

can

imagine

a

God

who

loves

his

enemies

and

adopts

them

as

his

own

sons

and

daughters

his

holiness

is

magnified

in the

perfect

life

of

Christ

his

justice

is

magnified

in the

sacrificial

death

of

Christ

his

power

is

magnified

in the

victorious

resurrection

of

Christ

from

the

grave

it

is

all

about

his

glory

and

the

good

news

church

we

get

to

enjoy

it

for

the

rest

of

eternity

yeah

I used

to

when I

was

a

kid

try

and

imagine

what

heaven

would

be

like

you

ever

do

that

and

in

my

mind

I

couldn't

think

of

anything

that

could

occupy

my

attention

for

that

long

eternity

is

a

long

time

what

would

I

do

and

all

I

could

think

was

just

some

better

version

of

all

the

stuff

I

already

do

now

maybe

I

just

play

basketball

up

there

I

could

jump

I

don't

know

I

don't

know

no

what

eternity

has

in store

for the

redeemed

is a

never

ending

unveiling

of the

praiseworthy

glory

of God

it's like

Christmas

morning

except

there's

always

another

present

to open

and you

always

have

enough

time

to

enjoy

the

one

you

just

opened

before

you

move

on

to

the

next

You

mean

there's

more?

yes

you

mean

I

get

to

enjoy

more?

yes

as much

as you

want

come on

there's

always

more

to

see

there's

always

more

to

enjoy

there's

always

more

to

delight

in

there's

always

more

to

exalt

God

for

just

put a

time

on it

how long

do you

think

it will

take

for an

eternal

God

to reveal

himself

to a

limited

temporal

people

like us

all

eternity

it will

take

forever

for an

infinite

God

to reveal

his limitless

power

his limitless

wisdom

his limitless

grace

his limitless

kindness

towards us

in Christ

if you are

in Christ

we have

all of

eternity

to soak

in the

glory

of God

it will

take all

of eternity

for us

to unveil

uncover

all of

the glory

of God

there is

no

limit

to the

depth

of this

ocean

and in

Christ

we are

given

an endless

supply

of oxygen

and told

to go

dive in

as deep

as you

want

and stay

as long

as you

want

if you

are in

Christ

by faith

God

has saved

you

Ephesians

2

tells us

so that

in the

coming

ages

he might

show

you

the

immeasurable

riches

of his

grace

and kindness

towards us

in

Christ

Jesus

that's just

incredible hope

isn't it

church

the good

news is

we don't

have to

wait

until then

to start

now I

realize that

these are

deep waters

church

this is

deep

theology

I understand

that

but if we

don't take

this and

apply it

to our

lives

we've

missed it

this morning

this

truth

ought to

shape

the way

that we

live our

lives

this truth

ought to

shape

the way

that we

leave this

place here

in just a

few minutes

the way