¤¤¤
00:00:01.30\00:00:11.27
¤¤¤
00:00:11.31\00:00:21.28
¤¤¤
00:00:21.32\00:00:31.33
Shawn Brummund: Hello,
welcome to another edition
00:00:35.46\00:00:37.70
of the "Sabbath
School Study Hour" right here
00:00:37.73\00:00:39.70
in the Granite Bay Hilltop
Seventh Day Adventist Church
00:00:39.73\00:00:42.44
in the greater
Sacramento area of California.
00:00:42.47\00:00:45.11
It is always so good to
be able to have those of you
00:00:45.14\00:00:47.94
who are watching
online live here this morning
00:00:47.98\00:00:50.48
on this particular Sabbath.
00:00:50.51\00:00:52.35
For those of you who
are watching this broadcast
00:00:52.38\00:00:54.38
on the various
networks at various times,
00:00:54.42\00:00:56.45
it's always nice
to have you join us.
00:00:56.48\00:00:58.42
And, of course, we're always
thrilled to be able to have
00:00:58.45\00:01:01.09
our local church congregation
and visitors, friends,
00:01:01.12\00:01:04.79
join us here right in
00:01:04.83\00:01:06.33
the Seventh Day Adventist
Church here in Granite Bay.
00:01:06.36\00:01:09.86
So, it's always
good to have all of you.
00:01:09.90\00:01:11.67
I want to wish God's blessing
upon you as we continue to study
00:01:11.70\00:01:15.47
one of my favorite books,
which is the Book of Hebrews,
00:01:15.50\00:01:18.34
powerful good news book
that is full of the gospel
00:01:18.37\00:01:22.41
at the very core of its message.
00:01:22.44\00:01:24.95
And so, today we're going to be
looking again at our quarterly.
00:01:24.98\00:01:27.98
Of course, the
Bible is our textbook.
00:01:28.02\00:01:29.92
The lesson study that helps
us to explain some of those
00:01:29.95\00:01:34.26
different Scriptures is found
in your quarterly lesson study.
00:01:34.29\00:01:38.46
So, make sure that you grab
that, as well as your Bible,
00:01:38.49\00:01:41.03
if you are going to
study along with us.
00:01:41.06\00:01:43.30
And the title of it
is, "In These Last Days,
00:01:43.33\00:01:46.23
The Message of Hebrews".
00:01:46.27\00:01:48.10
We're going to be looking
at lesson number eight today,
00:01:48.14\00:01:50.21
lesson number eight,
00:01:50.24\00:01:51.81
"Jesus, Mediator
of the New Covenant".
00:01:51.84\00:01:54.28
So, we're going to be looking at
how Hebrews paints and reveals
00:01:54.31\00:01:57.98
Jesus as that all-important
mediator for you and I today.
00:01:58.01\00:02:02.08
So, please take
advantage of that.
00:02:02.12\00:02:03.52
And for those of you who are
watching, I want to also offer
00:02:03.55\00:02:06.62
you a free-gift offer that we
always like to offer different
00:02:06.65\00:02:09.82
ways each and every
Sabbath and each and every week.
00:02:09.86\00:02:12.69
And this particular
free-book offer is one
00:02:12.73\00:02:15.33
of my favorite reads.
00:02:15.36\00:02:16.67
It's written by
Joe Crews, which is
00:02:16.70\00:02:18.53
"Why The Old Covenant Failed".
00:02:18.57\00:02:20.80
If you've never read this
before or studied this topic,
00:02:20.84\00:02:23.34
this is a very, very
helpful book in regards
00:02:23.37\00:02:26.11
to that question, why
the Old Covenant failed.
00:02:26.14\00:02:30.15
And so, please
take advantage of that.
00:02:30.18\00:02:31.81
Call into 1-866-788-3966
and ask for offer,
00:02:31.85\00:02:37.62
free offer number 716.
00:02:37.65\00:02:40.96
And we'll be happy to be able
to send that to you if you're
00:02:40.99\00:02:43.36
in North America or
the various US territories.
00:02:43.39\00:02:47.50
If you want to
download a digital copy of this,
00:02:47.56\00:02:50.27
which more and more of us
are interested in doing either
00:02:50.30\00:02:52.90
on your phone,
tablet, laptop, and so on,
00:02:52.93\00:02:55.20
just go ahead and
text to the code--
00:02:55.24\00:02:58.24
or to the number 40544,
and for the message you want
00:02:58.27\00:03:03.51
to put in there SH097.
00:03:03.55\00:03:07.42
And that will get you connected
to a link that will allow you
00:03:07.45\00:03:10.92
to get a free digital
download copy of that.
00:03:10.95\00:03:14.62
Let's pray.
00:03:14.66\00:03:15.96
Father in heaven, we are
thankful today to be able
00:03:15.99\00:03:18.03
to worship You, to be
able to open up Your Bible.
00:03:18.06\00:03:21.76
We ask for Your Holy Spirit.
00:03:21.80\00:03:23.77
We ask for You to fulfill
Your promise that You have given
00:03:23.80\00:03:27.24
to us that You will send
Your Spirit to all who sincerely
00:03:27.27\00:03:30.14
desire the truth, and that
You will lead us and guide us
00:03:30.17\00:03:33.74
into all truth.
00:03:33.78\00:03:35.71
Please help us to be
able to understand this great
00:03:35.74\00:03:37.71
and powerful truth concerning
the very core of the gospel.
00:03:37.75\00:03:41.42
Jesus is our mediator.
00:03:41.45\00:03:43.12
And so, Lord, we ask
for an extra blessing
00:03:43.15\00:03:46.62
both upon Pastor
Luccas, as well as all of us.
00:03:46.65\00:03:48.49
In Jesus's name, we
pray these things, God, amen.
00:03:48.52\00:03:51.36
Luccas Rodor: Friends,
we're going to jump right in
00:03:53.50\00:03:55.23
to the study today because
today's lesson is a very,
00:03:55.26\00:03:59.83
very important one,
and there's a lot to cover.
00:03:59.87\00:04:02.84
We're going to spend quite a
bit of time on Monday's lesson
00:04:02.87\00:04:06.37
because that's, that's
where I feel that the heart
00:04:06.41\00:04:08.71
of this study is.
00:04:08.74\00:04:10.21
But I truly hope that you
were able to study the lesson,
00:04:10.25\00:04:12.51
you were able to learn a
lot because we are going to--
00:04:12.55\00:04:15.85
we do have a lot here to learn.
00:04:15.88\00:04:17.82
Before we do, I know
that Pastor Shawn just prayed,
00:04:17.85\00:04:19.75
but I like also to pray.
00:04:19.79\00:04:21.52
Dear Lord, thank You
so much for this day.
00:04:21.56\00:04:23.49
Thank You so much
for your Word, Lord.
00:04:23.53\00:04:25.16
And thank You for giving us
material as the Sabbath School
00:04:25.19\00:04:27.73
lesson, all these things that
are based on Your Word, Father,
00:04:27.76\00:04:30.43
for us to learn more, and
not only learn intellectually,
00:04:30.47\00:04:33.13
but to apply more
in our daily lives.
00:04:33.17\00:04:36.10
I ask You for these things,
and I pray in Your name, amen.
00:04:36.14\00:04:39.64
So friends, a few weeks ago when
we studied lesson number six,
00:04:40.98\00:04:45.01
I mentioned that
Hebrews was written primarily,
00:04:45.05\00:04:49.22
or its target audience, were the
Jews, the members of the church
00:04:49.25\00:04:54.92
living in the
first century, right?
00:04:54.96\00:04:56.86
That was the target audience.
00:04:56.89\00:04:58.59
It was particularly
written for those that were--
00:04:58.63\00:05:01.60
those members that had left
Judaism to become Christians.
00:05:01.63\00:05:06.77
Those members of the church
were suffering persecutions.
00:05:06.80\00:05:10.24
They were suffering all sorts
of horrible things happening
00:05:10.27\00:05:13.44
in their lives.
00:05:13.48\00:05:14.78
They had lost the
connections that they had in--
00:05:14.81\00:05:16.11
within Judaism.
00:05:16.14\00:05:17.95
Many had been kicked
out of the synagogues.
00:05:17.98\00:05:20.42
Many had lost their properties.
00:05:20.45\00:05:24.15
They had been confiscated.
00:05:24.19\00:05:26.55
You remember also that, back
then, for you to be kicked out
00:05:26.59\00:05:28.72
of the synagogue, for you
to be expelled from the church,
00:05:28.76\00:05:32.19
it was the same thing as
being cut off from the land
00:05:32.23\00:05:34.30
of the living.
00:05:34.36\00:05:35.70
And so, many of them were
going through horrible times,
00:05:35.73\00:05:39.50
precisely because of
their acceptance in--
00:05:39.53\00:05:42.84
of the gospel
and of Jesus Christ.
00:05:42.87\00:05:45.01
And so, as time went
on and with the delay
00:05:45.04\00:05:48.41
of Christ's return--because
the whole church, everyone,
00:05:48.44\00:05:51.31
thought that Jesus was coming
back in that first century.
00:05:51.35\00:05:54.32
The apostles thought
that He was coming back
00:05:54.35\00:05:56.12
only after a few months.
00:05:56.15\00:05:58.12
And the church, as time went
on, they all had this hope that
00:05:58.15\00:06:01.09
Jesus would come back before
the death of the Apostle John.
00:06:01.12\00:06:05.16
And we also
mentioned that a while back.
00:06:05.19\00:06:07.30
And so, as time went on
and as Jesus didn't come back,
00:06:07.30\00:06:10.20
they were becoming the victims
of despair, of discouragement,
00:06:10.23\00:06:14.20
of pessimism, chronic
doubt, and ultimately,
00:06:14.24\00:06:18.81
they were being tempted
of giving up on their faith,
00:06:18.84\00:06:23.01
of relinquishing their
faith, abandoning their faith.
00:06:23.04\00:06:26.88
And so, in
essence, the Book of Hebrews
00:06:26.92\00:06:29.75
is a sermon about encouragement.
00:06:29.78\00:06:32.65
It's a sermon of motivation.
00:06:32.69\00:06:35.06
And its central argument,
as I mentioned a few weeks ago,
00:06:35.09\00:06:38.29
its central argument is that
Jesus is better than everything
00:06:38.33\00:06:44.03
that they had known previously.
00:06:44.07\00:06:46.17
Whatever they had known,
wherever they had come from,
00:06:46.20\00:06:49.04
Jesus covers the cost.
00:06:49.07\00:06:52.27
He covers the price.
00:06:52.31\00:06:53.88
That's the
central argument here.
00:06:53.91\00:06:55.61
Everything that they had
known before, Jesus is better.
00:06:55.64\00:06:58.85
And so, this week's
lesson, lesson number eight,
00:06:58.88\00:07:01.38
is based mainly
on Hebrews chapter 7,
00:07:01.42\00:07:05.05
and it's about
Christ's superior priesthood.
00:07:05.09\00:07:08.79
You'll see that the
title of the lesson is Jesus,
00:07:08.82\00:07:11.09
"The Mediator
of a New Covenant".
00:07:11.13\00:07:12.96
And so, we're going to
get into this whole topic
00:07:12.99\00:07:14.93
of New Covenant, Old Covenant.
00:07:14.96\00:07:16.43
Why was the New Covenant needed?
00:07:16.46\00:07:17.97
If there's something today
that I find a lot of people find
00:07:18.00\00:07:20.44
confusing is, why are
there so many covenants?
00:07:20.47\00:07:23.44
I mean, you hear
about a first covenant,
00:07:23.47\00:07:24.87
a second covenant,
the old one, the new one.
00:07:24.91\00:07:26.34
Well, if God is perfect,
why do you need so many?
00:07:26.37\00:07:29.88
And so, that's why
we really emphasize
00:07:29.91\00:07:31.51
this free offer because
it's exactly about that.
00:07:31.55\00:07:34.35
It's, you know, why
the Old Covenant failed.
00:07:34.38\00:07:36.62
And so, that's what
we're talking about today.
00:07:36.65\00:07:38.69
Now, Hebrews chapter
7 is considered among
00:07:38.72\00:07:42.42
the least-understood
chapters of the Bible
00:07:42.46\00:07:45.39
with its enigmatic reference
to Melchizedek in verse 3
00:07:45.43\00:07:49.30
and Levi, who hadn't
even been born yet, you know,
00:07:49.33\00:07:52.20
in Melchizedek's
time, but who had tithed
00:07:52.23\00:07:55.04
to Melchizedek, even
though he hadn't been born yet,
00:07:55.07\00:07:57.31
he had tithed to
Melchizedek through Abraham.
00:07:57.34\00:07:59.94
And you'll find that
in verse 9 and verse 10.
00:08:00.04\00:08:01.91
And so, it's a
very misunderstood,
00:08:01.94\00:08:04.21
or little understood,
chapter of the Bible,
00:08:04.25\00:08:06.95
but it does
provide precious lessons
00:08:06.98\00:08:09.62
to any fervent Bible student.
00:08:09.65\00:08:11.69
And if we read
it in its entirety,
00:08:11.72\00:08:13.56
we find the essential
concept that sheds further light
00:08:13.59\00:08:17.16
upon Jesus, our
Great High Priest,
00:08:17.19\00:08:19.79
the mediator of a
new, of a better covenant.
00:08:19.83\00:08:23.10
And that's indicated in our
memory verse that you'll find
00:08:23.13\00:08:26.87
in Hebrews chapter 8,
verse 6 that says the following,
00:08:26.90\00:08:31.51
"But now He has obtained a
more excellent ministry inasmuch
00:08:31.54\00:08:35.51
as He is also
mediator of a better covenant,
00:08:35.54\00:08:39.21
which was
established on better promises."
00:08:39.25\00:08:42.72
And so, today, that's
what we're looking at.
00:08:42.75\00:08:45.05
So, Sunday's lesson, I
think I misspoke before.
00:08:45.09\00:08:48.56
We're going to spend most
of our time today on this one,
00:08:48.59\00:08:50.49
not on Monday's, on
this lesson, Sunday's lesson,
00:08:50.53\00:08:52.93
which is the need
of a new covenant.
00:08:52.96\00:08:54.86
And that's the question, why is
there a need for a new covenant?
00:08:54.93\00:08:58.60
Now, the term itself,
the concept of a covenant
00:08:58.63\00:09:02.57
is very central in the Bible.
00:09:02.60\00:09:04.31
You'll find it
interwoven everywhere.
00:09:04.34\00:09:06.74
The Covenant story is huge.
00:09:06.78\00:09:08.81
If you want to break down
the Bible in three basic themes,
00:09:08.84\00:09:13.11
you can do that easily.
00:09:13.15\00:09:14.72
Creation, our God
is the Creator God.
00:09:14.75\00:09:16.89
He made everything that
we know and that we see.
00:09:16.92\00:09:18.75
Then you go to conflict,
we find that this world,
00:09:18.79\00:09:21.99
this creation of His,
this perfect creation,
00:09:22.02\00:09:24.46
it fell into this
conflict, this war, this battle.
00:09:24.49\00:09:27.50
And finally,
you'll have covenant,
00:09:27.56\00:09:29.90
covenant is God's
deal to fix things, right?
00:09:29.93\00:09:32.20
So, we have the
creation, we have the conflict,
00:09:32.23\00:09:34.27
and we have the covenant.
00:09:34.30\00:09:35.60
And basically the
whole Bible is summed up
00:09:35.64\00:09:37.77
into those three words.
00:09:37.81\00:09:39.11
Wherever you go,
God is the Creator,
00:09:39.14\00:09:40.44
wherever you go,
there is a conflict,
00:09:40.48\00:09:41.94
and what you find in
Scripture is God fixing
00:09:41.98\00:09:44.58
the problem, Him doing that
through this word "covenant."
00:09:44.61\00:09:49.25
And so, it's one
of the central themes
00:09:49.28\00:09:50.79
throughout the whole Bible.
00:09:50.82\00:09:52.12
The word itself basically
means a contract, right?
00:09:52.15\00:09:54.99
That's what
covenant basically means.
00:09:55.02\00:09:56.49
It's a contract or an agreement.
00:09:56.52\00:09:58.66
But in the biblical
context, it goes way beyond
00:09:58.69\00:10:01.46
these definitions.
00:10:01.50\00:10:02.90
It goes way above and beyond.
00:10:02.93\00:10:04.93
It describes the graciousness,
or the gracious closeness,
00:10:04.97\00:10:09.64
between divinity and humanity,
the fact that God wants to get
00:10:09.67\00:10:14.01
involved in our
problem, in our conflict,
00:10:14.04\00:10:15.98
and that He desires
to create a resolution
00:10:16.01\00:10:18.55
and He's made an
agreement with us,
00:10:18.58\00:10:20.42
an agreement based
on His closeness to us.
00:10:20.45\00:10:22.62
That's incredible.
00:10:22.65\00:10:23.95
That's marvelous.
00:10:23.99\00:10:25.32
What we learn here is that
Yahweh, this transcendent being,
00:10:25.35\00:10:29.62
this being that goes way
beyond anything that we know,
00:10:29.66\00:10:32.63
He enters into a relationship
with us in our fallen state
00:10:32.66\00:10:36.33
so that we may know Him
and we may experience the power
00:10:36.36\00:10:39.67
of His salvation and
the abundance of life
00:10:39.70\00:10:42.10
that He brings.
00:10:42.14\00:10:43.44
Friends, there's no way
that this subject can be small.
00:10:43.47\00:10:46.37
There's no way that
it can be understated.
00:10:46.41\00:10:49.98
The story of the
Covenant, that's our story
00:10:50.01\00:10:53.48
of what we're going through.
00:10:53.52\00:10:55.48
In modern terms, it
means that God descended
00:10:55.52\00:10:57.92
to our level to make a deal.
00:10:57.95\00:11:00.49
That's what He says,
"Come and reason with Me.
00:11:00.52\00:11:02.72
Let's make a deal."
00:11:02.76\00:11:04.19
The initiative was whose?
00:11:04.23\00:11:06.83
All His.
00:11:06.86\00:11:08.46
There's nothing that
we bring to the table.
00:11:08.50\00:11:10.17
Humans have nothing
to bring to the table.
00:11:10.20\00:11:12.10
He brings it all.
00:11:12.13\00:11:13.44
He brings the offer.
00:11:13.47\00:11:15.60
He establishes the terms.
00:11:15.64\00:11:18.44
And what that means is
that we cannot bargain with him.
00:11:18.47\00:11:20.64
That's something that humans
like to do, we like to bargain,
00:11:20.68\00:11:22.78
right?
00:11:22.81\00:11:24.11
"well, you know what?
00:11:24.15\00:11:25.45
This here doesn't work for me.
00:11:25.48\00:11:27.22
Let's--what if we do it this--"
You can't do that with God.
00:11:27.25\00:11:29.55
It doesn't work like
that with the Covenant.
00:11:29.58\00:11:31.32
God is the One who stipulates
the terms, and that means
00:11:31.35\00:11:35.26
that we cannot
bargain salvation with Him.
00:11:35.29\00:11:38.09
And I'm very thankful
for that, that we can't.
00:11:38.13\00:11:40.20
The blessings of the Covenant
are always on His terms, always,
00:11:40.23\00:11:45.50
but we do have a part to play.
00:11:45.53\00:11:47.70
We have our own part to play.
00:11:47.74\00:11:49.07
We can refuse and turn away
the divine and special offer.
00:11:49.10\00:11:52.27
We can do that if we want to.
00:11:52.31\00:11:54.64
We can choose to
despise the gracious offer
00:11:54.68\00:11:57.18
that God has given us, or
we can joyfully accept it.
00:11:57.21\00:12:02.05
We can enter into
a covenant with Him.
00:12:02.08\00:12:04.05
We can commit to the divine
stipulations and in return,
00:12:04.09\00:12:08.82
we receive the divine promises,
00:12:08.86\00:12:10.79
we receive what
He's promised us.
00:12:10.83\00:12:12.76
So, friends, God's condescension
is at the very heart
00:12:12.79\00:12:16.26
of the biblical story.
00:12:16.30\00:12:17.87
The Most High, He swears by
oath to the tiny men and women
00:12:17.90\00:12:21.60
here of planet Earth, and
the greatest demonstration
00:12:21.64\00:12:25.41
of the acquiescence of heaven
is given when He becomes a man,
00:12:25.44\00:12:29.78
Emmanuel, God with us.
00:12:29.81\00:12:31.98
He sets up His tent, just as
John teaches in John chapter 1,
00:12:32.01\00:12:36.79
verse 14.
00:12:36.82\00:12:38.12
You remember John 1:14
says that the Word became flesh.
00:12:38.15\00:12:40.56
He dwelt among us.
00:12:40.59\00:12:43.26
We beheld his glory, the glory
of the only begotten of God,
00:12:43.29\00:12:47.20
full of grace and full of truth.
00:12:47.23\00:12:48.96
And so, living a perfect life,
dying a death in our stead,
00:12:49.00\00:12:52.00
Jesus became the mediator of a
new covenant between God and us.
00:12:52.03\00:12:56.07
And that happened only
because He is our substitute.
00:12:56.10\00:12:59.07
Jesus canceled
our bill, our debt.
00:12:59.11\00:13:04.35
What does Isaiah 53:5 say?
00:13:04.38\00:13:06.98
He was wounded for
whose transgressions?
00:13:07.02\00:13:09.52
For ours.
00:13:09.55\00:13:11.45
He was bruised
for our iniquities.
00:13:11.49\00:13:13.62
The chastisement for
our peace was upon Him,
00:13:13.66\00:13:16.22
and by His
stripes, we are healed.
00:13:16.26\00:13:19.93
But the question, and this
is what we're going to dive deep
00:13:19.96\00:13:23.50
into today, the question is,
why was a new covenant needed?
00:13:23.53\00:13:29.37
Why wasn't the Old
Covenant good enough?
00:13:29.40\00:13:32.74
Well, when we actually
think about that, we understand
00:13:32.77\00:13:35.44
that the Old Covenant, it
was based on the Levitical code.
00:13:35.48\00:13:38.68
It was based on the Levitical
order, the Levitical priesthood.
00:13:38.71\00:13:42.28
That's what we find
in Hebrews 7, verse 11.
00:13:42.32\00:13:44.59
Look at what it says.
00:13:44.62\00:13:45.92
"Therefore, if
perfection were through
00:13:45.95\00:13:47.79
the Levitical priesthood,
for under it the law--
00:13:47.82\00:13:50.39
the people received the
law, what further need was there
00:13:50.43\00:13:54.30
that another priest should
rise according to the order
00:13:54.36\00:13:56.80
of Melchizedek,
and not be called
00:13:56.83\00:13:59.07
according to
the order of Aaron?"
00:13:59.10\00:14:00.80
So, the Bible itself
is making this question.
00:14:00.84\00:14:02.74
If perfection, if wholeness, and
I would like you to understand
00:14:02.77\00:14:05.74
the word "perfection"
here as wholeness with God.
00:14:05.77\00:14:09.91
If wholeness were
possible through this
00:14:09.94\00:14:13.65
old Levitical priesthood,
this old Levitical system,
00:14:13.68\00:14:17.49
well, then what need
was there for the people
00:14:17.52\00:14:21.32
to continue bringing
sacrifices to the temple?
00:14:21.36\00:14:25.59
What need was there
for them to do that?
00:14:25.63\00:14:27.50
So, the Bible itself is
stipulating the same question,
00:14:27.50\00:14:29.56
what need was
there for a new covenant?
00:14:29.60\00:14:33.67
But according to the Levitical
order, and here's the problem,
00:14:33.70\00:14:36.74
according to the Levitical
order, Jesus could not be
00:14:36.77\00:14:39.61
a priest because Jesus was
not from the tribe of Levi.
00:14:39.64\00:14:45.38
What tribe was Jesus from?
00:14:45.41\00:14:47.45
Judah.
00:14:47.48\00:14:48.78
So, according
to the text itself,
00:14:48.82\00:14:50.85
Jesus was
disqualified from birth.
00:14:50.89\00:14:54.46
He couldn't be
part of that priesthood.
00:14:54.49\00:14:56.56
He couldn't be
part of that order.
00:14:56.59\00:15:00.30
So, how do we resolve this?
00:15:00.33\00:15:02.56
How do we understand Jesus
as our, not only our priest,
00:15:02.60\00:15:05.27
but our High Priest?
00:15:05.30\00:15:06.60
If Jesus was disqualified
from birth of being a priest,
00:15:06.63\00:15:09.34
how could Jesus be our priest?
00:15:09.37\00:15:12.81
That's where--and
again, this is a text coming
00:15:12.84\00:15:15.11
from the Old Testament.
00:15:15.14\00:15:16.44
You know, a lot of
interpretations bring
00:15:16.48\00:15:18.71
the idea of the New Covenant
as something completely new
00:15:18.75\00:15:22.45
and unique to the New Testament.
00:15:22.48\00:15:24.02
It's absolutely not.
00:15:24.05\00:15:25.75
This idea of a new
covenant, this was already
00:15:25.79\00:15:28.46
in the Old Testament times.
00:15:28.49\00:15:31.56
If you read, and
this is the central verse
00:15:31.59\00:15:34.10
to this whole thesis, to
this whole understanding,
00:15:34.10\00:15:36.97
is Psalms chapter 110, verse 4,
00:15:37.00\00:15:39.90
and this is one of
the main messianic Psalms.
00:15:39.93\00:15:43.91
Psalm 110, verse 4 it
says, "The Lord has sworn
00:15:43.94\00:15:48.08
and he will not relent,
you are a priest forever,
00:15:48.11\00:15:52.08
according to the
order of Melchizedek."
00:15:52.11\00:15:55.75
This is David.
00:15:55.78\00:15:59.22
This is in the Book of Psalms,
hundreds of years before Jesus.
00:15:59.25\00:16:04.76
And it's already
speaking of a new order,
00:16:04.79\00:16:06.73
a different order of
priesthood, different from
00:16:06.76\00:16:08.93
the current-day priests of his
time, the order of Melchizedek.
00:16:08.96\00:16:13.80
Now, this is an exclusive text
that stipulates the emergence
00:16:13.84\00:16:18.27
of a new priesthood,
a priesthood, friends,
00:16:18.31\00:16:20.81
that transcends, that goes
beyond the Levitical order.
00:16:20.84\00:16:24.21
And this way, only this way,
Jesus could be our High Priest.
00:16:24.25\00:16:28.05
In fact, Psalm 110,
verse 4 not only provides
00:16:28.08\00:16:31.19
the scriptural
foundation for the thesis
00:16:31.22\00:16:33.46
of Hebrews chapter
7, but it also carries
00:16:33.49\00:16:35.79
through the
entire Book of Hebrews.
00:16:35.82\00:16:37.43
Without Psalm
chapter 10--110, verse 4,
00:16:37.46\00:16:40.60
there would be
no Book of Hebrews.
00:16:40.63\00:16:42.86
It couldn't happen
because it wouldn't make sense.
00:16:42.90\00:16:46.77
The apostle writing this
book, he continually quotes,
00:16:46.80\00:16:50.44
either completely or partially
or by allusion, this truth.
00:16:50.47\00:16:56.51
And this reality is where the
book, the author of the book,
00:16:56.54\00:17:00.12
finds his theological
foundation and authority
00:17:00.15\00:17:02.75
for the priesthood of Jesus.
00:17:02.78\00:17:04.65
And his position is the
very basis of the New Testament
00:17:04.69\00:17:08.02
and of the New Covenant.
00:17:08.06\00:17:10.39
And so, we find Psalm
110, verse 4 being quoted
00:17:10.43\00:17:12.96
all through the book, okay.
00:17:12.99\00:17:14.93
So, if you ever want
to understand this subject
00:17:14.93\00:17:17.90
of the New Covenant,
and someone is talking
00:17:17.93\00:17:19.60
of New Covenant,
Old Covenant, you know,
00:17:19.63\00:17:22.04
first and second,
see what they're quoting.
00:17:22.07\00:17:25.04
What Scripture are they quoting?
00:17:25.07\00:17:27.74
And if they're trying to discard
the Old Testament, you can't.
00:17:27.78\00:17:31.58
There's something wrong there
because the Old Testament is
00:17:31.61\00:17:33.82
what lays the foundation
for this New Covenant idea.
00:17:33.85\00:17:38.75
I'll give you an example
of how you can find this psalm
00:17:38.79\00:17:41.69
all throughout
the Book of Hebrews.
00:17:41.72\00:17:44.26
For example, in
Hebrews chapter 5, verse 6,
00:17:44.29\00:17:46.96
the author quotes
clearly that Jesus is divinely
00:17:47.00\00:17:52.23
designated as a High Priest,
00:17:52.27\00:17:53.94
even though He
didn't ascend from Aaron.
00:17:53.97\00:17:56.27
In chapter 6, verse 20,
they have only the last part.
00:17:56.30\00:18:00.18
So, in chapter 5,
you have the first part.
00:18:00.21\00:18:01.98
In chapter 6, you have
the latter part that says,
00:18:02.01\00:18:03.98
"Having become a high priest
forever, according to the order
00:18:04.01\00:18:06.65
of Melchizedek,"
you find that quote.
00:18:06.68\00:18:08.72
The--and so this way, the
author of Hebrews, he completes
00:18:08.75\00:18:11.79
what he had said in
chapter 5, verse 10,
00:18:11.82\00:18:14.12
with the last part of the fuller
revelation of chapter 111,
00:18:14.16\00:18:18.09
verse 4 of Psalms in chapter 6.
00:18:18.13\00:18:20.30
So, you might be saying, "Well,
he's talking about chapter this,
00:18:20.33\00:18:22.40
chapter that, chapter that."
00:18:22.43\00:18:24.07
Well,
unfortunately, in this study,
00:18:24.10\00:18:25.67
this is necessary.
00:18:25.70\00:18:27.10
This is a very biblical study.
00:18:27.14\00:18:28.60
It's not very even thematic.
00:18:28.64\00:18:30.21
It's more
biblical, and that's why
00:18:30.24\00:18:31.77
so many quotes
have to be mentioned.
00:18:31.81\00:18:34.34
In chapter 7, verse 11,
00:18:34.38\00:18:35.81
you'll remember
that the main chapter
00:18:35.84\00:18:38.71
of this week's
lesson is Hebrews chapter 7.
00:18:38.75\00:18:40.85
So in chapter 7, verse 11,
he alludes again to Psalm 110,
00:18:40.88\00:18:45.19
verse 4, making the argument
that the new priestly order
00:18:45.22\00:18:48.62
was necessary.
00:18:48.66\00:18:49.96
In verse 15 and 17, it's quoted
again completely in contrast
00:18:49.99\00:18:53.90
to the old order that demanded
a physical descendent of Levi.
00:18:53.93\00:18:58.47
In verse 20 and 21, the emphasis
is placed on the first part
00:18:58.50\00:19:02.04
of Psalm 110, verse 4,
which is a divine oath.
00:19:02.07\00:19:06.11
The Lord has sworn
and will not relent.
00:19:06.14\00:19:07.98
And here we find
God swearing something.
00:19:08.01\00:19:09.84
God is making an
oath of something.
00:19:09.88\00:19:11.65
In verse 24, we find
another allusion that emphasizes
00:19:11.68\00:19:16.45
the continual
priesthood of Jesus.
00:19:16.48\00:19:18.52
The text calls it the
unchangeable priesthood.
00:19:18.55\00:19:22.76
And finally in verse 28, we
find an allusion to Psalm 110,
00:19:22.79\00:19:27.46
verse 4 again, in which the
theme of the high priesthood
00:19:27.50\00:19:30.30
with the divine indication
the eternal office of Jesus
00:19:30.33\00:19:33.57
is united.
00:19:33.60\00:19:35.10
And so, friends, here, have
you just noted how many texts
00:19:35.14\00:19:37.84
just in Hebrews
chapter 7 quote Psalm 110?
00:19:37.87\00:19:42.91
How could you ever
discredit the Old Testament?
00:19:42.94\00:19:45.85
How could you ever
discredit the teachings coming
00:19:45.88\00:19:48.12
from the prophets?
00:19:48.15\00:19:49.45
How could you, if
they're completely intertwined
00:19:49.48\00:19:51.95
into the very foundation
of the New Testament theology?
00:19:51.99\00:19:55.02
You can't.
00:19:55.06\00:19:56.76
The Bible is whole.
00:19:56.79\00:19:58.49
You can't put the
Bible against itself.
00:19:58.53\00:20:01.53
It doesn't work. it
doesn't work that way.
00:20:01.56\00:20:04.73
And so, there is a change in the
emphasis of how the author of
00:20:04.77\00:20:08.07
Hebrews, how Paul, is using or
writing--sorry, using Psalm 110,
00:20:08.10\00:20:13.74
but he does use
it again and again.
00:20:13.78\00:20:15.58
I'll give you--I'll give
it again to you very quickly
00:20:15.61\00:20:18.41
because this is essential.
00:20:18.45\00:20:19.98
In chapter 5, verse 6,
Jesus is the priest forever.
00:20:20.02\00:20:24.15
In chapter 6, verse
20, in chapter 7, verse 11,
00:20:24.19\00:20:28.09
and in chapter 7:15,
through 17, the emphasis is
00:20:28.12\00:20:31.53
on the order of Melchizedek.
00:20:31.56\00:20:34.46
On verse 20 and 21 of chapter 7,
00:20:34.46\00:20:36.60
the emphasis is the Lord has
sworn and He will not relent.
00:20:36.63\00:20:39.63
In chapter 7, verse 24,
the priesthood is described
00:20:39.67\00:20:42.84
as unchangeable.
00:20:42.87\00:20:44.17
And in chapter 7, verse
28, it's forever, it's eternal.
00:20:44.21\00:20:48.21
So, friends, according
to the Book of Hebrews,
00:20:48.24\00:20:50.28
the fact that Jesus was
indicated as priest according
00:20:50.31\00:20:53.15
to the order of Melchizedek,
implies that the New Covenant
00:20:53.18\00:20:57.99
had been inaugurated.
00:20:58.02\00:21:00.29
That's the meaning
here. That's the implication.
00:21:00.32\00:21:02.76
The Levitical priests,
and this is important for us
00:21:02.79\00:21:05.79
to understand,
these Levitical priests,
00:21:05.83\00:21:07.76
they act as mediators
between God and Israel.
00:21:07.83\00:21:15.14
And the law of Israel excluded
anyone except from the order,
00:21:15.17\00:21:19.14
from the light lineage
of Levi of being priests.
00:21:19.17\00:21:23.38
So, here the author
concludes that the change
00:21:23.41\00:21:25.51
of the priesthood
implied in a change of the law
00:21:25.55\00:21:28.78
of the priesthood.
00:21:28.82\00:21:30.12
See, notice the
logic of the author.
00:21:30.15\00:21:34.12
He's implying that since Jesus
was not of the order of Levi,
00:21:34.16\00:21:39.36
there needed to be a change
in the law itself by changing
00:21:39.39\00:21:42.76
the law of priesthood,
and that implied in a change
00:21:42.80\00:21:45.67
of the Covenant.
00:21:45.70\00:21:47.90
Do you understand the
need of a new covenant?
00:21:47.94\00:21:51.71
Because the Old Covenant
couldn't fit into Jesus.
00:21:51.74\00:21:54.84
And it wasn't Jesus
that had to alter Himself
00:21:54.88\00:21:56.44
or change Himself
to the Old Covenant.
00:21:56.48\00:21:59.88
It's the Covenant that
needed to alter itself.
00:21:59.91\00:22:02.02
The logic of the
biblical author, it's flawless.
00:22:02.05\00:22:05.25
It's impeccable.
00:22:05.29\00:22:07.09
Now, the problem
with the Old Covenant was
00:22:07.12\00:22:09.56
that it didn't
provide perfection.
00:22:09.59\00:22:11.29
Isn't that what we
read in Hebrews 7:11?
00:22:11.33\00:22:14.10
So, what does that mean?
00:22:14.13\00:22:15.66
The author is speaking regarding
the priestly, or the priesthood,
00:22:15.70\00:22:19.60
in its ministries.
00:22:19.63\00:22:20.94
Its sacrifices, its feasts,
its services in the old system,
00:22:20.97\00:22:24.11
that's what he's talking about.
00:22:24.14\00:22:25.74
What he's saying is that
the sacrifices of animals
00:22:25.77\00:22:27.74
could never
provide complete, true,
00:22:27.78\00:22:30.85
and total atonement
and purification from sin.
00:22:30.88\00:22:34.18
It couldn't offer access to God.
00:22:34.22\00:22:37.65
Look at what Hebrews
10, verse 1 through 4 says.
00:22:37.69\00:22:40.22
"For the law, having a shadow
of the good things to come,
00:22:40.26\00:22:43.49
and not the very
image of the things,
00:22:43.53\00:22:45.59
can never with
these same sacrifices,
00:22:45.63\00:22:48.10
which they offer
continually year by year,
00:22:48.13\00:22:51.03
make those who approach perfect.
00:22:51.07\00:22:53.57
For then would they not
have ceased to be offered?
00:22:53.60\00:22:56.97
For the
worshipers, once purified,
00:22:57.01\00:22:59.27
would have no more
consciousness of sins.
00:22:59.31\00:23:02.18
But in those sacrifices there is
a reminder of sins every year.
00:23:02.21\00:23:05.71
For it is not possible
that the blood of bulls
00:23:05.75\00:23:08.25
and goats could take away sins."
00:23:08.28\00:23:12.49
The fact that the New
Covenant was necessary,
00:23:12.52\00:23:16.19
doesn't mean that God was
unfair with the ministration
00:23:16.22\00:23:19.29
of the Levitical priests.
00:23:19.33\00:23:20.83
It doesn't mean that God gave
them something to do and said,
00:23:20.86\00:23:23.67
"You're not doing good enough."
00:23:23.70\00:23:25.03
It has nothing to do with that.
00:23:25.07\00:23:26.94
It was never meant for that.
00:23:26.97\00:23:28.54
The service of the tabernacle,
friends, was designated
00:23:28.57\00:23:30.94
to protect them from idolatry,
to point towards the future,
00:23:30.97\00:23:36.34
towards the
future ministry of who?
00:23:36.38\00:23:38.58
Of the Messiah, of Jesus.
00:23:38.61\00:23:42.02
Hebrews emphasizes that the
sacrifices of the old tabernacle
00:23:42.05\00:23:45.75
were shadows of
good things to come.
00:23:45.79\00:23:48.39
And so, these lambs,
these goats, as much as
00:23:48.42\00:23:50.89
they represented, as
much as they were significant,
00:23:50.93\00:23:53.40
and as much as they
meant, they didn't save.
00:23:53.43\00:23:59.20
That's what this text is saying.
00:23:59.23\00:24:02.47
They pointed to Jesus.
00:24:02.50\00:24:04.41
The sacrifices of the old
system, they were meant to help
00:24:04.44\00:24:07.61
the people place their hope and
faith in the true Lamb of God
00:24:07.64\00:24:12.68
that removes away
the sin of the world.
00:24:12.71\00:24:15.92
And that's precisely the
same point that Paul makes
00:24:15.95\00:24:18.15
when he declares in
Galatians chapter 3, verse 24,
00:24:18.19\00:24:21.42
"Therefore the law was a
tutor to bring us to Christ,
00:24:21.46\00:24:24.33
that we might be
justified by faith."
00:24:24.36\00:24:26.36
And also Romans 1:4 that
says, "For Christ is the end
00:24:26.39\00:24:30.17
of the law for righteousness
to everyone who believes."
00:24:30.20\00:24:33.44
So, friends, in other words,
even the Ten Commandments,
00:24:33.47\00:24:38.77
even the Ten Commandments,
as good and as perfect as
00:24:38.81\00:24:41.78
they are for their purpose, are
not meant to provide salvation.
00:24:41.81\00:24:48.48
The law is not meant to
save but to make sin evident and
00:24:48.52\00:24:52.49
to provide a norm for justice,
but the law does not provide
00:24:52.52\00:24:57.53
justice itself.
00:24:57.56\00:25:00.53
You understand the difference?
00:25:00.56\00:25:02.23
The law is meant
to provide a norm,
00:25:02.26\00:25:05.23
but it doesn't
provide justice itself.
00:25:05.27\00:25:07.77
You remember
that old illustration?
00:25:07.80\00:25:09.10
I've seen Pastor Doug do it.
00:25:09.14\00:25:10.44
I remember as a kid watching him
do it, where there's a mirror,
00:25:10.47\00:25:12.64
and there he has a
marker on his forehead.
00:25:12.67\00:25:14.78
And he has
water and a washcloth,
00:25:14.81\00:25:16.44
you remember that?
00:25:16.48\00:25:17.78
In that old illustration
of the mirror and the water,
00:25:17.81\00:25:19.78
the purpose of the mirror
is only to indicate the sins,
00:25:19.81\00:25:23.62
the stains.
00:25:23.65\00:25:24.95
But the purification,
the cleanliness comes
00:25:24.99\00:25:28.26
from the water,
which is a symbol
00:25:28.29\00:25:30.53
of God's grace.
00:25:30.56\00:25:32.26
So, someone might ask,
and a lot of people do,
00:25:32.29\00:25:34.10
"Why doesn't the law save?
00:25:34.13\00:25:36.30
Why doesn't the law save?"
00:25:37.30\00:25:39.13
Well, it's easy.
00:25:39.17\00:25:41.27
It's because that
was never its purpose.
00:25:41.30\00:25:44.41
You want to buy a car, fine.
00:25:44.44\00:25:46.41
You can ask a whole
bunch of questions about a car.
00:25:46.44\00:25:49.14
It goes this fast,
there's this much horsepower.
00:25:49.18\00:25:50.88
It has this much torque.
00:25:50.91\00:25:52.31
It can do this, it can do that.
00:25:52.35\00:25:54.28
But what happens if
you ask the car salesman,
00:25:54.32\00:25:56.35
the car dealership salesman
if how fast does the car fly?
00:25:56.38\00:26:01.29
Is that a fair question?
00:26:01.32\00:26:03.46
Why is that not a fair question?
00:26:03.49\00:26:06.13
Because cars don't fly.
00:26:06.16\00:26:08.30
It's unfair to
ask that question.
00:26:08.33\00:26:11.07
You cannot
demand that of the law.
00:26:11.10\00:26:13.13
It's unfair.
00:26:13.17\00:26:14.50
The law was never
given to save, never.
00:26:14.54\00:26:22.04
Our salvation does not
depend on our obedience,
00:26:22.08\00:26:24.98
but on Christ's obedience.
00:26:25.01\00:26:28.35
His grace was the
foundation of our salvation.
00:26:28.38\00:26:31.69
And faith is the instrument by
which we take hold of His grace.
00:26:31.72\00:26:35.49
And obedience is the result
of our acceptance of Christ
00:26:35.52\00:26:38.79
as our Lord.
00:26:38.83\00:26:40.13
What does Ephesians chapter
2, verse 8 through 10 say?
00:26:40.16\00:26:42.40
By what are we saved?
00:26:42.43\00:26:44.27
By grace.
00:26:44.30\00:26:45.60
"By grace you have
been saved through faith,
00:26:45.63\00:26:48.77
and that does not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God,
00:26:48.80\00:26:51.71
not of works, lest
anyone should boast.
00:26:51.74\00:26:53.78
For we are His workmanship,
created in Lord Jesus,
00:26:53.81\00:26:56.28
in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand
00:26:56.31\00:27:00.18
that we should walk in them."
00:27:00.22\00:27:02.48
Do you see that?
Everything is coming from God.
00:27:02.52\00:27:04.49
Grace comes from God.
Faith is created by God.
00:27:04.52\00:27:07.26
Faith comes from hearing
and hearing the Word of God.
00:27:07.29\00:27:09.82
And even obedience, the good
works, who do they come from?
00:27:09.86\00:27:13.53
Who prepared them beforehand?
00:27:13.56\00:27:15.26
Him, everything comes from Him.
00:27:15.30\00:27:16.97
Friends, if our
obedience saved us,
00:27:17.00\00:27:18.83
then salvation
would not be by grace,
00:27:18.87\00:27:21.44
but the reward for our effort.
00:27:21.47\00:27:24.74
And what matters,
what really matters,
00:27:24.77\00:27:27.18
at least
primarily, it's not what we do
00:27:27.21\00:27:29.94
as the basis of our salvation.
00:27:29.98\00:27:31.55
It's what Christ did for us.
00:27:31.58\00:27:34.92
And that's where we kind
of segue into Monday's lesson,
00:27:34.95\00:27:37.12
which is New And Renewed.
00:27:37.15\00:27:38.72
And this is also a
crucial day because the promise
00:27:38.75\00:27:41.32
of the New Covenant,
it's not a new concept.
00:27:41.36\00:27:43.59
As I've already stated,
this isn't a new concept.
00:27:43.63\00:27:45.63
It doesn't only
emerge in Psalms 110.
00:27:45.66\00:27:48.36
This is something,
again, that's interwoven through
00:27:48.40\00:27:50.30
the whole Old Testament.
00:27:50.33\00:27:51.83
You'll find the
need of a new covenant
00:27:51.87\00:27:53.27
all throughout
the Old Testament.
00:27:53.30\00:27:55.34
It's not new.
00:27:55.37\00:27:58.01
We find it all the way back
in Jeremiah chapter 31 where,
00:27:58.04\00:28:01.01
according to
Jeremiah, the New Covenant was,
00:28:01.04\00:28:03.35
in fact, a renovation,
a renewal of the covenant
00:28:03.38\00:28:06.82
that God had already established
with Israel through Moses.
00:28:06.85\00:28:10.95
Look at Jeremiah
chapter 31:31 through 33.
00:28:10.99\00:28:14.06
It says, "Behold,
the days are coming--"
00:28:14.09\00:28:15.86
This is Jeremiah, okay, again,
hundreds of years before Jesus,
00:28:15.89\00:28:19.26
a classical Old
Testament prophet.
00:28:19.29\00:28:21.93
"Behold, the days are
coming, says the Lord,
00:28:21.96\00:28:23.77
that I will make a," what?
00:28:23.80\00:28:25.93
"A new covenant with the house
of Israel and with the house
00:28:25.97\00:28:29.77
of Judah--not according
to the covenant that I made
00:28:29.80\00:28:32.34
with their fathers in the
day that I took them by the hand
00:28:32.37\00:28:34.94
to lead them out
of the land of Egypt,
00:28:34.98\00:28:36.64
My covenant which they broke,
00:28:36.68\00:28:39.45
though I was a husband
to them, says the Lord.
00:28:39.48\00:28:41.98
But this is the covenant
that I will make with the house
00:28:42.02\00:28:44.82
of Israel after
those days, says the Lord:
00:28:44.85\00:28:47.12
I will put My
law in their minds,
00:28:47.16\00:28:48.92
and write it on their
hearts; and I will be their God,
00:28:48.96\00:28:52.56
and they shall be My people."
00:28:52.59\00:28:54.46
You know, the Hebrew term
for "new" is the word Chadashah,
00:28:54.50\00:28:59.50
and it has a double meaning.
00:28:59.53\00:29:02.04
Depending on the context,
it can mean completely new,
00:29:02.07\00:29:05.64
or it can mean
renovated, renewed.
00:29:05.67\00:29:09.54
Now, the problem
with the Old Covenant is
00:29:09.58\00:29:11.31
that the people
broke it, how many times?
00:29:11.35\00:29:14.05
Continuously, all the time.
00:29:14.08\00:29:16.38
They broken it again and
again and again and again.
00:29:16.42\00:29:18.42
And you see this in Hebrews
chapter 8, verse 8 and 9.
00:29:18.45\00:29:21.09
Now, there was no
problem with the covenant itself
00:29:21.12\00:29:23.56
because God is the One
who established the covenant.
00:29:23.59\00:29:25.76
Can God make anything unperfect?
00:29:25.79\00:29:28.26
Can God make anything
that's not good enough?
00:29:28.30\00:29:30.60
No.
00:29:30.63\00:29:32.73
The problem wasn't the covenant
itself, it was with the people.
00:29:32.77\00:29:36.74
If Israel had understood through
the symbols, the anti-types,
00:29:36.77\00:29:41.01
the parables, and
they had placed their faith
00:29:41.04\00:29:43.21
in the coming Messiah,
what would have happened
00:29:43.24\00:29:45.51
if they had done that?
00:29:45.55\00:29:47.18
Well, then the covenant
would never have been broken.
00:29:47.22\00:29:51.05
So, in a way, the New
Covenant is the Old Covenant,
00:29:51.09\00:29:54.96
but renewed.
00:29:54.99\00:29:56.86
And in another way, it's
something entirely different.
00:29:56.89\00:29:59.23
So, here you find this
kind of this strange dichotomy.
00:29:59.26\00:30:02.13
You have the Covenant,
which is very similar to the old
00:30:02.16\00:30:04.63
in many ways, but
it's also very different,
00:30:04.67\00:30:07.37
completely different.
00:30:07.40\00:30:08.94
As the lesson puts it,
the Covenant would not be
00:30:08.97\00:30:10.81
like the Covenant that God
had made with their fathers
00:30:10.84\00:30:13.24
because of the
unfaithfulness of the people.
00:30:13.27\00:30:15.58
The promises that God
made under the Mosaic Covenant
00:30:15.61\00:30:18.48
were never fulfilled.
00:30:18.51\00:30:20.58
Now, in virtue of the
guarantee given by the Son,
00:30:20.62\00:30:22.98
God would fulfill their
purposes of his Covenant.
00:30:23.02\00:30:26.39
God did not change
His law or His power
00:30:26.42\00:30:28.69
or lower His standards.
00:30:28.72\00:30:30.23
Instead, He sent
His Son as a guarantee
00:30:30.26\00:30:32.99
of the Covenant promises.
00:30:33.03\00:30:34.73
This is why the
Covenant does not have curses.
00:30:34.73\00:30:38.47
You remember that the
Old Covenant had curses.
00:30:38.50\00:30:40.94
There were the rights, the--
not the rights, the blessings
00:30:40.97\00:30:43.04
of the Covenant and
there were also the curses.
00:30:43.07\00:30:45.91
This New Covenant has no curses.
00:30:45.94\00:30:48.71
This is why the
Covenant has no curses.
00:30:48.74\00:30:50.51
It is it has only
blessings because Jesus
00:30:50.55\00:30:53.11
fulfilled it perfectly,
becoming a curse for us.
00:30:53.15\00:30:56.75
And so, this is, this is
what the Monday lesson tells us
00:30:56.79\00:31:01.19
at the end of that day.
00:31:01.22\00:31:03.02
And that also
segues into the next day.
00:31:03.06\00:31:05.19
The New Covenant
has a better mediator.
00:31:05.23\00:31:07.93
What does that mean?
00:31:07.96\00:31:09.73
The New Covenant
has a better mediator.
00:31:09.76\00:31:11.60
How could Jesus--why is
Jesus a better mediator?
00:31:11.63\00:31:14.27
So, friends, as
we have already seen,
00:31:14.30\00:31:16.84
according to the Old
Testament, Jesus did not qualify
00:31:16.87\00:31:19.44
for priesthood.
00:31:19.47\00:31:20.78
Why did Jesus not qualify?
00:31:20.81\00:31:22.91
Let's see if you're--why? Why?
00:31:22.94\00:31:25.28
His lineage, his lineage.
00:31:25.31\00:31:26.61
Jesus was not from
the lineage of Levi.
00:31:26.65\00:31:29.65
Now, friends, for us
today living thousands of years
00:31:29.68\00:31:32.39
after this whole
cultural, scriptural context,
00:31:32.42\00:31:36.06
it's difficult
for us to really say,
00:31:36.09\00:31:38.13
"Well, why is
that such a big deal?
00:31:38.16\00:31:39.93
Right, why was that--why would
that make the need or create
00:31:39.96\00:31:43.37
a necessity of a new covenant?
00:31:43.40\00:31:45.27
Why?"
00:31:45.30\00:31:47.17
But it is a very big deal.
00:31:47.20\00:31:51.81
It's a huge deal in the Bible.
00:31:51.84\00:31:55.08
The very prediction of
Scripture indicates that
00:31:55.11\00:31:57.58
a new priestly order would
be established designed by God.
00:31:57.61\00:32:01.55
And so, Jesus, while he was
born of the lineage of Judah,
00:32:01.58\00:32:05.25
he became a priest
by divine proclamation.
00:32:05.29\00:32:08.69
God made Jesus a priest.
00:32:08.72\00:32:11.09
It wasn't His lineage.
00:32:11.13\00:32:12.63
It wasn't His family.
00:32:12.66\00:32:14.10
It wasn't His genetics.
00:32:14.10\00:32:15.43
It wasn't the
power of His family name.
00:32:15.46\00:32:18.70
It was none of that.
It wasn't His pedigree.
00:32:18.73\00:32:21.17
It was God
saying, "You are my Son.
00:32:21.20\00:32:23.77
Today, I have begotten You.
00:32:23.81\00:32:25.14
You are a priest
forever, according to the order
00:32:25.17\00:32:27.74
of Melchizedek."
00:32:27.78\00:32:29.78
This cannot be overstated.
00:32:29.81\00:32:32.08
That's why I'm
repeating it so much.
00:32:32.11\00:32:33.95
And not only is Jesus a
priest, He's a better priest.
00:32:33.98\00:32:38.82
Hebrews chapter 7, verse 10
establishes that Melchizedek
00:32:38.85\00:32:42.09
was superior to Abraham,
and therefore superior to Levi
00:32:42.12\00:32:45.93
because Levi was of
the descendants of Abraham,
00:32:45.96\00:32:49.60
Melchizedek wasn't.
00:32:49.63\00:32:51.43
Do you see why
this is so significant?
00:32:51.47\00:32:54.27
Jesus is a priest according
to an order that is completely
00:32:54.30\00:32:57.31
outside the scope of Judaism,
of the Israelite nation,
00:32:57.34\00:33:04.15
because Israel could
not keep the covenant.
00:33:04.18\00:33:08.98
Something external was needed.
00:33:09.02\00:33:11.25
You see, you kind of think
of God as extending his hand
00:33:11.29\00:33:13.59
and trying to take
hold of the arm of man,
00:33:13.62\00:33:16.02
to come into a deal.
00:33:16.06\00:33:17.79
The problem is that the arm
of man is constantly slipping
00:33:17.83\00:33:19.89
and failing.
00:33:19.93\00:33:22.23
And so, what happens is that
God--and He knew all of this.
00:33:22.26\00:33:25.90
All of this is for us to learn.
00:33:25.93\00:33:27.27
It's for our benefit.
00:33:27.30\00:33:28.60
But what happens is that
God steps out from behind
00:33:28.64\00:33:31.07
His kind of--His veil of silence
because one of the most powerful
00:33:31.11\00:33:37.05
instruments that
God used in this whole,
00:33:37.08\00:33:39.65
this whole great
controversy is that God,
00:33:39.68\00:33:43.12
He didn't
immediately argue with Lucifer.
00:33:43.15\00:33:46.29
Lucifer is
spouting out his ideas,
00:33:46.32\00:33:51.59
but God uses
silence because silence is
00:33:51.63\00:33:53.60
a very strong weapon.
00:33:53.63\00:33:56.40
Instead of talking too
much, God, at the right moment,
00:33:56.43\00:34:00.27
the Bible says, "In
the plenitude of times,"
00:34:00.30\00:34:02.37
God steps out from
behind that curtain.
00:34:02.40\00:34:05.57
And He appears on scene
as a baby in the manger,
00:34:05.61\00:34:10.88
a defenseless baby.
00:34:10.91\00:34:12.61
And all throughout
the whole Old Testament,
00:34:12.65\00:34:13.95
you have those
00:34:13.98\00:34:15.28
slivers of light of
truth of a coming Messiah,
00:34:15.32\00:34:18.72
someone that would come
that would finally be able
00:34:18.75\00:34:21.29
to grab hold of the
arm of God and not let go.
00:34:21.32\00:34:27.30
Jesus, the new High Priest.
00:34:27.30\00:34:30.17
He didn't acquire his office
based on power or authority,
00:34:30.20\00:34:35.44
but by divine institution.
00:34:35.47\00:34:38.64
It was based on the
indestructible power
00:34:38.67\00:34:40.44
of his life.
00:34:40.48\00:34:41.78
You find that in
verse 16, chapter 7.
00:34:41.81\00:34:43.51
The author himself indicates
this by saying in chapter 7,
00:34:43.55\00:34:47.08
verse 3 that, "he having
neither beginning of days
00:34:47.12\00:34:50.12
nor end of days."
00:34:50.15\00:34:51.59
Now this is there in the context
referring to Melchizedek,
00:34:51.62\00:34:53.62
but was Melchizedek God?
00:34:53.66\00:34:55.89
No.
00:34:55.92\00:34:57.63
This is a parable.
00:34:57.66\00:34:58.96
This is an example.
00:34:58.99\00:35:00.36
When it says, "Neither beginning
of days nor end of days,"
00:35:00.40\00:35:02.66
it's talking--it's telling
us that we don't know about him.
00:35:02.70\00:35:05.60
He's excluded from the
scope of the context of Israel.
00:35:05.63\00:35:10.11
But what it's really
saying is that Jesus,
00:35:10.14\00:35:11.97
His power comes
from His eternal life,
00:35:12.01\00:35:16.95
indestructible, having
neither beginning of days
00:35:16.98\00:35:19.45
nor end of days.
00:35:19.48\00:35:21.02
As the Son of God, He
remains High Priest forever.
00:35:21.05\00:35:26.89
The rest of chapter 7
establishes the specific ways
00:35:26.92\00:35:29.96
in which the New
Covenant succeeds the Old.
00:35:29.99\00:35:33.86
The original term for mediator,
it's derived from the word,
00:35:33.90\00:35:37.07
the Greek word, "mesos."
00:35:37.10\00:35:39.00
Have you ever
heard the word "meso?"
00:35:39.03\00:35:40.54
Yeah, meso, it
means half, middle.
00:35:40.57\00:35:43.17
that's where meso comes from.
00:35:43.20\00:35:44.61
And so, that's where the
word "mediator" comes from also,
00:35:44.64\00:35:47.14
and it describes someone
that walks in the middle.
00:35:47.18\00:35:50.01
And it was a technical word
used to refer to a few things,
00:35:50.05\00:35:54.62
someone who fulfilled
the role of a mediator,
00:35:54.65\00:35:56.48
someone in the
function of an arbiter
00:35:56.52\00:35:58.52
between two parties,
a negotiator, a witness
00:35:58.55\00:36:02.29
in the legal sense of
the word, or yet someone
00:36:02.32\00:36:04.66
that guaranteed the execution
of the deal or of the bargain.
00:36:04.69\00:36:09.06
That's what the word "mediator"
means literally in Greek.
00:36:09.10\00:36:13.23
The problem is that our
English word for mediator,
00:36:13.27\00:36:15.57
it doesn't translate all
these different definitions.
00:36:15.60\00:36:19.57
It doesn't translate the
richness of the original word.
00:36:19.61\00:36:22.91
But when it comes to
Jesus, the mediator here means
00:36:22.94\00:36:25.91
that He is the One that
guaranteed the New Covenant.
00:36:25.95\00:36:28.88
He's the One.
00:36:28.92\00:36:30.22
You want something that to
make sure--do you want to know
00:36:30.25\00:36:32.35
why you can be sure that
the New Covenant is enough?
00:36:32.39\00:36:35.52
Jesus is the One
that guarantees it.
00:36:35.56\00:36:38.63
In the letter of
Hebrews, the term "mediator"
00:36:38.66\00:36:40.80
is equivalent to,
he who guarantees.
00:36:40.83\00:36:44.83
He is the One that
guarantees that the promises
00:36:44.87\00:36:46.87
of the Covenant
would be fulfilled.
00:36:46.90\00:36:49.74
Jesus's death,
friends, makes the institution
00:36:49.77\00:36:52.14
of the New Covenant
possible of being satisfied
00:36:52.17\00:36:55.44
because it satisfies the demand
00:36:55.48\00:36:57.75
of the first
covenant with Israel.
00:36:57.78\00:37:03.42
It even satisfies the needs
of the first covenant given
00:37:03.45\00:37:06.52
to Adam.
00:37:06.55\00:37:08.49
Jesus covers it all.
00:37:08.52\00:37:11.03
Jesus fulfills it all.
00:37:11.06\00:37:14.20
And so, this way, in this
way, Jesus is the care--I know
00:37:14.23\00:37:17.10
that this isn't a word,
but Jesus is the guarantor.
00:37:17.13\00:37:19.77
Is that a word,
guarantor, guarantor is that
00:37:19.80\00:37:23.94
how you say it?
00:37:23.97\00:37:25.27
So, Jesus is--you
live and you learn, right,
00:37:25.31\00:37:27.28
one new thing every day.
00:37:27.31\00:37:28.61
Jesus is the guarantor.
00:37:28.64\00:37:30.31
That's a weird word, but
Jesus is the guarantor that took
00:37:30.35\00:37:34.22
upon Himself the legal
obligations of the Covenant
00:37:34.25\00:37:37.82
that had previously been broken.
00:37:37.85\00:37:40.59
And so, in another
way, the execution,
00:37:40.62\00:37:42.39
or the exaltation of
Jesus in heaven guarantees
00:37:42.42\00:37:45.43
that God's promises to
humanity will be fulfilled.
00:37:45.46\00:37:48.73
At Jesus's resurrection when
He sat at the right hand of God,
00:37:48.76\00:37:52.10
He demonstrated that
He will also resurrect us,
00:37:52.13\00:37:56.34
and He will come back to bring
us to stay at His right hand.
00:37:56.37\00:38:00.94
Do you see?
00:38:00.98\00:38:02.28
Because that happened to
Jesus, that promise as co-heirs,
00:38:02.31\00:38:05.88
it applies to us.
00:38:05.91\00:38:08.75
Jesus was a mediator greater
than Moses himself because
00:38:08.78\00:38:11.92
He ministers in
the heavenly sanctuary,
00:38:11.95\00:38:14.96
and He offered Himself as
the perfect sacrifice for us.
00:38:14.99\00:38:19.53
Moses's face
reflected the glory of God.
00:38:19.56\00:38:22.06
That's a big thing.
00:38:22.10\00:38:24.30
Jesus is the glory of God.
00:38:24.33\00:38:27.10
Moses spoke to God face to face,
but Jesus is the face of God,
00:38:27.14\00:38:35.98
the Word of God made flesh.
00:38:36.01\00:38:39.31
And so, Jesus satisfies all the
requirements of the Covenant.
00:38:39.35\00:38:44.45
He died to bear the weight of
sin so that we could die to sin,
00:38:44.49\00:38:48.96
and that makes obedience
not only important, but vital.
00:38:48.99\00:38:53.43
Wednesday's lesson
speaks about the better promises
00:38:53.46\00:38:55.93
of the Covenant.
00:38:55.96\00:38:57.27
What are these better promises?
00:38:57.30\00:38:58.67
After all, what
rewards could be better
00:38:58.70\00:39:01.00
than the old ones
that He had already given?
00:39:01.04\00:39:04.51
The truth, the truth, friends,
is that God offered the same,
00:39:04.54\00:39:07.81
the same rewards, the same
rewards that the Old Testament
00:39:07.84\00:39:11.88
heroes and
patriarchs were offered.
00:39:11.91\00:39:14.35
They're the same
promises that He offers us.
00:39:14.38\00:39:16.89
When Hebrew speaks of
these better promises,
00:39:16.92\00:39:19.35
such as in Hebrews chapter
8, verse 6, it's speaking
00:39:19.39\00:39:21.69
about a
different kind of promise.
00:39:21.72\00:39:24.73
The covenant between God
and Israel was a formal exchange
00:39:24.76\00:39:28.40
of promises when God
took the initiative and freed
00:39:28.43\00:39:31.47
Israel from Egypt, and He
promised them the Promised Land.
00:39:31.50\00:39:35.67
The promises of this
Old Covenant had to do
00:39:35.70\00:39:37.87
with the emergence
of Israel as a nation.
00:39:37.91\00:39:41.44
That's the context of
these better promises.
00:39:41.48\00:39:43.81
The thing about the New
Covenant and the promises
00:39:43.85\00:39:47.08
of the New
Covenant is that it implies
00:39:47.12\00:39:48.72
something more universal.
00:39:48.75\00:39:50.35
The Old Covenant had to do
with the emergence of Israel
00:39:50.39\00:39:53.46
as a nation.
00:39:53.49\00:39:54.79
The New Covenant goes
way above and beyond that
00:39:54.82\00:39:56.52
because in Galatians chapter
3, verse 28 and 29 it says that,
00:39:56.56\00:39:59.59
"There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free,
00:39:59.63\00:40:03.47
there is
neither male nor female;
00:40:03.50\00:40:05.27
for you are all
one in Christ Jesus.
00:40:05.30\00:40:07.37
And if you are Christ's,
then you are Abraham's seed,
00:40:07.40\00:40:10.54
and heirs
according to the promise.
00:40:10.57\00:40:13.71
For the Christians
of the New Testament,
00:40:13.74\00:40:16.24
Jesus was the definitive lens
through which they understood
00:40:16.28\00:40:19.78
the Old
Testament, and He attributed
00:40:19.81\00:40:21.98
to Scripture and interpretation
that was not centralized
00:40:22.02\00:40:24.49
on Himself--
00:40:24.52\00:40:26.59
sorry, not
centralized on the Israelites,
00:40:26.62\00:40:28.92
but centralized on Himself.
00:40:28.96\00:40:31.23
So, that was
something completely different
00:40:31.26\00:40:33.06
for the Israelites at that
time because the whole Covenant
00:40:33.09\00:40:36.23
had to do with
them, with their nation,
00:40:36.26\00:40:38.70
with their
people, with their land.
00:40:38.73\00:40:41.57
But in Jesus, it
becomes universal.
00:40:41.60\00:40:44.94
It's for everyone.
00:40:44.97\00:40:46.27
"For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son
00:40:46.31\00:40:48.18
that," how many?
00:40:48.21\00:40:50.98
Whoever, all inclusive.
00:40:51.01\00:40:56.32
The New Covenant
applies to everyone.
00:40:56.35\00:41:00.56
Jesus, not the old geographical
dream of the Jews is the focus,
00:41:00.59\00:41:05.36
the gravitational
center of the New Testament,
00:41:05.39\00:41:07.86
and even the Old,
if you read it right.
00:41:07.86\00:41:10.23
According to Paul
in 2 Corinthians 1:20,
00:41:10.27\00:41:12.40
"For all the promises of God,
in Him are yes and in Him amen
00:41:12.43\00:41:18.44
to the glory of God through us."
00:41:18.47\00:41:20.28
All of the promises
of God are made complete,
00:41:20.31\00:41:23.24
are fulfilled through who?
00:41:23.28\00:41:24.95
Through Jesus.
00:41:24.98\00:41:26.28
Friends, you cannot
exclude Jesus from Scripture.
00:41:26.31\00:41:29.92
It just becomes words.
00:41:29.95\00:41:33.36
Jesus is the key.
00:41:33.39\00:41:35.66
He's the conduit through
which we understand the Bible.
00:41:35.69\00:41:40.56
Gerald Hasel, an
already deceased,
00:41:40.60\00:41:44.50
but great Adventist theologian,
00:41:44.53\00:41:47.67
he observed that this text
provides a Christocentric answer
00:41:47.70\00:41:50.21
to the question to
"Whom pertained the promises
00:41:50.24\00:41:53.38
of the Old Testament?"
00:41:53.41\00:41:54.78
And the answers, "These promises
are not connected anymore
00:41:54.81\00:41:57.25
to the ethnic,
literal Israel, but to Christ.
00:41:57.28\00:42:00.28
He is in you the hope of glory."
00:42:00.32\00:42:03.45
So, when you read his
writings, Paul's writings,
00:42:03.49\00:42:06.69
Paul completely
ignores the territorial aspects
00:42:06.72\00:42:10.99
of the promises
given to ancient Israel.
00:42:11.03\00:42:14.10
The Palestinian land doesn't
even appear within his horizon.
00:42:14.13\00:42:18.73
And so, he--what happens is that
he does personify the promises
00:42:18.77\00:42:22.60
in Jesus, and by doing so,
he universalizes the promises
00:42:22.64\00:42:25.97
of the Bible.
00:42:26.01\00:42:28.84
Friends, you
know what this means?
00:42:28.88\00:42:31.21
This means that you can never
say that you are disqualified.
00:42:31.25\00:42:36.42
This means that
you can never say
00:42:36.45\00:42:37.99
that it doesn't apply to you.
00:42:38.02\00:42:41.56
You could never say that you are
a greater sinner than Jesus is
00:42:41.59\00:42:45.73
a priest, an atoner, a forgiver.
00:42:45.76\00:42:50.67
The promises apply to you.
00:42:50.70\00:42:53.07
They apply to us.
00:42:53.10\00:42:55.24
Whatever your past has
been, wherever you have lived,
00:42:55.27\00:42:57.57
whatever you have done,
what matters is now forward
00:42:57.61\00:43:02.28
because this New
Covenant applies to your life.
00:43:02.31\00:43:08.72
The saints united in
a universal assembly.
00:43:08.75\00:43:11.55
They await the city of the
living God, the New Jerusalem.
00:43:11.59\00:43:15.99
The lesson puts it this way,
00:43:16.02\00:43:17.53
God satisfies the absolute
demands of the New Covenant
00:43:17.56\00:43:20.20
for us because He gave
His own Son to come and live
00:43:20.23\00:43:22.93
a perfect life,
so that the promises
00:43:22.96\00:43:25.63
of the Covenant
might be fulfilled in Him,
00:43:25.67\00:43:28.67
and then offered to
us by the faith in Jesus.
00:43:28.70\00:43:32.41
Now, unfortunately,
we won't be able to go
00:43:32.44\00:43:34.08
into Thursday's
lesson, which, in my opinion,
00:43:34.11\00:43:36.34
was such a beautiful day.
00:43:36.38\00:43:38.08
The New Covenant has
solved the problem of the heart.
00:43:38.11\00:43:39.78
But basically, this day's lesson
is summed up by the reality that
00:43:39.81\00:43:43.95
the old law written on stone and
written on paper, on scrolls,
00:43:43.99\00:43:53.29
those could be lost.
00:43:53.33\00:43:54.60
They could be broken, as
the law of stone was broken
00:43:54.63\00:43:56.30
at one point.
00:43:56.33\00:43:58.20
And this is why God, He writes
the new law, the New Covenant,
00:43:58.23\00:44:01.40
in our heart.
00:44:01.44\00:44:03.67
He's the only
One that can do that.
00:44:03.71\00:44:05.47
He can write it in
your heart, what that means
00:44:05.51\00:44:07.21
that He'll write this new law of
His in your mind, in your will,
00:44:07.24\00:44:11.28
in your
volition, in your actions.
00:44:11.31\00:44:13.31
In every aspect that
you allow Him to write it,
00:44:13.35\00:44:15.65
He will write His new
law, and this new law now
00:44:15.68\00:44:19.25
is based on Him.
00:44:19.29\00:44:21.29
Last quote that I'd like
to read comes from the book
00:44:21.32\00:44:23.76
"Steps To Christ"
page 60, 64 and 65.
00:44:23.79\00:44:27.30
It says, "No deep-seated
love for Christ can dwell
00:44:27.36\00:44:29.83
in the heart that does not
realize its own sinfulness.
00:44:29.86\00:44:33.00
The soul that is transformed
by the grace of Christ
00:44:33.03\00:44:35.37
will admire His
divine character.
00:44:35.40\00:44:37.37
But if we do not see
our own moral deformity,
00:44:37.41\00:44:39.74
it is unmistakable evidence
that we have not had a view
00:44:39.77\00:44:43.35
of the beauty and the
excellence of Christ."
00:44:43.38\00:44:46.48
You know how you
have a view of this?
00:44:46.51\00:44:48.68
You get to know Him.
00:44:48.72\00:44:50.12
Contemplate Him, and He
will reveal to you everything
00:44:50.15\00:44:53.29
that needs to be revealed.
00:44:53.32\00:44:55.09
I'd like to
emphasize this offer.
00:44:55.12\00:44:58.79
You'll get all of
this and more in this book,
00:44:58.83\00:45:00.30
"Why The Old Covenant Failed."
00:45:00.33\00:45:01.83
You could get it by
calling 866-788-3966.
00:45:01.86\00:45:06.33
You can ask for offer
number one--sorry, number 716.
00:45:06.37\00:45:11.14
If you're in
continental North America,
00:45:11.17\00:45:13.38
you can text us
SH097 to the number 40544.
00:45:13.41\00:45:18.98
Outside of North
America, you can go to
00:45:19.01\00:45:21.05
study.aftv.org/SH097,
00:45:21.08\00:45:25.35
and you could get a
digital download of,
00:45:25.39\00:45:27.56
"Why The Old Covenant Failed."
00:45:27.59\00:45:29.19
Please bow your
head and pray with me.
00:45:29.22\00:45:30.56
Dear Lord, thank you so much for
the understanding that we get
00:45:31.49\00:45:34.96
from the Bible of who You
are and what You've done for us.
00:45:35.00\00:45:37.97
Thank you so much,
Lord, that we understand
00:45:38.00\00:45:39.90
that this New
Covenant was, in essence,
00:45:39.93\00:45:43.84
You coming down to
our level, reaching out,
00:45:43.87\00:45:48.24
grabbing the hand of God
for us, and taking us along
00:45:48.28\00:45:51.58
as You fulfilled the deal.
00:45:51.61\00:45:54.32
And thank You for offering us
this new deal, this new bargain,
00:45:54.35\00:45:57.39
this covenant, Lord,
where by Your merits,
00:45:57.42\00:46:00.46
we can gain salvation.
00:46:00.49\00:46:03.93
Lord, out of love, allow us
to see You day by day and want
00:46:03.96\00:46:07.93
to live by Your side day by day,
allow us to want to be obedient
00:46:07.96\00:46:11.10
and to be more like
Jesus day by day because we see
00:46:11.13\00:46:14.67
the great love that
You have towards us.
00:46:14.70\00:46:17.14
We can't understand it.
00:46:17.17\00:46:18.87
We don't really understand why.
00:46:18.91\00:46:22.28
But we do know that You love us.
00:46:22.31\00:46:24.61
I thank You, Lord, for
these precious lessons.
00:46:24.65\00:46:26.75
Please bless everyone
here that is watching live
00:46:26.78\00:46:28.85
and those that are
watching from home,
00:46:28.88\00:46:31.29
those that are going to
be watching from the future.
00:46:31.32\00:46:33.72
Please allow these
truths to be made open and clear
00:46:33.76\00:46:35.79
in their minds and hearts and
write Your law in their hearts.
00:46:35.82\00:46:39.33
I ask You these
things in Jesus's name, amen.
00:46:39.36\00:46:42.10
May God bless you.
00:46:42.13\00:46:43.63
male announcer: Don't forget
to request today's life-changing
00:46:45.63\00:46:47.60
free resource.
00:46:47.64\00:46:49.14
Not only can you receive
this free gift in the mail,
00:46:49.17\00:46:51.31
you can download a digital
copy straight to your computer
00:46:51.34\00:46:53.71
or mobile device.
00:46:53.74\00:46:55.24
To get your digital
copy of today's free gift,
00:46:55.28\00:46:57.78
simply text the
keyword on your screen to 40544
00:46:57.81\00:47:01.88
or visit the web
address shown on your screen.
00:47:01.92\00:47:04.85
And be sure to select
the digital download option
00:47:04.89\00:47:07.22
on the request page.
00:47:07.26\00:47:08.69
It's now easier than ever
for you to study God's Word
00:47:08.72\00:47:11.49
with Amazing Facts
wherever and whenever you want.
00:47:11.53\00:47:14.76
And most important,
to share it with others.
00:47:14.83\00:47:17.67
announcer: Amazing
Facts, Changed Lives.
00:47:23.47\00:47:25.97
Rubin: You know, we
grew up in a neighborhood up
00:47:32.01\00:47:33.35
in the Midwest that was
a pretty bad neighborhood.
00:47:33.38\00:47:36.99
And when I became a
teenager, I started using drugs.
00:47:37.02\00:47:41.02
I was on--I started using meth
when I was like, I think, 16,15,
00:47:41.06\00:47:45.03
something like that.
00:47:45.06\00:47:46.49
I was having some problems
in my life I really didn't know
00:47:46.53\00:47:48.20
how to deal with.
00:47:48.23\00:47:51.37
The only thing I
really knew was violence.
00:47:51.40\00:47:54.84
So, this night here, I was going
to inflict violence on myself.
00:47:54.87\00:47:58.71
I was really high and really
depressed, so I took, you know,
00:47:58.74\00:48:02.61
I had this 40 caliber.
00:48:02.64\00:48:04.11
So, I remember I put one
in the chamber, and I stuck it
00:48:04.15\00:48:06.25
to the side of
my head like this.
00:48:06.28\00:48:10.09
And that gun had a
hair trigger, you know?
00:48:10.12\00:48:14.16
I remember I was tapping it
'cause a part of me said, no,
00:48:14.19\00:48:18.39
I don't want to do this.
00:48:18.43\00:48:20.90
But there was something
very evil present there saying,
00:48:20.93\00:48:23.26
"Do it."
00:48:23.30\00:48:24.60
I just said to myself, I
said, "God, if you're real,
00:48:24.63\00:48:30.54
show yourself to me."
00:48:30.57\00:48:32.74
My mother took me to church when
I was a little kid, and we used
00:48:32.77\00:48:36.71
to sing "Jesus Loves Me."
00:48:36.75\00:48:38.88
And I remembered that song.
00:48:38.91\00:48:41.15
It started playing in my
mind, and I almost had like
00:48:41.18\00:48:44.75
a vision of me as a little kid.
00:48:44.79\00:48:49.96
You know, in Sabbath school,
we used to bang those sticks
00:48:49.99\00:48:54.86
together and
sing, "Jesus Loves Me."
00:48:54.93\00:49:00.64
And I heard that in my mind.
00:49:00.67\00:49:04.14
So, I said, wow.
00:49:04.17\00:49:09.04
So, I just kind of like put
the gun down, and I kind of fell
00:49:09.08\00:49:12.08
on my bedside there.
00:49:12.11\00:49:13.55
I said, "Lord."
00:49:13.58\00:49:16.38
I just basically just
prayed this crazy prayer.
00:49:16.42\00:49:18.82
I says, you know, I told
Him everything that was wrong
00:49:18.85\00:49:20.96
with me.
00:49:20.99\00:49:22.29
And I remember one
day I was driving around,
00:49:22.32\00:49:23.73
I kind of felt lost.
00:49:23.76\00:49:25.19
And I drove by this church,
and I seen Tom out there.
00:49:25.23\00:49:28.36
Tom was just out there
watering the flowers, you know?
00:49:28.40\00:49:31.97
Tom: So, I caught a vision of
the side of my eye of this big,
00:49:32.00\00:49:36.30
husky guy with tattoos
walking up and saying, "Hello."
00:49:36.34\00:49:42.14
And so I asked him
if I could help him.
00:49:42.18\00:49:46.48
And he told me that he
drives by church on occasion,
00:49:46.51\00:49:51.55
and every time he goes by, he's
thinking that he should stop in.
00:49:51.59\00:49:55.86
Rubin: After he showed me
around the church, you know,
00:49:55.89\00:50:00.33
I was like, "Okay,
man, it's nice meeting you,"
00:50:00.36\00:50:03.23
and this and that.
00:50:03.26\00:50:04.57
So, I jumped in my
car, and I started heading
00:50:04.60\00:50:07.00
down the driveway.
00:50:07.04\00:50:09.14
And the next thing you know,
in like my peripheral vision,
00:50:09.17\00:50:12.47
I see him coming around
the corner like Jerry Rice
00:50:12.51\00:50:16.18
running a football.
00:50:16.21\00:50:18.11
Nah, not that fast,
but, you know, he was
00:50:18.15\00:50:20.32
taking off after me.
00:50:20.35\00:50:22.62
And he says, "Hey, hey, hey.
00:50:22.65\00:50:23.95
Hold on, hold on."
00:50:23.99\00:50:25.45
Tom: I asked if he would
like to have some Bible studies,
00:50:25.49\00:50:27.52
and he said, "Yeah."
00:50:27.56\00:50:29.52
Rubin: He would come by
the house, we'd all start--
00:50:29.56\00:50:31.19
we'd start hiding the
beer cans and trying to air out
00:50:31.23\00:50:34.96
the weed smell.
00:50:35.00\00:50:36.56
And there was a
presence that came with Tom
00:50:36.60\00:50:39.50
that was comforting.
00:50:39.53\00:50:41.67
You know what I mean?
00:50:41.70\00:50:43.27
Even though I wasn't taking
the Bible studies as serious as
00:50:43.30\00:50:45.84
I should have looking
back, there was just a presence
00:50:45.87\00:50:49.71
about him being there in
the house that was comforting.
00:50:49.74\00:50:54.35
I told Tom, I said, "Tom, you
know, you can't win everybody."
00:50:54.38\00:50:57.32
Tom: I looked at him
and I knew I--I said to him,
00:50:57.35\00:51:00.96
"Rubin, I never get anybody."
00:51:00.99\00:51:04.19
I says, "The Holy
Spirit will do that."
00:51:04.23\00:51:07.03
And I kind of, in my
heart, knew that the Holy Spirit
00:51:07.03\00:51:11.40
was going to work on Rubin.
00:51:11.43\00:51:13.20
Rubin: So, then Tom kind of
left the picture for a while.
00:51:13.23\00:51:16.97
And then I think one
day at my mother's house,
00:51:17.01\00:51:18.94
they were watching "The
Final Events of Bible Prophecy."
00:51:18.97\00:51:21.94
So, I watched that, and
I remember the scene where
00:51:21.98\00:51:28.45
they had the hellfire and stuff.
00:51:28.48\00:51:31.79
You know, they're outside the
city, and it showed the hellfire
00:51:31.82\00:51:36.46
coming down and burn
and people and stuff.
00:51:36.49\00:51:38.69
And I remember saying to
myself, "That's where I would be
00:51:38.73\00:51:43.47
right there."
00:51:43.50\00:51:45.07
After the hellfire scene,
I saw the saints in the city,
00:51:45.10\00:51:51.21
and the New Jerusalem,
Jesus recreating the earth.
00:51:51.24\00:51:55.21
And I said, "I want that
to be my--me and my family."
00:51:55.24\00:52:03.39
There was something about
the way Doug preached and things
00:52:03.42\00:52:05.95
that I felt that touched
me because he's kind of like
00:52:05.99\00:52:10.83
myself, you know?
00:52:10.86\00:52:13.19
He's--he didn't
grow up like that.
00:52:13.23\00:52:15.36
You know, he'd
done drugs and things.
00:52:15.40\00:52:18.73
So, I kind of found these common
grounds that I had him, and
00:52:18.77\00:52:22.37
I liked how he just kind of like
kept it real with his preaching.
00:52:22.40\00:52:25.24
And then Pastor
Rodney came to the church,
00:52:25.27\00:52:29.18
and I got to know him very well.
00:52:29.21\00:52:31.81
We started doing
some finishing studies.
00:52:31.85\00:52:35.25
He wanted to
make sure I understand
00:52:35.28\00:52:36.92
what I was doing and things.
00:52:36.95\00:52:39.22
He baptized me,
my wife, my brother.
00:52:39.25\00:52:43.22
No matter what you've
done, where you come from, where
00:52:43.26\00:52:48.36
you've been, no matter how bad
of a sinner you think you are,
00:52:48.40\00:52:53.07
the Lord Jesus loves you
no matter what you've done.
00:52:53.10\00:52:57.61
Doug Batchelor: Friends,
it's because of God's blessing
00:52:57.64\00:52:59.84
and your support, thousands
of others, just like Rubin,
00:52:59.87\00:53:03.04
have found Jesus
and eternal life.
00:53:03.08\00:53:06.18
male: When I was 15, I
bought my first bag of marijuana
00:53:17.39\00:53:20.30
out of curiosity.
00:53:20.33\00:53:22.00
And from the age of 15 on to 23
was a constant experimentation
00:53:22.03\00:53:27.74
with different substances.
00:53:27.77\00:53:30.74
By the time I was 23, there
was not a drug I had not tried.
00:53:30.77\00:53:34.81
I had worn myself out
searching for happiness.
00:53:34.84\00:53:38.28
And one day I came
home, tired as usual,
00:53:38.31\00:53:41.68
and I started drinking.
00:53:41.72\00:53:44.12
And as usual, after I started
drinking, I started looking
00:53:44.15\00:53:47.89
for a higher buzz.
00:53:47.92\00:53:51.09
Someone came by with some Xanax.
00:53:51.13\00:53:55.06
Someone also came by with
something else that I liked,
00:53:55.10\00:53:58.40
and that was cocaine.
00:53:58.43\00:54:00.57
This time, not thinking,
I took the whole thing.
00:54:00.60\00:54:03.91
So, I went to bed
about 5 in the afternoon.
00:54:03.94\00:54:07.21
My roommate went
off to work that night.
00:54:07.24\00:54:09.88
When he came back from
work the next day, though,
00:54:09.91\00:54:12.81
he noticed something was
wrong because I was still in bed
00:54:12.85\00:54:15.28
in the same position.
00:54:15.32\00:54:17.32
He tried to wake me up,
and he couldn't wake me up.
00:54:17.35\00:54:21.96
And when my parents found
me, they found me curled up
00:54:21.99\00:54:25.76
in the fetal position in my
hospital room unconscious still.
00:54:25.79\00:54:31.87
And I stayed unconscious
and in this coma-like state
00:54:31.90\00:54:35.27
for the next week.
00:54:35.30\00:54:37.07
I stayed the next month in the
hospital, slowly getting better
00:54:37.11\00:54:42.64
to where I could sit up
in bed, and I had to learn
00:54:42.68\00:54:45.45
to walk again.
00:54:45.48\00:54:46.82
But my parents found this
one facility out in the hills
00:54:46.85\00:54:50.05
of Tennessee.
00:54:50.09\00:54:51.79
I had to admit that I liked the
place, but they were Christian.
00:54:51.82\00:54:56.86
And even worse than that, I
said yes when they ask asked me
00:54:56.89\00:55:00.60
if I wanted to go
to church that week.
00:55:00.63\00:55:02.90
Before the pastor said the
benediction, I was so excited
00:55:02.93\00:55:05.37
because I was
planning my escape.
00:55:05.40\00:55:07.90
And so, after everybody was all
in bed that night, I made sure
00:55:07.94\00:55:11.54
that they were snoring
and that they were asleep.
00:55:11.57\00:55:15.18
I went into the kitchen
and stole a few bananas,
00:55:15.21\00:55:17.98
got my backpack ready.
00:55:18.01\00:55:19.91
I figured I can
get sober on my own.
00:55:19.95\00:55:23.59
My favorite song
was, "I Did It My Way."
00:55:23.62\00:55:26.55
Of course, my definition
of sober was a nice supply
00:55:26.59\00:55:32.36
of marijuana each day
and alcohol on the weekends.
00:55:32.39\00:55:36.26
And, of course, if I had a
bad hangover, I might need some
00:55:36.30\00:55:38.83
of those relaxing pills to take.
00:55:38.87\00:55:41.50
But other than
that, that would be it.
00:55:41.54\00:55:45.04
So, here I am
stranded on the street
00:55:45.07\00:55:47.31
in the big city of Houston.
00:55:47.34\00:55:49.28
My bag of clothes is gone.
00:55:49.31\00:55:51.55
My cell phone's gone, my
wallet, my bus ticket's gone.
00:55:51.58\00:55:54.48
I don't have anything
but the shirt on my back.
00:55:54.52\00:55:57.25
It's at that point that
this man comes up to me,
00:55:57.29\00:56:00.32
this mysterious man.
00:56:00.36\00:56:01.92
He's actually very short and
appears to be homeless, and he
00:56:01.96\00:56:05.39
led me to some food and
even a place to stay that night.
00:56:05.43\00:56:09.70
Looking back, it
is my firm conclusion
00:56:09.73\00:56:13.30
that that was an angel.
00:56:13.34\00:56:15.04
So, my dad was able to come
down to Houston and pick me up
00:56:15.07\00:56:18.64
and take me back up to
the health retreat at Wildwood
00:56:18.67\00:56:21.68
in Tennessee.
00:56:21.71\00:56:23.68
They had a satellite.
00:56:23.71\00:56:26.31
On this channel, there was
a man named Doug Batchelor.
00:56:26.35\00:56:29.42
I liked what I heard.
00:56:29.45\00:56:31.42
I liked the way he
explained the Bible.
00:56:31.45\00:56:33.39
It was so simple, and
he also had an experience
00:56:33.42\00:56:35.69
similar to mine.
00:56:35.72\00:56:38.03
And I talked to Lou about
him, and they happened to have
00:56:38.06\00:56:40.70
a whole set of cassette tapes.
00:56:40.73\00:56:43.13
I would wake up at 4 in the
morning sometimes, and I would
00:56:43.16\00:56:46.94
get up, and I would watch two of
those videos before breakfast.
00:56:46.97\00:56:50.67
I would sit this close to the
TV watching what Doug Batchelor
00:56:50.71\00:56:54.21
was saying, just
eating up every word of it.
00:56:54.24\00:56:56.78
I was so tired of hearing lies
and even believing my own lies
00:56:56.81\00:57:00.15
that I--it was so wonderful
to find something that was solid
00:57:00.18\00:57:04.65
and that I could rely on.
00:57:04.69\00:57:07.16
And so, when I got home
from rehab in my local church,
00:57:07.19\00:57:12.13
Eric Flickinger from
Amazing Facts was holding
00:57:12.16\00:57:15.10
an evangelistic series.
00:57:15.13\00:57:16.43
They solidified my conviction,
and it was then I made
00:57:16.46\00:57:20.27
the absolute
decision to follow Jesus.
00:57:20.30\00:57:24.54
I praise the Lord Jesus
Christ for Amazing Facts.
00:57:24.57\00:57:28.78
I praise God for Amazing Facts
because they're so Bible based.
00:57:28.81\00:57:33.62
They send out evangelists
who are willing to teach
00:57:33.65\00:57:36.22
the truth to people.
00:57:36.25\00:57:38.29
I'm thankful that
they're preaching right now
00:57:38.32\00:57:41.19
all over the world, changing
lives just as they changed mine.
00:57:41.22\00:57:45.73
announcer: Together,
we have spread the gospel
00:57:48.50\00:57:50.60
much farther than ever before.
00:57:50.63\00:57:53.44
Thank you for your support.
00:57:53.47\00:57:55.47