Hello, I'm Jill Morikone,
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and we just want to welcome you
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to another edition of
3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
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We're on lesson
number three of our journey
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through the Book of Deuteronomy.
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This lesson is called
God's Everlasting Covenant.
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I want to remind you
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if you don't have
your own quarterly,
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you can get it one of two ways,
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you can go to the
following website,
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absg.adventist.org.
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That stands for AdultBibleStudy
Guide.adventist.org
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or we always encourage you
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to visit your local
Seventh-day Adventist Church
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and they'd be happy to give
you a copy of the quarterly.
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I want to
encourage you right now
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to grab your Bible and
your pens and your papers,
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and get ready for this edition
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of 3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
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I'm so excited about this study
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as we open up the Word of God
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especially talking about
the everlasting covenant.
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Just a couple quarters ago,
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we had the entire
quarter on the covenant.
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And now we have
another day on that.
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So we're excited about that.
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We're glad that you've joined us
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that you're a
part of our 3ABN family
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and we have our
family here on the set.
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Let me introduce
them to you at this time.
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They need no introduction.
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My pastor, Pastor John Lomacang,
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always love to hear
what God gives you to share.
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You know, Praise the Lord,
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we did cover the
covenants for a whole quarter.
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So we might go over
some of the similar ground
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but we'll let you
know what that is.
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But this is going to
be an exciting study.
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Amen.
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To your left my
sister Shelley Quinn,
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student of the
word, word warrior.
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Glad you're here.
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Well, even if we do repeat
we learned through repetition.
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So this is a
beautiful study. It is.
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And Shelley is the
queen of the covenant,
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we say around here.
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To her left is
Pastor James Rafferty,
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and we're
delighted to have you here
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on the Sabbath School Panel.
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It is a blessing to be here.
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And I am also
blessed by the learning that
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we get right here on the set
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and thankful that our
viewers are joining us.
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Amen.
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Last but not least,
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singer in
Israel, Pastor Ryan Day,
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just so glad to have you here.
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You're not just
a singer in Israel,
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but you're a
student of the word.
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So thank you. Amen.
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I love to learn,
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I love to expand my
knowledge of God's Word.
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And that's what we're
going to be doing today.
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Amen.
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Before we go any further,
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we want to go to
the Lord in prayer.
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And, Pastor John,
would you pray for us?
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Sure.
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Loving Father, gracious Lord,
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we thank You so
much for the privilege,
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yet deep responsibility
of opening Your word.
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And we ask for Your
Holy Spirit to come now,
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to be the power
that's active in our minds,
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in our hearts, and in our lives,
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bridge the connection
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between what is
said and what is done.
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And we pray that all the glory
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will go only to
You in Jesus name.
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Amen. Amen.
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As we look at the
everlasting covenant,
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this lesson specifically looks
at the covenant in the light
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of the Book of Deuteronomy.
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Although the Bible speaks
of covenants in the plural,
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there is really
only one covenant,
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one basic covenant of salvation
all throughout Scripture.
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The blessings and salvation
of God are given by God,
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not earned by human beings.
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Humanity, we respond
in faith and obedience.
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The heart of this covenant
is God's, steadfast love.
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The plural covenants,
just simply means that
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God advances His saving purpose
by restating His covenant
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in various ways to
meet the needs of the people
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at different times
and in different settings.
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You know, if you look
through the Word of God,
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we have the Adamic Covenant
established with Adam in Eden.
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And we have Christ the Seed,
who would conquer the evil one.
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We have the Noahic Covenant
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established with
Noah after the flood.
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And we have the
promise of grace and life
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and the rainbow as the sign.
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We have the
Abrahamic Covenant established
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with Abraham through his seed,
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particularly one
seed that's Jesus Christ.
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The entire world
would be blessed.
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Of course, the sign of
that covenant is circumcision,
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the sign of the fact that
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God had already
brought His people
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into right relationship
with Him through faith,
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and we'll study that more today.
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We have the Sinaitic
Covenant, which is established
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with the children
of Israel at Sinai.
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And we see the law
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is the central
focus of that covenant,
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but yet it's still
a covenant of grace.
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We have other covenants,
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but we have of
course, the final one,
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the New Covenant,
first appears in Jeremiah 31.
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And it's really a renewal
of the same covenant that
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God established
from the beginning.
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As the children of Israel
broke the Sinaitic covenant,
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and that
brought them into exile,
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so the remaking of
that covenant preserves them
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and their hope for the future.
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So let's read our memory
text, we are in Genesis 17:7.
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"And I will establish my
covenant between me and you
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and your descendants after you
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in this generation
in their generations,
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for an everlasting
covenant, to be God to you
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and your descendants after you."
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On Sunday, we
look at the covenant
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and the gospel,
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the essence of the
gospel is covenant.
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And the essence of the
covenant is the gospel.
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You know, so many
people get confused
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between the Old Testament
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and the New
Testament, do they not?
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They think the
Old Testament is law,
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but the New
Testament is a grace.
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The Old Testament is legalism
and the New Testaments love.
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The Old Testament is a God
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who's harsh and
vengeful and vindictive.
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But the New
Testament features Jesus
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who's loving, but yet
the God of the Old Testament
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is the God of the New Testament.
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We see salvation by
faith in the blood of Jesus
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in the Old
Testament and we see that
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in the New Testament.
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We see justification by
faith in the Old Testament
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and we see it in
the New Testament.
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We see righteousness by
faith in the Old Testament
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and we see it in
the New Testament.
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And we see grace
in the Old Testament
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and we see it in
the New Testament.
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You know, if you look
at works versus grace,
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work say what I do
has bearing on who I am.
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Grace says who I am
has bearing on what I do.
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Work say actions are
more important than motive.
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Grace says motive
informs my actions.
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Work say I am what other people
around me perceive me to be.
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Grace says I am
who God says I am.
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So let's look at
the Abrahamic Covenant.
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We're going to go to Genesis 12.
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The first giving of the covenant
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is in here in Genesis 12.
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And we're going to pick it up.
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I think, Pastor John had
this on a previous lesson.
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Verse 1, we see Abraham's
call, "Get out of your country."
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In Hebrew, instead of
get out it just says, Go, go.
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"Get out of your
country, from your family,
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and from your
father's house to a land that
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I will show you."
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And then we see
these covenantal promises
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given in Verses 2 and 3.
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What are those promises?
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"I will make of
you a great nation.
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I will bless you.
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I will make your name
great. You will be a blessing.
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I will bless
those who bless you.
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I will curse
those who curse you.
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And in you all the
families of the earth
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they will be blessed."
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We look at Genesis
15, the covenant comes up
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again with
Abraham in Genesis 15:1-6.
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And Abraham's
descendants were promised to be,
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what, as the
stars of the heavens
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for number, for multitude.
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And then Verse 6 is the
crux of our passage here,
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which is where we
find justification by faith
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in the Old Testament right here.
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Genesis 15:6, "And he
believed in the Lord," who's he?
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That's Abraham.
Abraham believed in the Lord.
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And He, who's he?
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That's the Lord, accounted
it to him for righteousness.
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So Abraham
believed at the promise,
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Abraham believed God,
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Abraham accepted it by
faith, and what happened?
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God, I counted it to
him for righteousness,
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that weren't accounted
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because Chashav means
to impute or to reckon.
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This is where we
see justification
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by faith taking place.
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Now a couple chapters
over, we come to Genesis 17
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and what happens there,
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circumcision is introduced
as the sign of a covenant.
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Remember, when we
get down to the Jews.
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This is the time of
Jesus and after Jesus,
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there's this whole controversy,
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and the New Testament Church,
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about whether
you're saved by grace,
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and that's it,
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or whether you're
saved by grace plus works.
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And the works that
they were seeking to add
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was circumcision for
the Gentile believers.
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Remember, there was
this whole criticism,
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can they be saved by
faith in the Messiah, in Jesus?
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Or do they have
to be circumcised
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in order to be saved?
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Now we say, what does
that have to do with anything?
00:09:13.72\00:09:15.82
But it's a critical
point because what it says is,
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are we saved by grace
in the blood of Jesus?
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Or do we have to add
somehow works to that grace
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in order to be saved?
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That was the controversy
that was taking place.
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If you'd studied
the Book of Galatians,
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you see this, the
Judaizers coming in.
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And you see what
happens in the Book of Galatians
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and Paul seeking to
combat that false teaching.
00:09:36.17\00:09:40.38
In fact, in
Galatians 5:4, to me,
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this is one of
the saddest verses
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in the Book of Galatians.
00:09:45.55\00:09:47.48
He says, "You have
become estranged from Christ."
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Separated.
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"You who attempt to
be justified by law,
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you have fallen from grace."
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If we think there's something
00:09:59.93\00:10:01.46
we can do to
earn favor with God,
00:10:01.50\00:10:03.30
if we think there's something
00:10:03.33\00:10:04.67
we can do to somehow have
Him look at us more kindly,
00:10:04.70\00:10:08.20
the Lord Jesus while we
were yet in trespasses and sins,
00:10:08.24\00:10:11.57
He died for us, He loved us,
00:10:11.61\00:10:13.64
He gave a way of salvation,
His blood covers your sins.
00:10:13.68\00:10:18.11
You don't need
circumcision to add to that,
00:10:18.15\00:10:20.82
in order to be safe.
00:10:20.85\00:10:22.18
Now today, we wouldn't say that,
00:10:22.22\00:10:23.55
but we would add all
number of regulations
00:10:23.59\00:10:26.96
and rules and things
that we think we have to keep
00:10:26.99\00:10:32.06
in order to earn salvation.
00:10:32.09\00:10:35.20
I was 19 years old,
before I ever understood
00:10:35.23\00:10:40.44
and discovered
that it was Jesus,
00:10:40.47\00:10:42.84
who could cover me.
00:10:42.87\00:10:44.24
I remember, I was raised
00:10:44.27\00:10:45.61
in a Seventh-day Adventist home,
00:10:45.64\00:10:46.98
I was raised knowing you
would think believing this.
00:10:47.01\00:10:50.15
We were standing,
00:10:50.18\00:10:51.51
it was the
closing hymn in church,
00:10:51.55\00:10:54.05
the organ is
playing Cover With His Life,
00:10:54.08\00:10:56.89
"My life of scarlet,
00:10:56.92\00:10:58.25
my sin and woe
cover with His life,
00:10:58.29\00:10:59.62
whiter than snow."
00:10:59.65\00:11:00.99
And I remember I was 19.
00:11:01.02\00:11:02.36
And I thought, "God,
You mean You can cover me?
00:11:02.39\00:11:05.23
You mean I don't have
to try to be good enough
00:11:05.26\00:11:07.50
to somehow earn Your favor?
00:11:07.53\00:11:09.76
God, You can cover me?"
00:11:09.80\00:11:11.43
That is justification by faith.
00:11:11.47\00:11:13.84
It's 2 Corinthians
5:21, I love that Verse.
00:11:13.87\00:11:18.81
Let's look at that real
quick, 2 Corinthians 5:21
00:11:18.84\00:11:21.74
because what it says,
00:11:21.78\00:11:23.11
I call it the double imputation.
00:11:23.14\00:11:25.35
God made Jesus who knew no sin,
00:11:25.38\00:11:27.75
to be sin for us,
that you and I might be
00:11:27.78\00:11:30.49
the righteousness of God in Him.
00:11:30.52\00:11:32.45
So what does that mean?
00:11:32.49\00:11:33.82
My sin is
credited to Jesus account,
00:11:33.86\00:11:36.46
and He gives me His
righteousness in its place,
00:11:36.49\00:11:40.80
and it's credited to my account.
00:11:40.83\00:11:44.00
So the New Testament
Church argued over this.
00:11:44.03\00:11:46.40
Do we need the
Gentile Christians
00:11:46.43\00:11:48.10
do they have to be circumcised
in order to be saved?
00:11:48.14\00:11:51.24
In fact, the
Jerusalem Council, Acts 15,
00:11:51.27\00:11:54.61
discussed this
whole passage again,
00:11:54.64\00:11:57.15
and they came to the
conclusion that you did not need
00:11:57.18\00:12:00.38
circumcision in
order to be saved.
00:12:00.42\00:12:02.15
In other words, we're
saved by grace through faith.
00:12:02.18\00:12:04.35
We don't need to add works.
00:12:04.39\00:12:06.42
Paul tackles this
as well, in Romans 4.
00:12:06.45\00:12:08.96
We see this
discussion of Abraham,
00:12:08.99\00:12:12.49
in Romans 4, we
see was he justified,
00:12:12.53\00:12:14.86
and he brings it
up in verses 9 and 10,
00:12:14.90\00:12:16.83
Romans 4:9-10.
00:12:16.87\00:12:18.53
"Does this blessedness,"
that's justification,
00:12:18.57\00:12:21.70
"come upon the
circumcised or," the Jew only,
00:12:21.74\00:12:24.74
"or upon the uncircumcised?"
00:12:24.77\00:12:26.34
Also, that's
referring to the Gentile.
00:12:26.37\00:12:28.68
"For we say that faith
00:12:28.71\00:12:30.21
was accounted to
Abraham for righteousness,"
00:12:30.25\00:12:32.71
or credited to his account.
00:12:32.75\00:12:35.48
"How then was it accounted?
00:12:35.52\00:12:36.85
While he was
circumcised or uncircumcised?
00:12:36.89\00:12:39.12
Not while circumcised,
but while uncircumcised."
00:12:39.15\00:12:43.93
So justification by faith,
00:12:43.96\00:12:45.56
it does not
require works on our part,
00:12:45.59\00:12:47.93
the blood of Jesus is imputed
00:12:47.96\00:12:49.73
or credited or
reckoned to my account.
00:12:49.76\00:12:54.20
It just requires faith on
00:12:54.24\00:12:55.57
our part to
reach out and accept,
00:12:55.60\00:12:57.64
faith on our part to say,
"God, would You forgive me?"
00:12:57.67\00:13:00.71
And we know 1 John1:9,
"If we confess our sins,
00:13:00.74\00:13:03.41
He's faithful and
just to forgive us,
00:13:03.45\00:13:04.95
and cleanse us from
all unrighteousness."
00:13:04.98\00:13:07.75
There's one more
verse in the Old Testament
00:13:07.78\00:13:09.18
I want to look at in my time,
00:13:09.22\00:13:10.72
this is Psalm 32:1-2, again,
00:13:10.75\00:13:13.66
we see this
justification by faith
00:13:13.69\00:13:16.19
or this crediting to our account
00:13:16.22\00:13:18.96
in the Old Testament.
00:13:18.99\00:13:21.06
This is Psalm 32:1-2,
00:13:21.10\00:13:23.60
"Blessed is he whose
transgression is forgiven,
00:13:23.63\00:13:26.80
whose sin is covered.
00:13:26.84\00:13:28.24
Blessed is the man to
whom the Lord does not impute,"
00:13:28.27\00:13:31.11
there's our word to stop,
"does not impute iniquity,
00:13:31.14\00:13:34.58
and in whose spirit
there is no deceit."
00:13:34.61\00:13:37.58
So the beautiful thing
about the gospel is that
00:13:37.61\00:13:39.88
when we come to Jesus,
when you come to Jesus,
00:13:39.91\00:13:42.75
and you say,
"Would You forgive me?
00:13:42.78\00:13:44.59
Would You cleanse
me?" He does instantly.
00:13:44.62\00:13:47.49
And the blood of
Jesus covers you,
00:13:47.52\00:13:49.22
He covers you with
His righteous white robe.
00:13:49.26\00:13:52.43
And the Father looks at you
as if you have never sinned.
00:13:52.46\00:13:56.16
And then
there's another garment,
00:13:56.20\00:13:57.53
we don't have
time to get into it
00:13:57.57\00:13:58.90
but that is the imparted
righteousness of Christ that
00:13:58.93\00:14:01.40
He gives and close you
00:14:01.44\00:14:03.37
with this as the
sanctification process,
00:14:03.41\00:14:06.14
as we walk with Jesus
hand in hand abiding with Him.
00:14:06.17\00:14:10.55
Pastor John. Wow!
Jill, I tell you...
00:14:10.58\00:14:13.52
Praise the Lord.
00:14:13.55\00:14:14.98
Thank you for the
wonderful beginning.
00:14:15.02\00:14:16.89
And now I have Monday
The Covenant and Israel.
00:14:16.92\00:14:21.52
As you pointed out, and
I think I alluded to that
00:14:21.56\00:14:24.16
to that we have done
00:14:24.19\00:14:25.93
an entire
quarter on the covenant.
00:14:25.96\00:14:27.73
So when I saw that
word Covenant and Israel,
00:14:27.76\00:14:30.53
I thought, "Wow,
didn't we do that before?"
00:14:30.57\00:14:32.67
But you know,
as we said earlier,
00:14:32.70\00:14:34.07
there's always
something more to learn.
00:14:34.10\00:14:36.34
I want to begin
with Deuteronomy 9:5,
00:14:36.37\00:14:39.01
and I have it
here in front of me,
00:14:39.04\00:14:40.88
the Covenant and Israel.
00:14:40.91\00:14:42.58
Couple of things
I want to point out
00:14:42.61\00:14:43.95
as you're
turning to the passages,
00:14:43.98\00:14:45.45
the covenant has
never been withdrawn
00:14:45.48\00:14:49.35
but some things have changed.
00:14:49.38\00:14:51.29
The Covenant has
never been withdrawn
00:14:51.32\00:14:54.16
but some things have changed.
00:14:54.19\00:14:55.82
And I want to make
the point very clear,
00:14:55.86\00:14:57.83
the things that have
changed is not on God's part.
00:14:57.86\00:15:01.40
God is the same
yesterday, today, and forever.
00:15:01.43\00:15:03.80
He hasn't
changed. He doesn't change.
00:15:03.83\00:15:06.17
But we're going to
find out what changed.
00:15:06.20\00:15:08.10
But let's start
with Deuteronomy 9:5.
00:15:08.14\00:15:12.34
"It is not because
of your righteousness
00:15:12.37\00:15:15.28
or the
uprightness of your heart,
00:15:15.31\00:15:17.75
that you go into
possess the land,
00:15:17.78\00:15:20.98
but because of the
wickedness of these nations that
00:15:21.02\00:15:24.29
the Lord your
God drives them out
00:15:24.32\00:15:27.02
from before you, and
that He may fulfil the word
00:15:27.06\00:15:31.46
which the Lord
swore to your fathers
00:15:31.49\00:15:33.86
to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."
00:15:33.90\00:15:35.23
The word there is covenant.
00:15:35.26\00:15:38.00
He swore that
covenant was not based on...
00:15:38.03\00:15:41.00
And I want to
make it very clear,
00:15:41.04\00:15:42.37
it was not based on Abraham,
Isaac, or Jacob's goodness.
00:15:42.40\00:15:46.47
It was based on the
goodness of the Lord.
00:15:46.51\00:15:48.68
That's why the
Apostle Paul says,
00:15:48.71\00:15:50.35
"It is the goodness of God
that leads us to repentance."
00:15:50.38\00:15:54.25
So when you look at
the covenant promises
00:15:54.28\00:15:56.05
that are made to Israel.
00:15:56.08\00:15:58.05
Israel, first of
all, is a spiritual term.
00:15:58.09\00:16:00.62
As you know, Jacob,
when he wrestled with Christ,
00:16:00.66\00:16:02.72
when he wrestled
with God during the night,
00:16:02.76\00:16:05.53
and he refused to let Him go.
00:16:05.56\00:16:07.73
He knew that this
was an opportunity
00:16:07.76\00:16:10.83
that I couldn't let pass me.
00:16:10.87\00:16:12.63
And he held on
until the Lord blessed him
00:16:12.67\00:16:14.77
and because he
prevailed with God and man,
00:16:14.80\00:16:18.21
the Lord changed his
name from Jacob to Israel.
00:16:18.24\00:16:20.81
So the term Israel is
more of a spiritual term
00:16:20.84\00:16:24.05
than a literal term of a people
00:16:24.08\00:16:26.88
that is born in
any specific place.
00:16:26.92\00:16:29.75
Now I give you
an example of that.
00:16:29.78\00:16:31.12
Let's go to the
Romans 9. Look at Romans 9:6.
00:16:31.15\00:16:35.09
All right?
00:16:35.12\00:16:36.46
Romans 9:6,
about the word Israel.
00:16:36.49\00:16:40.93
And it says, Romans 9:6-7,
00:16:40.96\00:16:44.03
"But it is not
that the word of God
00:16:44.07\00:16:45.93
has taken no effect
for they are not all Israel
00:16:45.97\00:16:49.94
who are of Israel,
nor are they all children
00:16:49.97\00:16:53.27
because they are
the seed of Abraham,
00:16:53.31\00:16:56.64
but, 'In Isaac your
seed shall be called.'"
00:16:56.68\00:17:00.15
And so when we talk
about that, verse 8,
00:17:00.18\00:17:02.42
"That is, those who
are born of the flesh,
00:17:02.45\00:17:06.55
these are not
the children of God,
00:17:06.59\00:17:08.89
but the children of the promise
are counted as the seed."
00:17:08.92\00:17:14.96
And the word they're
counted, by the way, is imputed.
00:17:15.00\00:17:17.40
They get the credit
00:17:17.43\00:17:18.77
for something they
had nothing to do it.
00:17:18.80\00:17:20.84
It's amazing how
some people's generations
00:17:20.87\00:17:23.00
later become benefactors
00:17:23.04\00:17:25.51
of something
they had no idea of...
00:17:25.54\00:17:27.54
I've been
officiating a lot of funerals
00:17:27.58\00:17:30.58
and sometimes I hear people say,
00:17:30.61\00:17:32.61
"You know, I'm going to
buy a house next month."
00:17:32.65\00:17:34.58
And I said,
"You're only 27 years old."
00:17:34.62\00:17:36.92
They said, "You know,
00:17:36.95\00:17:38.29
my relatives left
me a bit of change."
00:17:38.32\00:17:42.32
They were in the
will of a family member.
00:17:42.36\00:17:45.86
They were in the will.
00:17:45.89\00:17:47.36
And so as we are in
the will of the Father,
00:17:47.40\00:17:49.56
we are benefactors of something
we have nothing to do with.
00:17:49.60\00:17:52.77
But the one that I
smiled mostly about
00:17:52.80\00:17:54.90
and this is about inheritance.
00:17:54.94\00:17:56.60
I saw a long
motorhome driving down 57
00:17:56.64\00:18:02.58
and on the back of it, it says,
00:18:02.61\00:18:03.95
"I'm spending my
children inheritance."
00:18:03.98\00:18:06.65
It says I am not
living anything to anybody.
00:18:06.68\00:18:09.25
You know, the beautiful
thing about that the Lord
00:18:09.28\00:18:10.79
doesn't spend His
children's inheritance.
00:18:10.82\00:18:13.92
He says, "Come
here, blessed my Father,
00:18:13.96\00:18:15.72
inherit the
kingdom prepared for you
00:18:15.76\00:18:18.29
from the
foundation of the world."
00:18:18.33\00:18:19.83
And, Jill, when
you were going through
00:18:19.86\00:18:21.20
all the different
covenants, the Adamic Covenant,
00:18:21.23\00:18:22.60
the Noahic
Covenant, Abrahamic Covenant,
00:18:22.63\00:18:24.00
Mosaic Covenant,
then I was thinking,
00:18:24.03\00:18:26.03
"Okay, now I don't
think I mentioned that one."
00:18:26.07\00:18:28.87
But there are
many, many covenants that
00:18:28.90\00:18:30.24
I don't know if you meant that.
00:18:30.27\00:18:31.61
Did you say the
Davidic Covenant?
00:18:31.64\00:18:32.97
I did not.
00:18:33.01\00:18:34.34
Well, the Lord made a covenant
00:18:34.38\00:18:35.71
and then you talked about
the New Testament Covenant.
00:18:35.74\00:18:37.08
But what I want to point out is,
00:18:37.11\00:18:38.45
these covenants were
00:18:38.48\00:18:39.81
from the same
covenant giver, God.
00:18:39.85\00:18:42.35
The covenant didn't change it
00:18:42.38\00:18:43.72
just from
generation to generation,
00:18:43.75\00:18:45.82
it became a
generational application.
00:18:45.85\00:18:49.99
It was imputed from
generation to generation.
00:18:50.03\00:18:52.26
So if the great
grandfather left money
00:18:52.29\00:18:56.33
for his great-grandson,
00:18:56.36\00:18:58.03
and the father of
the grandson died,
00:18:58.07\00:19:00.07
it still applies.
00:19:00.10\00:19:01.77
That's the key. God never dies.
00:19:01.80\00:19:04.21
You see, the one who
created the covenant,
00:19:04.24\00:19:06.61
the covenant is
good, as long as he lives,
00:19:06.64\00:19:10.48
but in this case,
the covenant was good,
00:19:10.51\00:19:12.65
even when Jesus died
because His death ratified,
00:19:12.68\00:19:17.42
signed, and made
the covenant of effect.
00:19:17.45\00:19:21.92
Now we know about
that the Bible talks about
00:19:21.96\00:19:23.73
as long as they
live when they die.
00:19:23.76\00:19:25.56
And the writer of Hebrews
does a very wonderful job
00:19:25.59\00:19:29.46
in dealing with
that particular picture.
00:19:29.50\00:19:32.03
But I want to point out
a couple of other things
00:19:32.07\00:19:33.40
about the covenant.
00:19:33.44\00:19:34.77
Let's go to Genesis
9:12 because you find...
00:19:34.80\00:19:38.27
This is one of
the first covenants,
00:19:38.31\00:19:40.71
the post-Antediluvian
world covenant,
00:19:40.74\00:19:44.35
going all the way back.
00:19:44.38\00:19:45.71
This is part of
the Noahic Covenant.
00:19:45.75\00:19:48.28
But notice what
Genesis 9:12 points out,
00:19:48.32\00:19:51.65
and that's why when I see...
00:19:51.69\00:19:53.32
And I'm just
going to be very candid.
00:19:53.36\00:19:54.69
When I see the rainbow today,
00:19:54.72\00:19:56.06
use in a derogatory
terminology in a derogatory way,
00:19:56.09\00:19:59.69
I say, "That's not what God
00:19:59.73\00:20:01.10
ever intended it to be use for."
00:20:01.13\00:20:03.50
But the Bible puts
it in the proper light.
00:20:03.53\00:20:06.23
Genesis 9:12.
00:20:06.27\00:20:07.80
"And God said,
00:20:07.84\00:20:09.17
'This is the
sign of the covenant,
00:20:09.20\00:20:11.64
which I make between Me and you,
00:20:11.67\00:20:13.81
and every living
creature that is with you,
00:20:13.84\00:20:16.91
for perpetual generations.'"
00:20:16.95\00:20:18.61
And what did He do?
00:20:18.65\00:20:19.98
He put a rainbow on the sky.
00:20:20.02\00:20:21.98
So every time you see a rainbow,
00:20:22.02\00:20:23.79
it's an assurance that
the world will never be
00:20:23.82\00:20:26.76
destroyed by a flood.
00:20:26.79\00:20:28.62
Even though we had a
lot of close calls recently,
00:20:28.66\00:20:30.53
with all this rain,
the world will never be
00:20:30.56\00:20:33.26
destroyed again by a flood.
00:20:33.29\00:20:34.90
But you have to ask
yourself the question
00:20:34.93\00:20:37.83
because I talked
about the covenant
00:20:37.87\00:20:39.20
and His
blessings are conditional
00:20:39.23\00:20:41.17
but look at one of the reasons
00:20:41.20\00:20:42.54
why many of the inhabitants
of Earth cannot receive
00:20:42.57\00:20:45.81
the blessing that God
intends for them to receive.
00:20:45.84\00:20:49.98
Isaiah 24:5.
00:20:50.01\00:20:52.18
Isaiah 24:5.
00:20:52.21\00:20:54.15
Matter of fact, I want to
read a little bit more of it.
00:20:54.18\00:20:56.99
So I'm going to go
there and turn very quickly.
00:20:57.02\00:20:59.29
Isaiah 24:5.
00:20:59.32\00:21:03.39
Okay, I'll start with verse 4.
00:21:03.43\00:21:06.06
"The earth
mourns and fades away,
00:21:06.09\00:21:08.23
the world
languishes and fades away,
00:21:08.26\00:21:11.07
the haughty people
of the earth languish,"
00:21:11.10\00:21:13.50
who it is?
00:21:13.54\00:21:14.87
"The earth is also
defiled under its inhabitants,
00:21:14.90\00:21:18.84
because they have
transgressed the laws,
00:21:18.87\00:21:21.71
changed the ordinance,
00:21:21.74\00:21:23.75
broken the
everlasting covenant."
00:21:23.78\00:21:26.41
And look at the result.
00:21:26.45\00:21:27.95
"Therefore," in verse 6,
00:21:27.98\00:21:29.42
"the curse has
devoured the earth,
00:21:29.45\00:21:31.75
and those who
dwell in it are desolate.
00:21:31.79\00:21:35.09
Therefore, the inhabitants
of the earth are burned,
00:21:35.12\00:21:37.39
and few men are left."
00:21:37.43\00:21:39.69
So the Lord is talking
about the negative impact.
00:21:39.73\00:21:41.30
Notice it says,
they change the covenant.
00:21:41.33\00:21:43.37
Now I just said a moment ago,
the covenant can't be changed.
00:21:43.40\00:21:46.17
Well, what actually changed?
00:21:46.20\00:21:49.10
Because they could not live up
00:21:49.14\00:21:51.51
to the
conditions of the covenant,
00:21:51.54\00:21:54.34
so the blessing changed.
00:21:54.38\00:21:56.51
Because the covenant, I think,
00:21:56.54\00:21:57.88
in one of our
lessons, we talked about this,
00:21:57.91\00:21:59.55
the covenant is
also based on obedience.
00:21:59.58\00:22:02.42
Now a child does not receive
the blessings of a parent.
00:22:02.45\00:22:05.65
If the parent says,
00:22:05.69\00:22:07.02
"Don't do this,"
and they do that.
00:22:07.06\00:22:08.66
The parents not going
to say, "Well, you know,
00:22:08.69\00:22:10.39
since you're my children,
I'll give you the card anyway."
00:22:10.43\00:22:12.93
No, it's based on
an obedience factor.
00:22:12.96\00:22:15.73
So they did not fulfill
the promise of the covenant
00:22:15.76\00:22:20.00
to be obedient with what
God had required of them.
00:22:20.04\00:22:23.07
Therefore, the covenant
was broken on their side,
00:22:23.10\00:22:25.84
but never on God's side.
00:22:25.87\00:22:27.94
God never breaks His covenant.
00:22:27.98\00:22:30.18
And then you find also
in 1 Chronicles 16:15-17...
00:22:30.21\00:22:34.32
Look what the Bible
says about the covenant.
00:22:34.35\00:22:36.05
Once again, looking at
00:22:36.08\00:22:37.42
the broad scope of
the covenant, all right?
00:22:37.45\00:22:40.02
1 Chronicles 16:15-17.
00:22:40.06\00:22:43.43
He says, "Remember
His covenant forever,
00:22:43.46\00:22:47.60
the word which He commanded,
00:22:47.63\00:22:50.30
for a thousand generations,"
00:22:50.33\00:22:53.10
that shows the perpetuity,
00:22:53.13\00:22:55.20
the everlasting nature of
the covenant that God makes.
00:22:55.24\00:22:59.27
"The covenant," Verse 16,
"which He made with Abraham,
00:22:59.31\00:23:03.11
and His oath to Isaac,
00:23:03.14\00:23:05.28
and confirmed it to
Jacob for a statute,
00:23:05.31\00:23:08.85
to Israel for an
everlasting covenant."
00:23:08.88\00:23:12.75
So you have to ask
yourself the question,
00:23:12.79\00:23:14.56
what happened when Jesus says,
00:23:14.59\00:23:16.49
when He said to Israel,
00:23:16.52\00:23:17.86
"Your house has
left unto you desolate?"
00:23:17.89\00:23:19.83
Well, once
again, the term there,
00:23:19.86\00:23:21.76
they took it as it
was ours, solely ours
00:23:21.80\00:23:25.47
because we are the
children of promise.
00:23:25.50\00:23:29.20
But the Lord made it
very clear once again,
00:23:29.24\00:23:30.97
the condition of obedience.
00:23:31.01\00:23:32.61
If you don't respond to
the conditions of obedience,
00:23:32.64\00:23:36.48
you can't be a benefactor.
00:23:36.51\00:23:37.85
And then He said,
00:23:37.88\00:23:39.21
"Because you broke the covenant,
00:23:39.25\00:23:40.58
your house has
left to you desolate."
00:23:40.62\00:23:42.42
But I want to segue on
this point, two points.
00:23:42.45\00:23:45.49
What about the covenant?
00:23:45.52\00:23:46.86
What kind of
Covenant has God made?
00:23:46.89\00:23:48.66
Psalm 89:34, "My
covenant I will not break,
00:23:48.69\00:23:53.26
nor alter the things
that is gone out of My lips."
00:23:53.29\00:23:57.00
And finally, Leviticus 26:42,
00:23:57.03\00:24:01.17
"Then I will remember
My covenant with Jacob,
00:24:01.20\00:24:05.37
and My covenant with Isaac
and My covenant with Abraham.
00:24:05.41\00:24:08.78
I will remember, I
will remember the land."
00:24:08.81\00:24:12.18
When God makes a
covenant He never forgets.
00:24:12.21\00:24:15.08
Our benefit is to be obedient
to the covenant He has made.
00:24:15.12\00:24:19.15
Amen. Thank you
so much, Pastor John.
00:24:19.19\00:24:20.86
Aren't you grateful that
00:24:20.89\00:24:22.22
we have a covenant-making
and covenant-keeping God?
00:24:22.26\00:24:25.56
We're going to take a
break, we'll be right back.
00:24:25.59\00:24:27.40
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00:24:46.41\00:24:48.52
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00:24:58.43\00:25:02.83
Welcome back to lesson three,
00:25:02.86\00:25:04.33
as we continue our study
on God's Everlasting Covenant,
00:25:04.37\00:25:07.24
we're going to kick it over
to Shelley, and she has Tuesday.
00:25:07.27\00:25:09.80
Oh, I love that
everlasting covenant of God.
00:25:09.84\00:25:14.48
Hebrews 13:20 says that,
00:25:14.51\00:25:18.21
Jesus Christ's
blood is the blood
00:25:18.25\00:25:21.18
of the everlasting covenant.
00:25:21.22\00:25:22.88
What is the
everlasting covenant?
00:25:22.92\00:25:25.02
Revelation 13:8,
"The Lamb who was slain
00:25:25.05\00:25:28.86
from the
foundation of the earth."
00:25:28.89\00:25:30.56
God has had this
covenant in place,
00:25:30.59\00:25:34.00
before even created us.
00:25:34.03\00:25:36.30
I grew up in a
New Testament Church,
00:25:36.33\00:25:38.20
we didn't study
the Old Testament.
00:25:38.23\00:25:41.04
I was taught
The Ten Commandments
00:25:41.07\00:25:42.60
had been nailed to the cross.
00:25:42.64\00:25:44.31
And when God called
me to full-time ministry,
00:25:44.34\00:25:47.11
He told me,
"Forget what you think,
00:25:47.14\00:25:48.64
you know, sit at My
feet, I will teach you."
00:25:48.68\00:25:51.01
He started me on a
study of this sanctuary,
00:25:51.05\00:25:53.95
which was just
fascinating to me.
00:25:53.98\00:25:56.79
But when I found out that
00:25:56.82\00:25:59.55
there was a scroll,
that was an aside pocket,
00:25:59.59\00:26:03.02
while The Ten Commandments,
were on the inside of the ark.
00:26:03.06\00:26:08.36
I knew something was
up and I began to study.
00:26:08.40\00:26:12.10
And I want to
share this with you.
00:26:12.13\00:26:14.17
It was life-changing for me,
could be life-changing for you.
00:26:14.20\00:26:18.77
The Book of the Covenant
00:26:18.81\00:26:21.41
is first
introduced in Exodus 24:7.
00:26:21.44\00:26:26.15
And we're not going
to read there right now,
00:26:26.18\00:26:28.05
but we'll go into a minute.
00:26:28.08\00:26:29.42
But here's my point, God
gave Moses 10 Commandments
00:26:29.45\00:26:33.25
or he actually spoke
00:26:33.29\00:26:34.62
Ten Commandments
to all the people.
00:26:34.66\00:26:36.59
Moses goes up the mountain
00:26:36.62\00:26:39.29
and God speaks
this covenant to him.
00:26:39.33\00:26:42.93
Moses comes back
down the mountain,
00:26:42.96\00:26:46.37
he speaks it to the
people, he writes it in a book.
00:26:46.40\00:26:50.84
And then Exodus 24:7,
well, let's do turn there
00:26:50.87\00:26:54.08
because it's just a great point.
00:26:54.11\00:26:56.34
Exodus 24:7 is telling us about
00:26:56.38\00:27:00.92
this Book of the Covenant.
00:27:00.95\00:27:03.32
And what it says is,
00:27:03.35\00:27:06.96
Exodus 24:7
00:27:06.99\00:27:11.76
is somewhere here in my Bible.
00:27:11.79\00:27:14.23
And it says this.
00:27:14.26\00:27:17.63
Then Moses took the
Book of the Covenant,
00:27:17.67\00:27:20.47
he's built an altar,
00:27:20.50\00:27:21.84
he's got to
sacrifice already slain.
00:27:21.87\00:27:25.54
"He took the
Book of the Covenant
00:27:25.57\00:27:27.68
and read it in the
hearing of the people.
00:27:27.71\00:27:29.61
They said, 'All
that the Lord said
00:27:29.64\00:27:31.55
we will do and be obedient.'
00:27:31.58\00:27:33.35
And Moses took the blood
00:27:33.38\00:27:35.42
and sprinkled it
on all the people."
00:27:35.45\00:27:37.82
And in Hebrews, it says,
he sprinkled the book as well.
00:27:37.85\00:27:40.72
"He said, 'This is
the blood of the covenant
00:27:40.76\00:27:45.73
which the Lord has made
00:27:45.76\00:27:47.43
with you according
to all these words.'"
00:27:47.46\00:27:49.36
Well, what was this covenant?
00:27:49.40\00:27:51.60
When God gave
the Ten Commandments,
00:27:51.63\00:27:53.50
that's the Bill of
Rights for God's government.
00:27:53.54\00:27:56.77
But then after
the Ten Commandments,
00:27:56.81\00:27:59.27
when Moses went up,
He gave him civil laws
00:27:59.31\00:28:02.31
that are based on the moral law,
00:28:02.34\00:28:05.48
the Ten Commandments.
00:28:05.51\00:28:06.85
He gave him ceremonial laws.
00:28:06.88\00:28:09.08
And so we seen that
the Book of the Covenant,
00:28:09.12\00:28:11.89
Moses wrote all of this down.
00:28:11.92\00:28:14.16
And it was the civil, moral
because the Ten Commandments
00:28:14.19\00:28:18.36
was the heart of the covenant,
and the ceremonial laws.
00:28:18.39\00:28:22.53
Now we get to Deuteronomy.
00:28:22.56\00:28:25.23
Deuteronomy is an expansion
of the Book of the Covenant.
00:28:25.27\00:28:30.87
It's called the Book of the Law,
00:28:30.91\00:28:32.71
the Book of the Covenant.
00:28:32.74\00:28:35.48
It's a covenant document.
00:28:35.51\00:28:37.65
What Moses is doing is
he's elaborating on that.
00:28:37.68\00:28:41.65
And, you know, in
the Old Testament,
00:28:41.68\00:28:44.65
the word for covenant is Brit,
00:28:44.69\00:28:46.92
it means to bind or to obligate,
00:28:46.96\00:28:49.49
but the same word is used
00:28:49.52\00:28:51.29
for both God and man's covenant.
00:28:51.33\00:28:54.26
But when the translators,
00:28:54.30\00:28:58.47
70 Jewish Hebrew authorities,
00:28:58.50\00:29:04.44
when they
translated the Old Testament,
00:29:04.47\00:29:08.14
into Greek, it's
called the Septuagint.
00:29:08.18\00:29:11.81
They chose one
of two Greek words
00:29:11.85\00:29:14.78
that really distinguishes
00:29:14.82\00:29:16.89
and helps us to understand
what God's covenants all about.
00:29:16.92\00:29:19.95
The words aren't important
00:29:19.99\00:29:21.32
but let me tell you
what their meanings are.
00:29:21.36\00:29:23.09
One Greek word means a covenant
00:29:23.12\00:29:26.83
is described as a
contract between two parties,
00:29:26.86\00:29:31.23
where both
parties are obligated,
00:29:31.27\00:29:33.97
they enter in
and they're obligated
00:29:34.00\00:29:36.20
to making
promises to one another.
00:29:36.24\00:29:39.01
But the other
Greek word is always used
00:29:39.04\00:29:43.68
for a will or a testament.
00:29:43.71\00:29:46.11
It's when one party is
making all of the promises,
00:29:46.15\00:29:51.25
but you got to be kin
to that party to begin,
00:29:51.29\00:29:53.92
to get the inheritance.
00:29:53.96\00:29:56.06
And, you know,
those Greek scholars,
00:29:56.09\00:29:59.53
use the word
that is in the Greek,
00:29:59.56\00:30:03.06
a will or a testament
all throughout the Septuagint
00:30:03.10\00:30:07.57
but also always
in the New Testament.
00:30:07.60\00:30:11.01
The Greek word about
00:30:11.04\00:30:12.47
God's covenants
is it's His will,
00:30:12.51\00:30:16.58
His testament,
hence the Old Testament,
00:30:16.61\00:30:18.98
the New Testament.
00:30:19.01\00:30:20.38
So it's so
fascinating to understand,
00:30:20.42\00:30:24.02
God's point has always been in,
00:30:24.05\00:30:26.15
as Jill said, what we're seeing,
00:30:26.19\00:30:28.69
it's the same
everlasting covenant.
00:30:28.72\00:30:30.96
The Lamb slain
00:30:30.99\00:30:32.33
from the
foundation of the world,
00:30:32.36\00:30:33.70
introduced in Genesis 13...
00:30:33.73\00:30:36.36
3:15. 3:15.
00:30:36.40\00:30:38.30
I'll get there, Genesis 3:15.
00:30:38.33\00:30:40.77
And it's just a progressive
00:30:40.80\00:30:43.94
unfolding of the
revelation of God's covenant.
00:30:43.97\00:30:48.24
Now the Ten
Commandments, you know,
00:30:48.28\00:30:51.65
the syntax shows
its commandments.
00:30:51.68\00:30:53.82
So we do that the syntax,
00:30:53.85\00:30:56.89
the order of the
words, known that,
00:30:56.92\00:30:59.92
hey, these are to be obeyed.
00:30:59.95\00:31:01.42
So we translate that
into English as commandments.
00:31:01.46\00:31:04.63
But both in the
Hebrew and in the Greek,
00:31:04.66\00:31:07.83
the Ten
Commandments mean the 10 words,
00:31:07.86\00:31:10.63
but Decalogue, 10 words.
00:31:10.67\00:31:13.10
And it is so
interesting to me...
00:31:13.13\00:31:15.10
Let me read this
00:31:15.14\00:31:16.47
because this is where
most people believe that
00:31:16.50\00:31:20.84
the Ten Commandments
are the Old Covenant.
00:31:20.88\00:31:24.91
Listen to Deuteronomy 4:13.
00:31:24.95\00:31:28.92
Deuteronomy
4:13 says, "He," God,
00:31:28.95\00:31:33.89
"declared to you His covenant,
00:31:33.92\00:31:36.19
which He
commanded you to perform,
00:31:36.22\00:31:38.76
the Ten Commandments,
00:31:38.79\00:31:40.33
and He wrote them on
two tablets of stone."
00:31:40.36\00:31:44.73
So are the
commandments a covenant?
00:31:44.77\00:31:46.33
I think you could
say, "Yes, they are."
00:31:46.37\00:31:48.27
Because they're
written in future tense,
00:31:48.30\00:31:50.97
it's God saying to you,
00:31:51.01\00:31:53.24
"If you're living in
covenant relationship with Me,
00:31:53.27\00:31:56.44
this is what it's
going to be like for you."
00:31:56.48\00:31:58.95
But it is not the Old Covenant.
00:31:58.98\00:32:03.72
The Old Covenant, it
was written inside a scroll.
00:32:03.75\00:32:08.86
And Moses was expanding it,
00:32:08.89\00:32:13.13
he wrote it in
the book of the law
00:32:13.16\00:32:15.06
and put it on the side pocket.
00:32:15.10\00:32:17.17
So here's what
we want to look at.
00:32:17.20\00:32:19.67
In Exodus, let me
see, I'm going to...
00:32:19.70\00:32:22.30
I'm skipping all over here.
00:32:22.34\00:32:25.64
In Deuteronomy 5:29,
00:32:25.67\00:32:30.45
I want you to
hear what God says.
00:32:30.48\00:32:32.75
Because see, when God calls us
00:32:32.78\00:32:34.72
into covenant relationship,
and that's what it's all about.
00:32:34.75\00:32:38.82
It's a relationship of love.
00:32:38.85\00:32:41.49
God is saying,
"I will be your God,
00:32:41.52\00:32:44.53
you will be My
people, come to Me."
00:32:44.56\00:32:47.73
And so, would He calls us
00:32:47.76\00:32:49.60
into this covenant relationship?
00:32:49.63\00:32:51.80
He's the one making
all the promises, you know.
00:32:51.83\00:32:55.07
I mean, all God's promises
are yes and amen in Christ.
00:32:55.10\00:32:59.51
But what He asks is that
we are loyal to the covenant.
00:32:59.54\00:33:05.11
And what He's
asking of us is that
00:33:05.15\00:33:07.82
we would love Him
with all of our heart,
00:33:07.85\00:33:09.62
soul, mind and strength.
00:33:09.65\00:33:11.35
And motivated by that love,
00:33:11.39\00:33:14.52
we would walk in loyalty
00:33:14.56\00:33:17.53
to His principles
of His government.
00:33:17.56\00:33:20.33
But listen what He
says, this is God's heart.
00:33:20.36\00:33:24.07
Deuteronomy 5:29, he says,
00:33:24.10\00:33:29.04
he's talking to
Moses, and he says,
00:33:29.07\00:33:31.64
"Oh, that they," the people,
"had such a heart in them,
00:33:31.67\00:33:35.71
that they would
fear Me, respect Me,
00:33:35.74\00:33:38.38
honor Me and always
keep all My commandments."
00:33:38.41\00:33:44.32
Why?
00:33:44.35\00:33:45.69
So that, "It
would go well with them
00:33:45.72\00:33:48.22
and with their
children forever."
00:33:48.26\00:33:51.26
And then he tells Moses,
00:33:51.29\00:33:52.63
"Go tell them to
return to their tents.
00:33:52.66\00:33:54.96
But as for you," Moses,
00:33:55.00\00:33:56.33
"stand here by Me,
00:33:56.36\00:33:57.97
I'll speak to you
all the commandments,
00:33:58.00\00:34:00.14
the statutes, and the judgments,
00:34:00.17\00:34:03.24
that you shall teach them,
00:34:03.27\00:34:05.77
that they may
observe them in the land
00:34:05.81\00:34:07.84
which I am giving them."
00:34:07.88\00:34:10.38
So that's what Moses does.
00:34:10.41\00:34:12.71
He listens to the Lord,
he writes all this down.
00:34:12.75\00:34:16.18
And in Deuteronomy 31:26,
00:34:16.22\00:34:21.72
once he's finished writing
all of God's commandments,
00:34:21.76\00:34:24.89
His covenant,
commandments, and statutes,
00:34:24.93\00:34:28.06
he writes them in
this Book of the Law,
00:34:28.10\00:34:29.76
and he says, "Hey, go put
this Book of the Law beside
00:34:29.80\00:34:34.20
the ark of the covenant,
00:34:34.24\00:34:36.00
that it may be a
witness against you."
00:34:36.04\00:34:40.01
So this Book of the
Law contained blessings.
00:34:40.04\00:34:46.48
This is what God's heart was.
00:34:46.51\00:34:48.78
Oh, that you'd
hated my commandments
00:34:48.82\00:34:50.52
so that your piece
would have been like a river,
00:34:50.55\00:34:54.12
but it also
contained the curses.
00:34:54.16\00:34:57.73
You know, God's love is
expressed in a positive way,
00:34:57.76\00:35:01.86
but God's wrath is also
an expression of His love,
00:35:01.90\00:35:05.10
because He will
do away with evil.
00:35:05.13\00:35:07.24
Amen. Praise God.
00:35:07.27\00:35:08.84
So we have in
Wednesday's lesson,
00:35:08.87\00:35:12.24
the title His Special People.
00:35:12.27\00:35:14.38
And this is something that
00:35:14.41\00:35:16.98
we see in the
context of the Old Testament.
00:35:17.01\00:35:19.75
God designed that His people,
00:35:19.78\00:35:22.72
the Hebrews,
who were stiff neck,
00:35:22.75\00:35:24.59
just like everybody else,
00:35:24.62\00:35:26.59
who were wretched,
just like everybody else.
00:35:26.62\00:35:29.19
There was no
difference between them.
00:35:29.22\00:35:30.99
God designed that
His people would become
00:35:31.03\00:35:34.50
the covenant people
through the promises
00:35:34.53\00:35:37.27
He was making to
Abraham, to Isaac to Jacob,
00:35:37.30\00:35:40.74
to the whole
world in Jesus Christ.
00:35:40.77\00:35:43.71
So we're going to
start our lesson here
00:35:43.74\00:35:45.51
in Deuteronomy 26,
00:35:45.54\00:35:48.14
and we're going to
read Verses 16 through 19.
00:35:48.18\00:35:51.08
Deuteronomy 26,
this is what the lesson
00:35:51.11\00:35:53.25
brings out Verses 16 through 19.
00:35:53.28\00:35:56.38
All right.
00:35:56.42\00:35:57.75
So Deuteronomy 26:16 reads,
00:35:57.79\00:36:01.22
"This day the Lord thy
God hath commanded thee
00:36:01.26\00:36:05.76
to do these
statutes and judgments,
00:36:05.79\00:36:08.43
thou shalt therefore keep
00:36:08.46\00:36:10.47
and do them
with all thine heart,
00:36:10.50\00:36:13.60
and with all thy soul.
00:36:13.64\00:36:16.30
Thou hast avouched
the Lord this day,"
00:36:16.34\00:36:18.74
Verse 17 says, "This
day to be thy God..."
00:36:18.77\00:36:22.84
Excuse me, "Thou hast avouched
00:36:22.88\00:36:25.05
the Lord this
day to be thy God..."
00:36:25.08\00:36:29.32
Let me just reread
that, I'll get it right.
00:36:29.35\00:36:31.42
"Thou hast avouched the
Lord this day to be thy God,"
00:36:31.45\00:36:33.92
So the people
have vouched the Lord
00:36:33.96\00:36:35.56
this day to be thy God,
00:36:35.59\00:36:36.93
"and to walk in his
ways, and to keep his statutes,
00:36:36.96\00:36:39.36
and his
commandments, and his judgments,
00:36:39.39\00:36:41.03
and to hearken unto his voice.
00:36:41.06\00:36:43.60
And the Lord," Verse 18,
00:36:43.63\00:36:45.57
"hath avouched thee
this day to be his..."
00:36:45.60\00:36:48.54
Excuse me.
00:36:48.57\00:36:49.90
"And the Lord hath
avouched thee this day
00:36:49.94\00:36:51.91
to be his peculiar people,
as he hath promised thee,
00:36:51.94\00:36:55.14
and that thou shouldest
keep all his commandments."
00:36:55.18\00:36:57.35
Verse 19, "And to make
thee high above all nations
00:36:57.38\00:37:01.22
which he hath made,
in praise, and in name,
00:37:01.25\00:37:03.72
and in honor, and
that thou mayest be
00:37:03.75\00:37:05.52
an holy people
unto the Lord thy God,
00:37:05.55\00:37:07.29
as he hath spoken."
00:37:07.32\00:37:08.66
So just one point
00:37:08.69\00:37:10.99
before we get into these verses,
00:37:11.03\00:37:15.16
the Hebrews were no
different than any other nation,
00:37:15.20\00:37:18.87
the Hebrews were no different
00:37:18.90\00:37:20.67
than any other human being.
00:37:20.70\00:37:22.87
They were as far as
broken as we all are.
00:37:22.90\00:37:24.87
And sometimes as Christians,
00:37:24.91\00:37:26.47
we start thinking
that we're special,
00:37:26.51\00:37:28.54
that we're better, we're not,
00:37:28.58\00:37:29.98
probably the most broken.
00:37:30.01\00:37:31.91
And God is reminding
us that He has chosen us.
00:37:31.95\00:37:37.32
He has vouchsafed to us,
00:37:37.35\00:37:38.99
He has chosen us to
be the special people.
00:37:39.02\00:37:41.92
He's the one that is doing that.
00:37:41.96\00:37:43.46
It's not us.
00:37:43.49\00:37:44.83
But it's Him that is doing that.
00:37:44.86\00:37:46.80
He is the motivator,
He's the motivation for that.
00:37:46.83\00:37:50.37
But He also wants us to respond.
00:37:50.40\00:37:52.17
So here are the questions that
00:37:52.20\00:37:53.54
the quarterly brings out
that I think are so significant.
00:37:53.57\00:37:56.30
The first question is asked here
00:37:56.34\00:37:57.67
in the quarterly is,
00:37:57.71\00:37:59.04
how is the covenant relationship
00:37:59.07\00:38:01.38
between God and Israel
summed up in these verses?
00:38:01.41\00:38:04.88
And the way that it's summed
up in these verses is, listen,
00:38:04.91\00:38:08.32
I've vouchsafed, I have
called you to be My people,
00:38:08.35\00:38:12.25
and I want you to
be obedient to Me,
00:38:12.29\00:38:14.92
and to keep My judgments
and My commandments and my law.
00:38:14.96\00:38:17.46
That's how it's
summed up in these verses.
00:38:17.49\00:38:20.26
And then the second
question is asked is this,
00:38:20.30\00:38:22.63
how should their faithfulness
to the covenant be manifest
00:38:22.66\00:38:26.00
and the kind of people
they would have become?
00:38:26.03\00:38:27.84
They were going to be different
from all the other nations,
00:38:27.87\00:38:29.80
they weren't going to be
like all the other nations.
00:38:29.84\00:38:31.71
They were going to
be obedient to God,
00:38:31.74\00:38:33.14
they were going
to walk in His laws
00:38:33.17\00:38:34.51
and His statutes
and in His judgments.
00:38:34.54\00:38:36.38
And then the third question
00:38:36.41\00:38:37.75
that's asked here
in the lesson study is,
00:38:37.78\00:38:40.08
what lessons can we take
from there for ourselves today?
00:38:40.12\00:38:46.25
And the main lesson, I think,
00:38:46.29\00:38:47.62
the main takeaway,
we can take from this
00:38:47.66\00:38:49.26
because we've
already covered all this,
00:38:49.29\00:38:50.63
we've already studied all this,
00:38:50.66\00:38:51.99
we've been talking about it is,
00:38:52.03\00:38:53.40
it's impossible for
us to walk in God's law,
00:38:53.43\00:38:56.36
walk in God's commandments,
keep all of His judges,
00:38:56.40\00:38:58.47
it's not possible
for us to do that.
00:38:58.50\00:39:00.64
That the idea that is
brought out of these verses
00:39:00.67\00:39:03.51
is that this is an agreement
00:39:03.54\00:39:05.97
that we would
be peculiar people,
00:39:06.01\00:39:07.34
this is an agreement,
00:39:07.38\00:39:09.24
not for us to do in
order to become but for us
00:39:09.28\00:39:14.82
to agree for God to
do in order to become.
00:39:14.85\00:39:18.59
And that's the
difference between the old
00:39:18.62\00:39:20.19
and the new covenant.
00:39:20.22\00:39:21.56
It's not an
issue of Old Testament,
00:39:21.59\00:39:22.96
New Testament
00:39:22.99\00:39:24.33
because Paul brings out
quite clearly in Galatians 4,
00:39:24.36\00:39:27.63
that the old and
new covenant are alive
00:39:27.66\00:39:29.40
and well today in the
early Christian church.
00:39:29.43\00:39:33.03
And he gives
the story of Abraham
00:39:33.07\00:39:36.84
and Ishmael, his first son,
00:39:36.87\00:39:39.17
compared to Abraham
and Isaac, his second son,
00:39:39.21\00:39:42.04
as types of the Old
and the New Covenant.
00:39:42.08\00:39:44.85
The way that
operates, the way that works.
00:39:44.88\00:39:46.85
And the way it operates is this.
00:39:46.88\00:39:49.15
In these verses,
if God says to us,
00:39:49.18\00:39:51.59
"I want you to be My people,
00:39:51.62\00:39:52.95
I want you to
keep My commandments,"
00:39:52.99\00:39:54.32
and we say to Him,
"Okay, we'll do it."
00:39:54.36\00:39:55.86
That's old covenant.
00:39:55.89\00:39:57.23
But in these verses, God says,
00:39:57.26\00:39:58.59
"I want you to be My people
and to keep My commandments,"
00:39:58.63\00:40:01.70
and we say to Him, "But
we can't really do that,
00:40:01.73\00:40:05.97
how is that going to work?"
00:40:06.00\00:40:07.34
And He says, "Well,
I'm going to show you
00:40:07.37\00:40:08.70
how it's going to work,
I'm going to do that in you."
00:40:08.74\00:40:10.51
Then we stepped
into New Covenant,
00:40:10.54\00:40:12.37
we haven't experienced now that
00:40:12.41\00:40:14.14
is so different
from the experience
00:40:14.18\00:40:16.68
that God's people had in that
00:40:16.71\00:40:18.08
Old Covenant
time and time again.
00:40:18.11\00:40:19.81
But that experience that
God wants us to have that
00:40:19.85\00:40:22.12
New Covenant experience
00:40:22.15\00:40:24.09
is not just a New
Testament type of experience.
00:40:24.12\00:40:27.16
Because in the New
Testament over and over again,
00:40:27.19\00:40:30.03
in the early Christian church,
00:40:30.06\00:40:31.53
and the late Christian church
and the mid-Christian church,
00:40:31.56\00:40:33.73
and the later Christian church
00:40:33.76\00:40:35.10
and our present
Christian church,
00:40:35.13\00:40:36.63
the Old Covenant
is alive and well.
00:40:36.67\00:40:39.20
Legalism is alive and well.
00:40:39.23\00:40:40.94
And one of the greatest
dangers that we face to entering
00:40:40.97\00:40:44.54
into legalism is
found in Philippians 3,
00:40:44.57\00:40:48.11
and I just want us to look
00:40:48.14\00:40:49.48
there really
quickly in Philippians 3.
00:40:49.51\00:40:52.15
Paul here is
talking about his pedigree.
00:40:52.18\00:40:55.72
Paul's pedigree is
probably greater better than
00:40:55.75\00:41:01.66
a fourth-generation
Seventh-day Adventist, okay?
00:41:01.69\00:41:04.13
We're just going to get
right to the point here, right?
00:41:04.16\00:41:07.06
Paul here speaks
00:41:07.10\00:41:08.66
and he starts out
the chapter by saying,
00:41:08.70\00:41:10.80
"Finally, my
brethren, rejoice in the Lord,"
00:41:10.83\00:41:13.20
rejoice in who?
00:41:13.23\00:41:14.57
The Lord. "In the Lord.
00:41:14.60\00:41:15.94
To write the same things to you
to me indeed is not grievous,
00:41:15.97\00:41:18.91
but to you it is safe.
00:41:18.94\00:41:20.28
Beware of dogs,
beware of evil workers,
00:41:20.31\00:41:22.11
beware of the circumcision."
00:41:22.14\00:41:23.65
He's talking about
being aware of legalism here.
00:41:23.68\00:41:26.78
And then he goes
on, he says this,
00:41:26.82\00:41:28.15
"For we are the circumcision."
00:41:28.18\00:41:29.58
Why?
00:41:29.62\00:41:30.95
Because God has
cut away the flesh
00:41:30.99\00:41:33.32
that is the dependence
00:41:33.36\00:41:35.16
on our human
flesh for obedience.
00:41:35.19\00:41:37.73
"We are the circumcision,
which worship God in the spirit
00:41:37.76\00:41:40.86
and rejoice in Christ Jesus,
I have no confidence," in what?
00:41:40.90\00:41:44.77
The flesh. Zero
confidence in the flesh.
00:41:44.80\00:41:46.53
Now I don't know how long
it takes us to get there...
00:41:46.57\00:41:48.80
Abraham 25 years to get there.
00:41:48.84\00:41:50.64
It took him 25
years to get to the place,
00:41:50.67\00:41:52.51
we had zero
confidence in the flesh.
00:41:52.54\00:41:54.48
And finally, he gave up
on himself on his flesh.
00:41:54.51\00:41:56.98
And God fulfilled his
promise to him with Isaac.
00:41:57.01\00:41:59.45
"Though I might
also have confidence,"
00:41:59.48\00:42:01.02
in Verse 4, he
says, "in the flesh.
00:42:01.05\00:42:02.42
If any man
thinketh that he hath there
00:42:02.45\00:42:04.52
where he might trust
in the flesh, I more.
00:42:04.55\00:42:06.35
I was circumcised,"
Verse 5, "on the eighth day,
00:42:06.39\00:42:09.66
of the stock of Israel,
of the tribe of Benjamin,
00:42:09.69\00:42:12.19
an Hebrew of the Hebrews,
00:42:12.23\00:42:13.56
touching the
law, I was a Pharisee.
00:42:13.60\00:42:16.16
Concerning zeal,
persecuting the church,"
00:42:16.20\00:42:17.83
Verse 6,
"touching the righteousness
00:42:17.87\00:42:19.87
which is in the
law, I was blameless.
00:42:19.90\00:42:23.91
But what things were gain to me,
00:42:23.94\00:42:25.77
those I
counted, loss for Christ.
00:42:25.81\00:42:28.58
Yea doubtless, I count
all things, but loss..."
00:42:28.61\00:42:32.01
I want to stop right here.
00:42:32.05\00:42:33.38
There are two words here
00:42:33.42\00:42:34.75
that are used for the word loss,
00:42:34.78\00:42:37.05
and one of them is damage.
00:42:37.09\00:42:39.49
I count them damaging.
00:42:39.52\00:42:41.22
In other words, Paul here
is talking about his pedigree,
00:42:41.26\00:42:44.26
he's talking
about his attainments,
00:42:44.29\00:42:46.13
not his failures,
00:42:46.16\00:42:47.50
he's talking about his
blamelessness in the law.
00:42:47.53\00:42:49.20
And he's saying, not
only do I count that loss,
00:42:49.23\00:42:51.73
but I also count
that as dangerous.
00:42:51.77\00:42:54.97
I count that as
something that damaged me,
00:42:55.00\00:42:57.07
it's damaging for us.
00:42:57.11\00:42:58.44
It's damaging for
the Laodicean Church
00:42:58.47\00:43:00.41
because the
Laodicean Church thinks,
00:43:00.44\00:43:02.11
it's rich and
increased with goods
00:43:02.14\00:43:03.91
and need of nothing.
00:43:03.95\00:43:05.61
Our greatest, the greatest enemy
00:43:05.65\00:43:08.32
of our love for Christ
are our works for Christ.
00:43:08.35\00:43:11.22
And so Paul says, you
know what we need to do
00:43:11.25\00:43:12.75
with our works for
Christ, we need to forget them.
00:43:12.79\00:43:15.96
We need to forget them.
00:43:15.99\00:43:17.33
A lot of people quote
these verses, you know,
00:43:17.36\00:43:18.73
in Philippians 3:13, "Brethren,
00:43:18.76\00:43:21.56
I count not myself
to have apprehended,
00:43:21.60\00:43:23.13
but this one thing
00:43:23.16\00:43:24.50
I do forgetting those
things which are behind!"
00:43:24.53\00:43:26.17
You know, when we say,
00:43:26.20\00:43:27.54
all the sins and
all the failures,
00:43:27.57\00:43:29.37
the context of that
is not talking about
00:43:29.40\00:43:31.07
sins and failures.
00:43:31.11\00:43:32.44
The context of this is
talking about attainments.
00:43:32.47\00:43:35.08
And this was the
problem with Israel.
00:43:35.11\00:43:37.45
This continued to be
the problem with them
00:43:37.48\00:43:39.18
as they got into
00:43:39.21\00:43:40.55
the New Testament
times as Jesus came.
00:43:40.58\00:43:43.28
Jesus was the Promised Messiah.
00:43:43.32\00:43:45.52
Daniel 9:24, you've
got to do away with sins
00:43:45.55\00:43:49.79
and make
reconciliation for iniquity
00:43:49.82\00:43:51.69
and get rid of
transgressions, you know.
00:43:51.73\00:43:54.20
And they looked at that
00:43:54.23\00:43:55.63
with Old
Covenant glasses and say,
00:43:55.66\00:43:57.07
"We got to do this, you
know, before the Messiah comes."
00:43:57.10\00:43:59.47
But if you look at Verse 25,
you know, you've got 70 weeks,
00:43:59.50\00:44:03.10
490 years to do this,
Messiah is coming in 483
00:44:03.14\00:44:06.54
because Messiah is the one
00:44:06.57\00:44:08.01
that removes
transgressions and iniquities.
00:44:08.04\00:44:10.35
Messiah is the one that brings
in everlasting righteousness.
00:44:10.38\00:44:12.95
Messiah is the one
that fulfills the covenant.
00:44:12.98\00:44:15.58
And so someone brought this up,
00:44:15.62\00:44:17.59
I can't remember who now
but it's 1 Chronicles 16,
00:44:17.62\00:44:20.32
and it says here in Verse 15,
00:44:20.36\00:44:22.62
"Be mindful
always of His covenant,
00:44:22.66\00:44:24.73
the word which he commanded
to thousand generations,
00:44:24.76\00:44:26.93
even the covenant
which he made with Abraham,
00:44:26.96\00:44:28.83
and his oath to
Isaac, and he has confirmed
00:44:28.86\00:44:31.00
the same to Jacob
for law for Israel
00:44:31.03\00:44:32.73
for an everlasting covenant.
00:44:32.77\00:44:34.10
Saying, Unto
thee I will give you
00:44:34.14\00:44:36.87
the land of Canaan."
00:44:36.91\00:44:38.24
Remember this, be mindful,
God has made the promises,
00:44:38.27\00:44:41.64
God is going to give
you the land of Canaan,
00:44:41.68\00:44:43.55
God is going to put His
law in your hearts and minds.
00:44:43.58\00:44:46.28
God is going to
do away with sins,
00:44:46.31\00:44:48.05
iniquities and transgressions.
00:44:48.08\00:44:49.55
God is the one.
00:44:49.58\00:44:50.92
And what is the agreement
we need to make with Him?
00:44:50.95\00:44:53.66
I agree to let You do that.
00:44:53.69\00:44:56.83
I agree to let You do it.
00:44:56.86\00:44:58.43
We want the obedience we need.
00:44:58.46\00:45:00.10
Remember, the judgment's
come to the house of God,
00:45:00.13\00:45:02.96
and what will
be the end of those
00:45:03.00\00:45:04.33
who obey not the gospel.
00:45:04.37\00:45:05.80
The obedience we need
to is to obey the gospel,
00:45:05.83\00:45:07.97
the everlasting
covenant and to say,
00:45:08.00\00:45:09.34
"Yes, God, I want
to let You do that.
00:45:09.37\00:45:11.27
Amen. Amen.
00:45:11.31\00:45:13.24
I can give you a couple
more minutes if you need.
00:45:13.27\00:45:15.74
That was really good.
00:45:15.78\00:45:17.11
Praise the
Lord. Praise the Lord.
00:45:17.15\00:45:18.48
Wow!
00:45:18.51\00:45:19.85
Thursday's lesson is
entitled Other Images.
00:45:19.88\00:45:21.98
When I first saw this title,
I thought, "What in the world?
00:45:22.02\00:45:24.02
How does that relate to
00:45:24.05\00:45:25.39
all this covenant conversation?"
00:45:25.42\00:45:26.76
When you get into the lesson,
00:45:26.79\00:45:28.12
you can see
exactly how it relates.
00:45:28.16\00:45:29.89
I'm going to take
the just a portion
00:45:29.92\00:45:31.49
of the opening
of the introduction
00:45:31.53\00:45:33.46
to Thursday's lesson,
00:45:33.50\00:45:34.83
I'm going to read
this to kind of set it up.
00:45:34.86\00:45:36.26
It says, the idea of a
covenant a legal agreement
00:45:36.30\00:45:39.07
between two parties with rules
00:45:39.10\00:45:40.90
and stipulations and regulations
00:45:40.94\00:45:42.47
can seem so cold and formal.
00:45:42.50\00:45:44.51
And again, we really get
into the language of it all,
00:45:44.54\00:45:46.71
it's kind of like,
you know, little dry,
00:45:46.74\00:45:50.28
it can be a little
formal to a certain extent.
00:45:50.31\00:45:52.55
But it goes on to say, though,
that element must indeed exist
00:45:52.58\00:45:55.72
because obviously
God is the lawgiver,
00:45:55.75\00:45:58.29
it's not broad enough
to encompass the depth
00:45:58.32\00:46:01.09
and breadth of the
kind of relationship
00:46:01.12\00:46:03.76
God wanted with His people.
00:46:03.79\00:46:06.80
Hence, Other Images,
00:46:06.83\00:46:08.60
this is where
our title comes in,
00:46:08.63\00:46:09.96
other Images are
used in Deuteronomy
00:46:10.00\00:46:12.00
to help portray the same
idea as the covenant between God
00:46:12.03\00:46:16.00
and Israel but just to
give it added dimension.
00:46:16.04\00:46:20.04
So we're looking at
other images now to depict
00:46:20.08\00:46:23.01
and to see what the
fullness of God's plan
00:46:23.04\00:46:25.71
to get a glimpse into
that of what God wanted
00:46:25.75\00:46:27.98
between Him and His people.
00:46:28.02\00:46:29.35
Our journey is going
to begin in Deuteronomy 8.
00:46:29.38\00:46:31.95
So let's go there.
00:46:31.99\00:46:33.49
And we're going to
kind of bounce around
00:46:33.52\00:46:34.86
and read a few passages here
from the Book of Deuteronomy,
00:46:34.89\00:46:37.29
just to kind of
see these other images
00:46:37.33\00:46:39.66
that help amplify and
open up this greater plan.
00:46:39.69\00:46:43.26
What was it that
God really wanted
00:46:43.30\00:46:44.83
between Him and His people
00:46:44.87\00:46:46.20
that may not be clearly depicted
00:46:46.23\00:46:47.97
within this covenant language.
00:46:48.00\00:46:49.57
So Deuteronomy 8:5,
00:46:49.60\00:46:52.47
and this one I
really can relate to...
00:46:52.51\00:46:55.24
Notice what it says.
00:46:55.28\00:46:56.61
It says, "You
should know in your heart
00:46:56.64\00:46:59.58
that as a man chastens his son,
00:46:59.61\00:47:02.45
so the Lord your
God chastens you."
00:47:02.48\00:47:06.12
Now notice the picture
here that we're seeing God
00:47:06.15\00:47:09.09
is literally
liking his relationship,
00:47:09.12\00:47:11.13
his covenant relationship
00:47:11.16\00:47:12.49
between Him and
Israel, liking into a parent
00:47:12.53\00:47:15.30
and his son or a
parent and their child,
00:47:15.33\00:47:17.13
and when I read that
my mind just went back
00:47:17.17\00:47:19.57
because I remember growing up,
00:47:19.60\00:47:20.94
I grew up with
some old school parents.
00:47:20.97\00:47:23.17
You know, I've never met a child
00:47:23.20\00:47:24.67
that didn't need
discipline, okay?
00:47:24.71\00:47:26.04
Didn't ever met a child
00:47:26.07\00:47:27.41
that didn't need
some type of chastening.
00:47:27.44\00:47:29.51
It just depends on the
type of method you might use,
00:47:29.54\00:47:32.15
a parent might choose to
use depending on the, you know,
00:47:32.18\00:47:34.72
the temperament
and the character
00:47:34.75\00:47:36.08
of the particular child,
00:47:36.12\00:47:37.45
but I was one of
those kids that just...
00:47:37.49\00:47:39.52
I got whippings,
okay, except in our house
00:47:39.55\00:47:41.16
they were called whipping.
00:47:41.19\00:47:42.52
There's a difference
between a whipping in the south,
00:47:42.56\00:47:44.26
you get whipping, I
got lots of whippings.
00:47:44.29\00:47:46.43
And as I was
reading this, you know,
00:47:46.46\00:47:49.10
you should know in your heart
that is a man chastens his son
00:47:49.13\00:47:51.50
so the Lord, your
God, chastens you.
00:47:51.53\00:47:54.64
This is relationship language.
00:47:54.67\00:47:57.11
This is a God's saying,
00:47:57.14\00:47:58.47
"I'm your
parent, you're My child."
00:47:58.51\00:48:00.48
And so, you know, I
remember, you know, years ago,
00:48:00.51\00:48:03.71
I had a friend, we're
outside playing basketball.
00:48:03.75\00:48:05.48
This was not a very good friend,
00:48:05.51\00:48:06.85
I probably shouldn't
be friends with this kid.
00:48:06.88\00:48:08.58
But anyways, we were
playing in the front lawn,
00:48:08.62\00:48:10.72
and I remember, we were
out there shooting hoops.
00:48:10.75\00:48:12.59
My dad flings open the
front door of our house
00:48:12.62\00:48:14.26
and he yells out the door.
00:48:14.29\00:48:15.62
He says, "Ryan, son, you know,
trash needs to be taken out,
00:48:15.66\00:48:18.83
get in here and
get it out here, okay?"
00:48:18.86\00:48:21.16
And I remember I
dropped the ball,
00:48:21.20\00:48:22.53
I turned to walk into the house.
00:48:22.56\00:48:23.90
And this friend of mine,
00:48:23.93\00:48:25.57
he tries to say,
"Dude, what are you doing?"
00:48:25.60\00:48:28.30
I was like, "I'm
going to take the trash."
00:48:28.34\00:48:29.67
He was like, "Dude,
no, that's lame, man.
00:48:29.70\00:48:31.41
Like, you could do it
later, we're playing the game."
00:48:31.44\00:48:34.38
And in my mind,
00:48:34.41\00:48:35.74
I remember thinking
to myself all the time,
00:48:35.78\00:48:37.11
because this kid, he
didn't have discipline.
00:48:37.15\00:48:39.11
He talked back to his
parents very disrespectful.
00:48:39.15\00:48:41.15
And I remember turning to him
00:48:41.18\00:48:42.52
and saying, "Look, man,
I'm from the wish a kid wood.
00:48:42.55\00:48:47.72
Okay, I'm from
the wish a kid woods.
00:48:47.76\00:48:49.89
My parents are of the model that
00:48:49.92\00:48:51.49
I wish a kid wood
disrespect me or tell me no."
00:48:51.53\00:48:53.76
Because I remember him telling,
00:48:53.80\00:48:55.13
he's like, "Just
tell your dad no,
00:48:55.16\00:48:56.50
that you'll do it later."
00:48:56.53\00:48:57.87
That's not how it
works in a family house.
00:48:57.90\00:48:59.50
There was a
certain respect there,
00:48:59.53\00:49:01.07
there was an understanding
that that's my parent.
00:49:01.10\00:49:03.37
And my mom and dad,
they demanded respect.
00:49:03.41\00:49:06.21
And they called for respect.
00:49:06.24\00:49:08.21
And that's exactly
what God is portraying here
00:49:08.24\00:49:10.41
in a godlike sense, in a
loving relationship sense,
00:49:10.45\00:49:13.11
I'm the parent,
you're the child,
00:49:13.15\00:49:14.65
and as a parent
chastens his son, so the Lord,
00:49:14.68\00:49:16.72
your God, chastens you also.
00:49:16.75\00:49:19.75
So God in a sense of setting
up this family relational image,
00:49:19.79\00:49:24.49
He wants us to understand
that He is our Father,
00:49:24.53\00:49:27.13
we are the children.
00:49:27.16\00:49:28.50
Let's go to Deuteronomy 14,
00:49:28.53\00:49:29.93
we're going to
read verses 1 and 2.
00:49:29.96\00:49:31.67
Deuteronomy 14:1-2, we
see the same thing here.
00:49:31.70\00:49:36.50
He says, "You are the
children of the Lord your God,
00:49:36.54\00:49:38.87
you shall not cut yourselves
00:49:38.91\00:49:40.51
nor shave the front of
your head for the dead.
00:49:40.54\00:49:43.85
For you are a holy
people to the Lord your God,
00:49:43.88\00:49:46.18
and the Lord has chosen
you to be a people for Himself,
00:49:46.21\00:49:49.52
a special
treasure of all the peoples
00:49:49.55\00:49:51.99
who are on the
face of the earth."
00:49:52.02\00:49:54.12
God is again, He's portraying
00:49:54.16\00:49:55.82
this beautiful
family imagery here,
00:49:55.86\00:49:57.79
in the sense that He's saying,
"Look, I'm your protector,
00:49:57.83\00:50:00.73
I'm your leader,
I'm your guidance.
00:50:00.76\00:50:02.20
And in this sense,
you are My holy people,
00:50:02.23\00:50:06.00
and I want you to be different.
00:50:06.03\00:50:07.37
I want you to be set apart
00:50:07.40\00:50:08.74
from all of the other
heathen nations around you,
00:50:08.77\00:50:10.81
where in the world
that they get the idea
00:50:10.84\00:50:12.34
of cutting themselves
00:50:12.37\00:50:13.71
and shaving the
front of their head."
00:50:13.74\00:50:15.08
It certainly wasn't from God,
00:50:15.11\00:50:16.44
it certainly wasn't
God's rules or regulations that
00:50:16.48\00:50:18.18
He put out there for them.
00:50:18.21\00:50:19.55
They were getting this
00:50:19.58\00:50:20.92
from the other
paganistic practices,
00:50:20.95\00:50:22.45
and then hedon
nations around them.
00:50:22.48\00:50:24.09
In other words, the
world was rubbing off on them,
00:50:24.12\00:50:26.19
and God saying, "No, no, no, no,
00:50:26.22\00:50:27.56
if you're going to be My people,
00:50:27.59\00:50:28.92
you're going to be
My special children,
00:50:28.96\00:50:30.39
you know what, get rid of
that because you are My people.
00:50:30.43\00:50:33.23
I want you to be different.
00:50:33.26\00:50:34.60
I want you to be sanctified,
00:50:34.63\00:50:35.96
set apart from the
rest of the world."
00:50:36.00\00:50:37.33
So again, we get this
sense of a family relationship.
00:50:37.37\00:50:41.07
God is our father.
00:50:41.10\00:50:42.44
We are the children and
He wants us to follow Him.
00:50:42.47\00:50:45.01
Notice Deuteronomy 32:6.
00:50:45.04\00:50:48.01
Deuteronomy 32:6, he says,
00:50:48.04\00:50:51.08
"Do you thus
deal with the Lord..."
00:50:51.11\00:50:52.45
He's asking the question here.
00:50:52.48\00:50:53.82
"Do you thus deal with the Lord,
00:50:53.85\00:50:55.18
O foolish and unwise people?
00:50:55.22\00:50:56.82
Is He not your
father who bought you?
00:50:56.85\00:51:00.09
Has He not made you
and established you?"
00:51:00.12\00:51:02.46
God is asking the
question, he's saying,
00:51:02.49\00:51:03.93
"Have you forgotten who I am?
00:51:03.96\00:51:05.89
Do you remember who
I am? I am your God."
00:51:05.93\00:51:08.43
As I was reading
this passage here,
00:51:08.46\00:51:10.30
it brought me back to that
sense of almost rebuke that
00:51:10.33\00:51:13.64
God gives to Job in Job 38.
00:51:13.67\00:51:16.24
We all need a little
bit of a Job 38 moment
00:51:16.27\00:51:18.04
every once in a while,
just to be reminded, you know.
00:51:18.07\00:51:20.18
And this is
essentially what He's saying,
00:51:20.21\00:51:21.84
"O foolish and wise people.
00:51:21.88\00:51:23.71
Is He not your
father who bought you?
00:51:23.75\00:51:26.01
Hey, have you
forgotten who I am?
00:51:26.05\00:51:27.42
Have you forgotten
that I am your father,
00:51:27.45\00:51:29.32
I am the God of the universe?"
00:51:29.35\00:51:30.82
Brought me back to Job 38.
00:51:30.85\00:51:32.45
Job 38:4 and 12. I love this.
00:51:32.49\00:51:34.56
He says, "Where were you
00:51:34.59\00:51:35.92
when I laid the
foundations of the earth?
00:51:35.96\00:51:37.29
Tell Me, if you
have understanding.
00:51:37.33\00:51:39.29
Have you commanded the
morning since your days began,
00:51:39.33\00:51:41.70
and caused the
dawn to know its place?"
00:51:41.73\00:51:44.03
Every once in a
while we need that
00:51:44.07\00:51:45.63
Job 38 experience, we
need to be reminded that
00:51:45.67\00:51:48.37
God has the world in His hands,
00:51:48.40\00:51:50.17
He is in charge,
He is our Father,
00:51:50.21\00:51:52.51
we are the children.
00:51:52.54\00:51:53.88
He is the
potter, we are the clay.
00:51:53.91\00:51:55.34
And that's essentially
00:51:55.38\00:51:56.71
what this lesson is bringing out
00:51:56.75\00:51:58.08
is a family relational God.
00:51:58.11\00:52:00.12
We see it in these other images
00:52:00.15\00:52:02.18
throughout the
Book of Deuteronomy,
00:52:02.22\00:52:03.55
as well as other
books of the Bible,
00:52:03.59\00:52:05.25
that we don't have to just look
in the covenant to try to find
00:52:05.29\00:52:08.26
this beautiful
relational language
00:52:08.29\00:52:10.63
or picture we can look
00:52:10.66\00:52:11.99
elsewhere
throughout the Scripture.
00:52:12.03\00:52:13.36
And it's hidden
behind every little corner,
00:52:13.40\00:52:15.33
every little detail
of all the scriptures
00:52:15.36\00:52:17.23
throughout the entire Bible.
00:52:17.27\00:52:18.90
God has placed
images there for us to see
00:52:18.93\00:52:21.20
to get a glimpse of the
plan that He has for us,
00:52:21.24\00:52:24.11
the beautiful
family relationship
00:52:24.14\00:52:25.97
that He so desires.
00:52:26.01\00:52:27.58
Deuteronomy 32:18-20.
00:52:27.61\00:52:30.65
Again, this great reminder,
00:52:30.68\00:52:32.35
he says, "Of the
rock who begot you,
00:52:32.38\00:52:34.92
you are unmindful and
have forgotten the God
00:52:34.95\00:52:38.09
who fathered you.
00:52:38.12\00:52:39.45
And when the Lord saw it,
00:52:39.49\00:52:40.82
He spurned them
because of the provocation
00:52:40.86\00:52:43.22
of His sons and His daughters."
00:52:43.26\00:52:45.16
So again, it's
this, you know what,
00:52:45.19\00:52:46.56
almost like a parent
again, that is, it's upset.
00:52:46.59\00:52:49.76
That's a little disappointed
00:52:49.80\00:52:52.60
in the dishonor of the
daughter who has forgotten Him,
00:52:52.63\00:52:55.34
who's forgotten
the will of the Lord,
00:52:55.37\00:52:56.71
who has forgotten
the ways of the Lord.
00:52:56.74\00:52:58.21
And this is
essentially what we see that
00:52:58.24\00:53:00.31
behind the beautiful character
00:53:00.34\00:53:02.31
and the beautiful loving
mind of God is a loving parent
00:53:02.34\00:53:05.48
there who wants to
see His children succeed.
00:53:05.51\00:53:08.32
So what we see
happening over and over through
00:53:08.35\00:53:10.12
the Old Testament,
00:53:10.15\00:53:11.49
and even into the
new to a certain extent
00:53:11.52\00:53:12.99
is we see God's people,
00:53:13.02\00:53:14.36
we see them
failing to realize that
00:53:14.39\00:53:16.89
they truly can
trust and know that
00:53:16.93\00:53:18.93
God is there for them,
00:53:18.96\00:53:20.30
that even
through their failures,
00:53:20.33\00:53:22.20
when those doors are open,
even through those failures,
00:53:22.23\00:53:24.53
God is there for them,
00:53:24.57\00:53:25.90
to catch them to
lead them to guide them.
00:53:25.93\00:53:27.27
And in a sense,
00:53:27.30\00:53:28.64
that's what God is
saying here in Deuteronomy 32.
00:53:28.67\00:53:30.61
He's saying, "Look,
I have begotten you,
00:53:30.64\00:53:32.31
you are mindful and begotten
the God who fathered you."
00:53:32.34\00:53:35.34
So God wants a special,
00:53:35.38\00:53:37.61
spiritually
intimate relationship
00:53:37.65\00:53:40.18
with His people like
that have a close relationship
00:53:40.22\00:53:43.08
between a parent
and their children.
00:53:43.12\00:53:45.55
I'm going to read
just a couple of more texts
00:53:45.59\00:53:47.12
really quickly here together,
00:53:47.16\00:53:48.49
and also Deuteronomy 32:9.
00:53:48.52\00:53:53.56
It says, "But the Lord
has taken you and brought you
00:53:53.60\00:53:56.13
out of the iron
furnace, out of Egypt,
00:53:56.16\00:53:58.77
to be His people, an
heritance, as you are this day."
00:53:58.80\00:54:03.10
God.
00:54:03.14\00:54:04.47
Well, God says, "What is
mine, I want to be yours.
00:54:04.51\00:54:07.31
I am your father, and I love you
00:54:07.34\00:54:08.88
and I want to see you succeed.
00:54:08.91\00:54:10.45
What is mine is yours
00:54:10.48\00:54:11.85
and I've brought
you out of bondage,
00:54:11.88\00:54:13.52
because I want you to be free."
00:54:13.55\00:54:15.32
Deuteronomy 32:9, says,
00:54:15.35\00:54:17.49
"For the Lord's
portion of His people,
00:54:17.52\00:54:20.06
Jacob is the place
of his inheritance."
00:54:20.09\00:54:22.59
There's that language again.
00:54:22.62\00:54:23.96
God wants a deep, close,
00:54:23.99\00:54:26.13
tight family
relationship with His people,
00:54:26.16\00:54:29.90
which in reality is
the deepest of bonds.
00:54:29.93\00:54:32.63
What is deeper?
00:54:32.67\00:54:34.04
What is stronger
than family, right?
00:54:34.07\00:54:36.14
That was instilled
with me as a child.
00:54:36.17\00:54:38.01
Family comes...
Obviously, God comes first.
00:54:38.04\00:54:40.34
But then family, family comes
but there's nothing, nothing
00:54:40.38\00:54:43.38
stronger than a family bond.
00:54:43.41\00:54:45.91
There was a gentleman who
spent two weeks in a cabin
00:54:45.95\00:54:49.48
in the mountains of Colorado.
00:54:49.52\00:54:51.59
He wanted to read the
Bible through for two weeks.
00:54:51.62\00:54:53.36
His name is Philip Yancey,
he's a famous Biblical writer.
00:54:53.39\00:54:56.99
And it's interesting that he...
00:54:57.03\00:54:58.43
Not a Biblical writer,
but a Christian author,
00:54:58.46\00:55:00.10
that's what I meant to say.
00:55:00.13\00:55:01.46
But he spent two
weeks studying the Bible,
00:55:01.50\00:55:02.83
just a bird's eye aerial view,
00:55:02.86\00:55:05.40
he wanted to know for two weeks
00:55:05.43\00:55:06.84
so that's he read
through the Bible,
00:55:06.87\00:55:08.20
these reoccurring
themes that were coming about.
00:55:08.24\00:55:10.57
And this is what
he came away with.
00:55:10.61\00:55:11.94
He could boil the
scripture down into this.
00:55:11.97\00:55:13.54
He says, "The whole Bible can be
00:55:13.58\00:55:15.58
boiled down to one
after another of God
00:55:15.61\00:55:19.21
seeking to restore
a broken relationship
00:55:19.25\00:55:21.52
with man."
00:55:21.55\00:55:22.88
God is a family man,
00:55:22.92\00:55:24.25
will you let Him be your father?
00:55:24.29\00:55:25.95
Amen!
00:55:25.99\00:55:27.32
Thank you so much, Pastor Ryan,
00:55:27.36\00:55:28.76
Pastor James,
Shelley, and Pastor John,
00:55:28.79\00:55:31.23
incredible study,
everlasting covenant.
00:55:31.26\00:55:33.66
I want to give each one
of you a moment to share
00:55:33.70\00:55:35.26
something about your
day or something else.
00:55:35.30\00:55:37.60
Well, the covenant mine
was the covenant that God made,
00:55:37.63\00:55:41.47
which is an
everlasting covenant,
00:55:41.50\00:55:42.97
and it is for all of those of us
00:55:43.00\00:55:44.64
who accept Christ.
00:55:44.67\00:55:46.01
Galatians 3:26, "For
you are all sons of God
00:55:46.04\00:55:49.14
through faith in Jesus Christ.
00:55:49.18\00:55:50.98
For as many of you as
were baptized into Christ
00:55:51.01\00:55:53.45
have put on Christ.
00:55:53.48\00:55:54.82
There is neither Jew nor Greek,
00:55:54.85\00:55:56.18
there is neither slave nor free,
00:55:56.22\00:55:57.55
there's neither male nor female,
00:55:57.59\00:55:59.12
for you are all one in Christ.
00:55:59.15\00:56:00.86
And if you are Christ,
00:56:00.89\00:56:02.59
you are Abraham's seed and heir,
00:56:02.62\00:56:04.69
according to the promise."
00:56:04.73\00:56:06.06
Amen. Amen.
00:56:06.09\00:56:07.76
I just want to say Deuteronomy
is a covenant document.
00:56:07.80\00:56:11.13
It is the renewal
of the commitment.
00:56:11.17\00:56:16.27
It's a covenant renewal
00:56:16.30\00:56:18.17
that Moses is
taking the new generation
00:56:18.21\00:56:22.38
through before they go
into the Promised Land.
00:56:22.41\00:56:24.98
It is the Constitution
of the nation of Israel.
00:56:25.01\00:56:29.62
Amen.
00:56:29.65\00:56:30.99
God wanted us, has wanted
us to be His special people.
00:56:31.02\00:56:34.56
And that means we're different
00:56:34.59\00:56:36.02
from all the other nations,
00:56:36.06\00:56:37.39
all the other
nations are self-sufficient,
00:56:37.43\00:56:38.99
all the other nations
rely upon fallen human nature,
00:56:39.03\00:56:42.00
and not upon God.
00:56:42.03\00:56:43.40
So the new covenant
is all about people,
00:56:43.43\00:56:46.00
that rely upon God
00:56:46.03\00:56:47.50
instead of
relying upon themselves
00:56:47.54\00:56:49.20
that believe in His promises,
00:56:49.24\00:56:50.81
that believe in His
Word, and that trust Him to do
00:56:50.84\00:56:53.07
for them what they
can't do for themselves.
00:56:53.11\00:56:55.08
And this is the day
when that dawns on us,
00:56:55.11\00:56:58.21
this is the day
this is the moment,
00:56:58.25\00:56:59.85
this is the time for us
to take a hold of that truth
00:56:59.88\00:57:03.08
and allow it to be the
lenses through which we see
00:57:03.12\00:57:06.45
everything in the Old
and the New Testament.
00:57:06.49\00:57:08.62
Amen.
00:57:08.66\00:57:09.99
2 Chronicles 7:14 comes to mind,
00:57:10.03\00:57:11.73
"If My people
will humble themselves
00:57:11.76\00:57:14.53
and pray and
seek My face, right?"
00:57:14.56\00:57:16.60
Are you humbling
yourself before the Lord?
00:57:16.63\00:57:18.90
God is your father and He says,
00:57:18.93\00:57:20.27
"Humble yourself before Me,
00:57:20.30\00:57:21.87
and I will forgive your
sins, and I will be your God."
00:57:21.90\00:57:24.51
Amen.
00:57:24.54\00:57:25.87
I learned so much
from the study today.
00:57:25.91\00:57:27.24
Thank you for your insight
and knowledge into God's Word.
00:57:27.28\00:57:29.58
I want to leave you
00:57:29.61\00:57:30.95
with this verse
in Jeremiah 31:33.
00:57:30.98\00:57:34.52
"This is a covenant that
00:57:34.55\00:57:35.98
I will make with
the house of Israel
00:57:36.02\00:57:37.39
after those days, says the Lord.
00:57:37.42\00:57:39.35
I will put My law in their minds
00:57:39.39\00:57:41.39
and write it in their hearts,
00:57:41.42\00:57:43.56
and I will be their God
and they shall be My people."
00:57:43.59\00:57:48.06
What an incredible privilege
is ours, to be God's people,
00:57:48.10\00:57:51.63
to accept Him into our
hearts, and to have Him write,
00:57:51.67\00:57:55.64
His law in our
hearts and in our minds.
00:57:55.67\00:57:58.47
Join us next week
for lesson number four,
00:57:58.51\00:58:00.91
to love the Lord your God.
00:58:00.94\00:58:02.61