Welcome to another
episode of Books of the Book.
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I'm Pastor Mark
Howard, I'm the director of the
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Emmanuel Institute of
evangelism in Michigan
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as well as the Pastor of the
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Gobels Seventh-day
Adventist church in Michigan
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and my co-host Jim
Howard, my younger brother.
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Yes, I'm Jim Howard also
at Pastor of the Michigan
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conference of the Detroit
Metropolitan and South Lyon's
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Seventh-day Adventist churches.
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Now we are so glad you
are with us today in our
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Bible study and we
have been going through
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the book of Galatians.
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A powerful book in the New
Testament where the apostle
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Paul gives his clearest
defense in the shortest space
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of the Gospel message.
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Somebody may contend the
book of Romans but the book
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of Galatians is a compacted
Romans and it addresses so
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many powerful gospel
truths from different angles so
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that we can really get
a grasp on the essence of
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justification by faith,
of the obedience of faith.
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Today of the covenants and
this is a study we are going
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to look at today
on the two covenants.
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We are just going to
dive right in with the book of
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Galatians 4 and if you
are watching at home and you
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have your Bibles with you
we want to encourage you to
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take your Bibles out and
turn with us to the book of
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Galatians in the New Testament.
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You go to the Gospels and
start out in Matthew, Mark,
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Luke, John, Acts, Romans,
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1 and 2
Corinthians and then Galatians.
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We are in Galatians 4:21
and I'm going to read here,
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"tell me, you who desired
to be under the law, do you
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"not hear the law?
22. For it is written that
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"Abraham had two sons:
the one by a bondwoman,
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"the other by a free
woman. 23. But he who was of the
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"bondwoman was born according
to the flesh, and he of
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"free woman through promise,24.
which things are symbolic.
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"For these are the two covenants
the one from Mount Sinai
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"which gives birth to
bondage, which is Hagar. "
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I'm going to read on after
a little bit but I'm going to
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key in on this verse 21
where he talks about being under
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the law Jim, and this is
something I said in our last
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episode that we
were going to talk about
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in a future episode.
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There are people that get
confused on this term under the
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law and they assume initially
that under the law means
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- that you had to keep the law.
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- Yes, That you have to
keep the law so when Paul talks
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about in a derogatory way
about being under the law people
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say he is
against keeping the law.
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In fact the most common
text that is read that way is in
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the book of Romans and
we will go to Romans 6:14.
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It says, "for sin shall
not have dominion over you,
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"for you are not under
the law but under grace. "
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So that's where people read
in it that you are not under
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law but you are under grace.
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So they read into that
to observe the law of God,
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the Ten Commandments
is contrary to grace.
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If you're saved by grace
then you don't need to keep
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the law, right? - that's
right but if you read what
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he says here in this
verse, notice what he says,
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"sin shall not have
dominion over you. "
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Let's talk about sin
first of all. 1 John 3:4 says,
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"is transgression of
the law. " Or lawlessness.
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So right away, in fact
the apostle Paul in Romans 7
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says, "I would not have
known sin except by the law. "
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Romans 3:20, "by the law
is the knowledge of sin. "
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Romans 4:15, "where
there is no law there is no
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"transgression. " Or no sin.
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So the whole idea is
that sin is breaking the law.
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We know we are sinning
when we are breaking the law
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of God, that's the
indicator of what sin is.
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Now he says sin, or
law breaking shall not have
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dominion over you. Now
what does dominion mean?
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- it means ruling
over you. - rulership.
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That is rulership,
where a man who is under the
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dominion of another
we call a slave don't we?
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And this would be a
slave to sin because sin is
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the owner, sin is
the one who has dominion.
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He says here that sin
will not rule over you
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because you are not
under law but under grace.
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If we just read it now
as we define the terms,
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lawbreaking won't
rule your life anymore when
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you are under
grace. - that's right.
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- That is what he is
saying because grace brings
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us into a position where
because of the grace of Christ
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we are brought into
obedience to the will of God.
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If you look at that next
verse it makes a really plain.
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Romans 7:15, "What then?
Shall we say in because we
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"are not under law but
under grace? Certainly not!"
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I love the King James on that.
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God forbid that you would
think something like that.
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So the whole idea of
being under law then is being in
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a position of
seeking justification by law.
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That is why Paul says to
these Galatians, you who seek
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to be under the law, this
is what the people in Galatians
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were doing rather than
receiving Christ, they chose
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circumcision and thought
it they observed this rite
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it would enter them into
that salvation experience.
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He says listen don't you
who desired to be under the law,
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you guys were trying to be
justified by your observance
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of the law, don't you
hear what the law says?
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Don't you understand of
the law is asking you to do far
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more then you are capable
of doing in your own strength?
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That is the kind
of point he makes.
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Exactly right, if you
look in that passage there is a
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reference made that
really highlights what our topic
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is today, we are
talking about the two covenants.
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If you look at Galatians
4:23 it says, "but he who was
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"up a bondwoman was born
according to the flesh, and he
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"of the free woman through
promise, which things are
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"symbolic. For these
are the two covenants:"
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so he's about to do
this illustration of the two
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covenants, so before we
can really understand this
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illustration we need
to get a little background
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on the two covenants.
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So let's look at those, we
are going to start by going
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back to the Old Testament
and taking a look at what is
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commonly referred
to as the old covenant.
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Now I would like to look at
a verse that is commonly used
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on this in
Deuteronomy chapter 4 to start.
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Deuteronomy 4:13 is speaking
about the experience of the
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Israelites and God meeting
them on Mount Sinai and says,
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"so He declare to you His
covenant which He commanded
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"you to perform, the Ten
Commandments; and He wrote them
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"on two tablets of stone. "
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Now a covenant is simply an
agreement, it's a contractual
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agreement you have with someone.
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So the Ten Commandments
were the terms but the covenant
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had to requirement an agreement
between these two parties.
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So we see that played out
when the Ten Commandments are
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given in Exodus 20 so
let's go to Exodus but we will
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go just before
that to Exodus 19.
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Let's start in verse 3 and
it says, "and Moses went up
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"to God, and the Lord
called to him from the mountain,
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"saying, 'Thus you shall
say to the house of Jacob, and
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"tell the children of Israel:
you have seen what I did to
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the Egyptians, and how I
bore you on Eagles wings and
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"brought you to Myself. Now
therefore, if you will indeed
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"obey My voice and keep My
covenant, then you shall be a
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"special treasure to Me
above all people, for all of the
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"earth is Mine. And you shall
be to Me a kingdom of priests
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"and a holy nation. These
are the words which you shall
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"speak to the children of
Israel. 7. So Moses came and
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"called for the elders of
the people, and laid before
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"them all these words
which the Lord commanded him.
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"Then all the people answered
together and said, 'All that
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"the Lord has
spoken we will do. '"
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Now in and of itself
that wasn't a bad thing.
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I would hope that all of
us would respond to the Lord
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when He asks us to do something
we would say all that the
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Lord has said we will do.
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The problem comes in that
after God appears on Sinai,
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we see in Chapter
20:18 their reaction.
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It says, "now all the people
witnessed the thunderings,
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"the lightning flashes, the
sound of the trumpet, and the
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"mountain smoking, and
when the people saw it,
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"they trembled and stood
afar off. 19. Then they said
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"Moses, 'you speak with us,
and we will hear; but let not
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"'God speak with us, lest
we die. ' 20. And Moses said
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"to the people, 'do not
fear: for God has come to test
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"you, and that His fear
may be before you, so that
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"you may not sin. So
the people stood afar off,
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"but Moses drew near the
thick darkness where God was. "
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Now this is a powerful
passage and it helps us to
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understand that the
children of Israel had made a
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commitment, they had agreed
to the terms of the covenant.
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To obey all that God had
said, the only problem was they
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wanted to do it
standing afar off.
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They didn't want, as
Moses did, to draw near to God.
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Rather they thought you tell
me what to do and I'll do it.
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Because of that, what was
that they didn't recognize?
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They didn't recognize their
need they didn't recognize they
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were not capable of doing
what God was asking without God.
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- yeah they thought their
need was a list, a list of
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requirements, you
tell us and I will do those
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requirements, that
will be salvation to me.
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This is what we refer
to as the old covenant.
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Now we find the new
covenant expressed in a couple
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different places, but
perhaps one of the best is in
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Hebrews 8. - that's
right we are going to go to
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Hebrews 8 and incidentally
it is interesting the term in
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the authorized version,
the King James version or the
00:10:04.09\00:10:07.75
New King James Version, the
term new covenant only appears
00:10:07.79\00:10:11.62
twice in Scripture, like I
said the authorized version
00:10:11.65\00:10:14.65
and I think I looked up
the New International Version
00:10:14.69\00:10:17.65
and it was five times.
00:10:17.69\00:10:18.94
One of them was when
Jesus gave the cup of the
00:10:18.98\00:10:21.41
New Testament with His blood,
some versions say testament.
00:10:21.44\00:10:23.57
But the terms new covenant
in the description of the
00:10:23.61\00:10:26.82
giving of the new
covenant is found in two places.
00:10:26.86\00:10:30.00
One is in Hebrews 8 and the
other is the place where Paul
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is quoting from in Jeremiah 31.
00:10:36.49\00:10:40.32
So it is interesting that
Paul, when he speaks of the new
00:10:40.35\00:10:43.28
covenant is simply
quoting from the Old Testament.
00:10:43.31\00:10:46.21
So we find the new
covenant in the Old Testament.
00:10:46.24\00:10:49.07
So in Hebrews 8:6 the
Bible says of Jesus, "but now He
00:10:49.10\00:10:54.21
"has obtained a more excellent
ministry, inasmuch as He
00:10:54.25\00:10:58.49
"is also a Mediator of a
better covenant, which was
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"established on better
promises. 7. For if that first
00:11:02.62\00:11:07.03
"covenant had been faultless,
then no place would have
00:11:07.06\00:11:11.44
"been sought for a second.
" That's common sensible,
00:11:11.47\00:11:14.07
if there were snow problem
with the first one we wouldn't
00:11:14.10\00:11:16.05
had the second one, but there
was a problem with that old
00:11:16.08\00:11:17.99
covenant, What was the
problem? We want to find out.
00:11:18.02\00:11:21.74
8. "Because finding
fault with - them," - the law?
00:11:21.78\00:11:25.47
- it's not what it says.
00:11:25.50\00:11:26.83
- it's not what
it says it all is it?
00:11:26.87\00:11:28.12
"Because finding fault
with them, He says; behold, the
00:11:28.16\00:11:30.56
"days are coming, says the
Lord, when I will make a new
00:11:30.59\00:11:32.96
"covenant with,
notice! The house of Israel"
00:11:32.99\00:11:36.67
"and with the house of Judah. "
00:11:36.71\00:11:38.07
A lot of Christians don't
realize we do not find any
00:11:38.11\00:11:41.26
covenant in Scripture made
with the Gentiles, it was always
00:11:41.30\00:11:45.05
made which Israel and
we have talked about that.
00:11:45.42\00:11:46.97
In order to be a partaker
of that covenant you had to
00:11:47.01\00:11:49.74
become part of
the Seed of Abraham.
00:11:49.78\00:11:51.26
that's right a lot of people
look at the Ten Commandments
00:11:51.29\00:11:53.93
and say, that was just for
the Jews because it talks about
00:11:53.97\00:11:56.58
how He rescued them out
of the house of bondage.
00:11:56.62\00:12:00.00
So they say that
was just for the Jews.
00:12:00.03\00:12:01.57
If you look those same
Christians believe that the new
00:12:01.60\00:12:04.76
covenant is their way of life.
00:12:04.80\00:12:07.24
It is also given to the
Jews. - that's exactly right.
00:12:07.28\00:12:10.92
Incidentally if we
continue on here he says,
00:12:10.96\00:12:13.62
"9. Not according to the
covenant that I made with
00:12:13.66\00:12:16.15
"their fathers in the day
when I took them by the hand
00:12:16.19\00:12:18.59
"to lead them out of the
land of Egypt," that is what
00:12:18.62\00:12:20.99
we were just reading
from. Notice! "Because they
00:12:21.02\00:12:23.92
"did not continue in My
covenant," remember the fault
00:12:23.95\00:12:28.16
was in the people.
00:12:28.19\00:12:29.28
"And I disregarded
them, says the Lord. "
00:12:29.31\00:12:31.14
Now notice verse 10, "for
this is the covenant that I
00:12:31.18\00:12:33.64
"will make with the house
of Israel after those days,
00:12:33.67\00:12:37.10
"says the Lord: I will
put My laws in their mind and
00:12:37.13\00:12:40.22
"write them on their
hearts; and I will be their God,
00:12:40.25\00:12:43.31
"and they shall be My people. "
00:12:43.34\00:12:44.91
So the whole idea is
that God was going to make a
00:12:44.94\00:12:48.42
covenant with His people
and He was going to now not
00:12:48.46\00:12:51.69
give them the law on
tables of stone where they could
00:12:51.73\00:12:54.92
look at the list and
say we'll do that list.
00:12:54.96\00:12:57.06
He said I'm going to
make it internal, I will write
00:12:57.09\00:12:59.62
that law in your heart
so it becomes a part of you.
00:12:59.66\00:13:02.59
This is the difference we
find between the old covenant
00:13:02.63\00:13:05.53
and the new covenant.
00:13:05.57\00:13:06.55
One was written on tables
of stone, the other is written
00:13:06.58\00:13:09.71
in the heart. One was external
and one was internalized.
00:13:09.74\00:13:13.09
That's right, and in these
two cases you have one where
00:13:13.13\00:13:16.44
the people are making
special promises to God, and the
00:13:16.47\00:13:19.42
other where God is making
special promises to His people.
00:13:19.46\00:13:22.38
This next part really
strikes me to where it says,
00:13:22.41\00:13:24.73
"11. None of them shall
teach his neighbor, and none
00:13:24.77\00:13:27.48
"his brother... saying,
'Know the Lord', for all shall
00:13:27.52\00:13:31.05
"know Me. " The idea here
is with the new covenant when
00:13:31.09\00:13:34.41
the Spirit enters the
heart, no longer do you have to
00:13:34.44\00:13:38.48
urge people, you may have
to tell someone come on wake
00:13:38.51\00:13:42.51
up its time for church,
we have to go to church.
00:13:42.55\00:13:44.47
We have to go to Sabbath school.
00:13:44.51\00:13:46.02
You will not have to
drag people into religious
00:13:46.06\00:13:48.37
experiences because the
new covenant places the desire
00:13:48.41\00:13:51.27
and hunger for those spiritual
experiences into the heart.
00:13:51.31\00:13:54.13
- that's right. Amen, we
have more to say about the
00:13:54.17\00:13:56.67
book of Galatians, but
before we do we are going to go
00:13:56.71\00:13:59.18
to a break right now.
00:13:59.21\00:14:00.30
We'll see you in
just a few moments.
00:14:00.34\00:14:01.59