+
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[Music]
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--Man, we have been making
some incredible discoveries.
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The conversations that we've
been having centering in Christ,
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but reaching back into the New
Testament to see how the story
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unfolds.
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--Back in the Old Testament.
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--What did I say?
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Yeah, back in the Old Testament
reaching forward and unfolding
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to give his story meaning,
to give his story depth and
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features and it's just
been such a great bible study
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conversation.
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We wanna just mention, I think
that we're doing this series of
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conversations not just for
us to be edified and to grow
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spiritually.
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Yeah, but we have.
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But we really wanna model
this kind of bible study for
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everybody and anybody.
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We think that people all
over the world should be sitting
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together in living rooms and at
tables and in churches and cafes
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and wherever, sitting together
around a table, so to speak,
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just talking about the things
that matter most, because it's
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an amazing thing that happens
when human beings speak what
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they're thinking about the bible
and about life in general, and
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then somebody else speaks,
building on what they said, and
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then another and then another
and it's what we've been kind of
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calling cross-pollination where
I couldn't have possibly thought
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the way I'm thinking about that
unless you and you and you had
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contributed to my thinking on
that subject, and so, I see God,
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myself, the world, people
in a more beautiful light with
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greater clarity because of the
fellowship that we have around
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the word of God.
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--Which was the
original intention, right?
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Body, it's a body and it
has different members, and it's
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supposed to all
contribute to the same thing.
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--When you talk like that, Ty, I
love the text Proverbs 27:17, as
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iron sharpens iron, so a man
sharpens the countenance of his
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friend.
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That's what's happening here.
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If you have a piece of iron, it
can be somewhat sharp, but when
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you bring other pieces of metal
to bear on it, it can become
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better, sharper, more polished.
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--We challenge each
other's thinking, and not only
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challenge, but literally, and I
just said this, but I wanna say
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it again, you cannot see a
subject, you can't see God as
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clearly, by your lonesome, all
by yourself, just reading books
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and studying the bible,
you can't see God as clearly in
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isolation.
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You need community, you need
fellowship, you need to come
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together with others because
their thinking is valid, and you
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need to take it on
board in order to process.
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You may disagree with some of
their thinking, you may forever
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disagree with something,
an opinion, a perspective that
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somebody has, but you're
benefitted by thinking through
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things in the light
of their perspective.
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--Even the fact that there's
multiple writers in scripture
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almost suggest that.
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The Holy Spirit could've chosen
one voice, but yet he chooses
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multiple contributors
and it all comes together.
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--That's a really good point.
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--They're talking about the same
thing, but they have a different
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perspective.
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--One sheds light on
the other and vice versa.
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--Hebrews 10, verse 24 and 25,
and let us consider one another
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in order to stir up
love and good works.
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Not forsaking the assembling
of ourselves together as is the
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manner of some, but exhorting
one another and so much more as
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you see the day approaching.
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That's not just going to church
on Sabbath morning, or if you go
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on Sunday morning, that's
just not that, that's this.
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That's these kinds of
experiences, coming together and
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talking about, as you said,
the things that matter most.
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--This experience, we've
referred to it by certain
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language in previous
conversations and that is the
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priesthood of all believers.
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That's rich language.
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It literally means, and it comes
to us out of the protestant
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reformation, it literally means
that every believer in Christ is
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to have the word in his or her
hands and to be exploring that
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word for him or herself.
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And then, not to be arrogant
about your views or my views or
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be stubborn about it, but you
have the privilege of exploring
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the word of God for yourself,
you don't need to be locked into
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only receiving insights
from the theological elite.
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You can study the
bible for yourself.
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But then, in humility, to take
that word and to intersect with
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others who are studying
the word in order to grow.
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I think it's a
wonderful process.
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--It is a wonderful process, but
what too often happens is that
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we become emotionally attached
to our own positions, we begin
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to regard them as our positions
and when someone contradicts
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that, we take that personally
and we say, and then it becomes,
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in other words, there is a
beautiful thing there, but it's
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only beautiful if you can
be humble and it can be an open
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conversation where
we're all learning together.
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If you come in sort of
prophecorial and I'm gonna show
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you what's right and then
you contradict and I've really
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aligned myself emotionally,
psychologically with this
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position, even if I see in
the text that maybe it's not as
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sustainable as I thought, now it
becomes a different, it can tip
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over, and I would imagine
that all of us at this table and
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probably most people listening
in have had really unfortunate,
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what I'll say, I'll
call generously religious
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conversations that can
turn into bitter arguments.
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And there's a number of things
to this, but one is just being
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humble and the other is being
okay with not insisting that
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someone sees something
exactly the way that you see it.
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They're on a journey, you're on
a journey, they're in a place,
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you're in a place, even Jesus
himself said, man, there is some
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stuff I'd like to tell you guys
right now, but you can't bear
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it.
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There's not a
growth, you're not ready yet.
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I remember when James yesterday,
I think, gave the testimony of
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how he got off the plane and he
was fully loaded up to the hilt
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with his ammo ready to go to
battle, and he said his mother,
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that's how I was a little
bit with my family and friends.
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--Or a lotta bit.
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--Well, a lotta bit.
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And what's really unhelpful to
me in some ways, really helpful
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and in other ways not helpful,
I was like a top member of the
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debate club in my high school.
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Like, competing
at national events.
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So, here, I'm naturally inclined
already toward debate and seeing
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logical fallacies and weaknesses
and understanding, you know, bad
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arguments, and now, I think
I'm right about the universe.
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I'm right about
ultimate reality and watch out.
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You know, I got 2 brothers and 2
sisters, a mom and a dad, and a
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lot of friends, and it's just
like, watch out because here
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come the
spiritual hand grenades.
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It wasn't pretty for the first
year and a half and I tell you,
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I have repented and asked
forgiveness over and over and
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over again, and finally, I just
had to rest in the goodness of
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God and believe that he's gonna
make up the difference where I
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blew it.
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--You know what's powerful about
this, Ty, the way that we're
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direct going right now, I just
wanna bring this thought in, and
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that is, is that what we're
talking about in relation to us
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and to people, getting together,
sharing thoughts, etc. is the
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way the bible is written.
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The bible is written that way.
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God has put together people down
through hundreds, thousands of
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years, and his spirit has moved
upon them to see him through
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these different avenues,
enlightening and giving them
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insights based upon who they
are and where they come from and
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he's put that together.
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In other words, we're not just
sitting around a table ourselves
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with ideas that the Holy Spirit
is leading, but we're, this is a
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table that people have sat
around and contributed to and
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what's really powerful about
the whole principle is this, and
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that is, you've already
said this, but I'm gonna say it
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again, as we explore the word of
God and we come to a place where
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one individual sees something
that maybe another person
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doesn't see and another person
contributes, it's the same with
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the bible.
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When we look at the bible,
and that's why we started in
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Genesis, we've come
through the whole story.
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Isn't it amazing how the Old
Testament and the individuals
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sitting at the table, the Moses,
the Abraham, the Isaac, have
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helped to clarify the New
Testament or give meaning to the
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New Testament, substance the New
Testament and cleared up some
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things.
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You know, I think about
passages, you know, we're gonna
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look at a few right now
that are difficult, difficult to
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understand.
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And how that, as we have looked
at the story from the beginning
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and invited Abraham and invited
Jacob, invited Isaac and invited
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Moses and invited these others
to sit with us, even the context
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of what you said in Hebrews
chapter 10, the context of that
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is Hebrews 11.
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Don't forsake the assembling
of yourselves together.
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With who?
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Just with the faithful of all
ages, because they've got some
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things that they need to
communicate to you, things that
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they've learned that have been
written down, and Paul writes
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these things that can be
understood here as we look at
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the whole picture.
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--Yeah, we all have a mutual
friend named Fred Bishop and he
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says something that has stood
out to me over the years, and it
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actually impacted the way I have
conversation around the word of
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God on theological subjects, if
I'm conversing with him or I ask
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a question, he says,
well my current view on that.
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--I've heard him say that.
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--And I love that, and what he
means is that, I'm in process,
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I'm a student of the word, I
mean, he's never defined it for
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me, but I know
that's what it means.
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--My current view on that
is, I've heard him saying.
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--My current view.
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Somebody asked me not long ago,
well, they didn't ask me, they
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were just literally swooping
down and pouncing on me, walked
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up to me on a series of meetings
I was doing and the guy said,
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that's not what
you were preaching.
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I said, when?
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He said, you were preaching
something different on that 15
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years ago.
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And he was upset about it, and
I didn't know what to say, and
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these are the words that came
out of my mouth, I said, well,
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what happened
was, I kept reading.
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I kept studying.
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--I've quoted you
on that many times.
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I've quoted you on
that story many times.
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--The other day we were saying,
I mean, you believed things last
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year, probably, that
now you see it differently.
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I know it's true for me, and you
discard beliefs and you include
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others.
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--Based on scripture, and I was
gonna say, it's not always just
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changing from A to B to C,
often times, it's growing in and
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solidifying in a deeper, more
biblically holistic reason to
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believe this thing.
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--Believing the same
thing, but for better reasons.
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--That's extremely well said.
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--Well, but do you
still believe that?
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I said, absolutely, I still
believe it, I believe it in the
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larger context with the other
contributing factors that makes
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it a more full orbed truth, the
diamond has facets and the light
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shines from different angles,
and it gets more beautiful as
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you take it in.
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--It's funny that, and I've
had a similar comment at times,
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where people say, your preaching
has changed, as if that's like,
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a negative thing.
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Well, I've changed as a person.
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I'm a 40 year
old man now, right?
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With 2 children and a
wife, my life has changed.
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I'm not a 25 year old, single
kid living out of the back of my
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car.
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My life is, I mean, people
change through the course of
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their life, and it doesn't mean
that the truth changes, but it
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reminds me of HMS Richards, one
of the great preachers in our
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church, he was quoted as saying,
and I read his biography, by Bob
00:12:05.80\00:12:12.60
Edwards, I think it was, and he
says, when I was young, he said,
00:12:12.60\00:12:15.63
I had many doctrines.
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He says, but now that I'm old,
I have one central doctrine, and
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that is that...
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--I used to
believe a lot of things.
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--He said, I had many doctrines,
now that I'm old, I have one
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central doctrine.
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Do you know what it is?
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He says, that I am a great
sinner and Jesus is a great
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savior.
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And that doesn't, he's not
saying that to diminish the
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other things that he also
believed, I mean, HMS Richards
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was a preacher of scripture,
one of the great exegetical
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preachers of the church,
however, what he was saying is,
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every other truth is illumining
that truth, that's the center
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truth, the goodness of God.
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It doesn't, it's not
the diminishment of this, if
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anything, it's the exaltation
of those supporting truths.
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--I think you could even say, if
you haven't discarded a belief
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or added a new one in the last
few, then you haven't been using
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your brain.
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You haven't been thinking.
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--Recently, Jeffery, I tweeted
this thought came to me and I
00:13:00.60\00:13:03.53
wondered if people would
resonate, so I sent this tweet
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out that basically said, if
you're not at least a little
00:13:05.80\00:13:10.03
embarrassed by where you
were last year, then you're not
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thinking.
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So, we grow, we develop, and
God wants us to and we ought to.
00:13:16.00\00:13:20.53
Not in an abandonment of
truth, but in a growing in and
00:13:20.53\00:13:26.66
understanding of truth and if
there are things that we believe
00:13:26.66\00:13:30.70
and if what we believe can't
stand up against investigation,
00:13:30.70\00:13:37.83
then there's a problem.
00:13:37.83\00:13:39.36
The truth needs to be able to
bear the weight of conversation.
00:13:39.36\00:13:46.00
--And of
evaluation and examination.
00:13:46.00\00:13:47.36
--There's another statement that
I've always loved because it
00:13:47.36\00:13:50.46
puts a smile on my face, if we
think we will never have to give
00:13:50.46\00:13:53.66
up a cherished opinion,
we will be sadly mistaken.
00:13:53.66\00:13:57.03
Isn't that good?
00:13:57.03\00:13:58.36
I love that.
00:13:58.36\00:13:59.63
--When we started this little
sub conversation, I was reminded
00:13:59.63\00:14:01.76
of the one that you and I were
quoting just the other day in
00:14:01.76\00:14:03.76
one of the breaks, that the
bible was not written for the
00:14:03.76\00:14:06.50
scholar alone, but
for the common person.
00:14:06.50\00:14:08.93
I love that.
00:14:08.93\00:14:10.20
And the interpretation given by
the common person, when aided by
00:14:10.20\00:14:12.86
the spirit, that's the one that
most often cords with the truth
00:14:12.86\00:14:15.66
as it is in Jesus.
00:14:15.66\00:14:17.16
--So, should we
launch into our topic?
00:14:17.16\00:14:19.46
--That's a great lead-up
conversation to a passage.
00:14:19.46\00:14:22.83
--That's perfect.
00:14:22.83\00:14:24.56
--Well, what we're talking about
in this particular conversation,
00:14:24.56\00:14:28.66
which by the way, is number
12 in this 13 part series.
00:14:28.66\00:14:33.20
--So, we're down toward the...
00:14:33.20\00:14:34.63
--On the righteousness by faith,
it's called the righteousness by
00:14:34.63\00:14:38.50
faith series, number 12, we're
just calling this conversation
00:14:38.50\00:14:41.33
the new covenant, and we're
going to ground our thinking in
00:14:41.33\00:14:44.90
2 Corinthians chapter 3.
00:14:44.90\00:14:47.76
So, let's just turn
there to the passage.
00:14:47.76\00:14:49.86
Verse 6 is really where we wanna
begin, but it's mid-sentence,
00:14:49.86\00:14:53.50
and so I'll just call our
attention to really what the
00:14:53.50\00:14:57.96
thought is here as we begin
getting momentum through the
00:14:57.96\00:15:01.56
passage.
00:15:01.56\00:15:02.80
In verse 6, where Paul's coming
from is he's basically, he's
00:15:02.80\00:15:06.90
defining his ministry and
the ministry of those who are
00:15:06.90\00:15:10.73
ministering with him.
00:15:10.73\00:15:12.00
He's saying, we have a specific
kind of ministry, a particular
00:15:12.00\00:15:15.50
kind of calling.
00:15:15.50\00:15:16.86
We're up to something, we have
an agenda, we're focused in a
00:15:16.86\00:15:19.66
certain direction, and God
has given us that focus and that
00:15:19.66\00:15:22.90
ministry, and he
defines it in this language.
00:15:22.90\00:15:24.90
He says that God has made us
sufficient as ministers of the
00:15:24.90\00:15:31.16
New Covenant, not of the letter,
but of the spirit, for the
00:15:31.16\00:15:37.00
letter kills, but
the spirit gives life.
00:15:37.00\00:15:41.36
That's 2 Corinthians chapter 3
verse 6, and so he's essentially
00:15:41.36\00:15:45.36
saying here that we're
ministers, we can identify with
00:15:45.36\00:15:49.96
that, we're all ministers
of the gospel at this table.
00:15:49.96\00:15:53.63
We're ministers, but then
he wants to make it very clear,
00:15:53.63\00:15:56.76
hey, our ministry is a
ministry of the new covenant.
00:15:56.76\00:16:02.56
Not of the old, not of the
letter, and then he gives a
00:16:02.56\00:16:06.66
rationale, he gives an
explanation for why it's the new
00:16:06.66\00:16:13.13
covenant that needs to
be preached and not the old.
00:16:13.13\00:16:15.86
And he says that reason
is because the letter kills.
00:16:15.86\00:16:19.96
The letter deals out death in
some way, and hopefully, we're
00:16:19.96\00:16:24.03
gonna define that in our
conversation, it deals out
00:16:24.03\00:16:25.93
death, but the
spirit is life giving.
00:16:25.93\00:16:29.16
The spirit creates life and
that's his reasoning, and from
00:16:29.16\00:16:33.76
there, what happens is, from
verse 7-18, Paul is going to
00:16:33.76\00:16:38.73
break down what the new covenant
looks like in contrast to the
00:16:38.73\00:16:44.20
old.
00:16:44.20\00:16:45.50
What the effects of the new
covenant are, what the effects
00:16:45.50\00:16:48.86
of the old covenant
are, and it's all very, very
00:16:48.86\00:16:51.36
experiential.
00:16:51.36\00:16:53.03
It's not merely theology.
00:16:53.03\00:16:55.13
So, let's just move through
the passage and break it down.
00:16:55.13\00:16:58.46
Who wants to begin with verse 7?
00:16:58.46\00:17:00.36
--But if the ministry of death
written and engraved on stones
00:17:00.36\00:17:04.36
was glorious so that the
children of Israel could not
00:17:04.36\00:17:06.73
steadily look at the face of
Moses because of the glory of
00:17:06.73\00:17:09.40
his countenance, which glory
was passing away, how will the
00:17:09.40\00:17:12.73
ministry of the
spirit not be more glorious?
00:17:12.73\00:17:15.50
--Okay, that's a
good place to pause.
00:17:15.50\00:17:16.86
--Yeah, great place.
00:17:16.86\00:17:17.93
He's asking a question.
00:17:17.93\00:17:19.30
Right, it's a question, verses
7 and 8 are a question, and we
00:17:19.30\00:17:23.33
should probably say, and this
was a bit of a tough pillow,
00:17:23.33\00:17:26.23
pill, pillows are tough to
swallow, this was a bit of a
00:17:26.23\00:17:30.16
tough pill for me to swallow
early in my experience because
00:17:30.16\00:17:33.26
when Paul says the ministry of
death, written and engraved on
00:17:33.26\00:17:36.16
stones, he's speaking
about the 10 commandments.
00:17:36.16\00:17:38.00
And when I first came into
the church, you couldn't say
00:17:38.00\00:17:42.03
anything negative about the 10
commandments, right, because I
00:17:42.03\00:17:44.56
was ready to defend because I
knew, for example, that Saturday
00:17:44.56\00:17:46.96
was the Sabbath, and my dukes
were up, we're talking about our
00:17:46.96\00:17:50.56
earlier conversation.
00:17:50.56\00:17:51.83
So, there were literally texts
in the bible, and I wonder if
00:17:51.83\00:17:54.00
any of us else here can relate
to this, that you were afraid
00:17:54.00\00:17:57.20
of.
00:17:57.20\00:17:58.46
You know, you just, well, why
should I read 2 Corinthians 3
00:17:58.46\00:18:00.56
when I can read 1 John 3?
00:18:00.56\00:18:04.23
You know, like, you just,
there were passages that we'd
00:18:04.23\00:18:05.46
gravitate for, but I love to
tell people, never be afraid of
00:18:05.46\00:18:07.50
scripture.
00:18:07.50\00:18:08.73
We don't wanna become creedal
apologists or denominational
00:18:08.73\00:18:12.13
apologists or
positional apologists.
00:18:12.13\00:18:14.30
We wanna be textual apologists.
00:18:14.30\00:18:15.60
So, if the text says A, let's
believe A, if the text says B,
00:18:15.60\00:18:20.63
let's see B.
00:18:20.63\00:18:22.26
So, what he's saying here is
that the ministry of death, and
00:18:22.26\00:18:24.20
we can talk about why
it's the ministry of death.
00:18:24.20\00:18:26.20
It's the ministry of death not
because the law is death in and
00:18:26.20\00:18:29.56
of itself but because the law
defines sin and the wages of sin
00:18:29.56\00:18:32.93
is death.
00:18:32.93\00:18:34.13
--We could take it a step
further, the law defines sin,
00:18:34.13\00:18:35.33
but in defining sin, Paul's
point is, here, is that it
00:18:35.33\00:18:41.33
administers condemnation.
00:18:41.33\00:18:43.56
I happen to guilty.
00:18:43.56\00:18:45.10
I'm a sinner.
00:18:45.10\00:18:47.56
The law, by contrast to me
as a sinner, is magnifying and
00:18:47.56\00:18:57.66
accentuating my guilt.
00:18:57.66\00:18:59.10
As long as I can evade the 10
commandments, as long as I can
00:18:59.10\00:19:02.23
evade the law, I can remain
in a pretty good, solid moral
00:19:02.23\00:19:07.13
position in my own
estimation of myself.
00:19:07.13\00:19:10.03
But then, there is, by contrast,
the law's estimation of me.
00:19:10.03\00:19:13.70
--The law gives
you the brutal facts.
00:19:13.70\00:19:15.36
--Let me just read one verse
on this, just to scripturally
00:19:15.36\00:19:18.70
clarify the point.
00:19:18.70\00:19:19.96
Romans 7, verse 9, for I was
alive without the law once, but
00:19:19.96\00:19:23.80
when the commandment
came, sin revived and I died.
00:19:23.80\00:19:28.76
Okay, that's the
point we're making.
00:19:28.76\00:19:30.70
--Whenever someone says to me,
or I overhear someone saying,
00:19:30.70\00:19:33.86
you know, don't make me feel
guilty, or you're making me feel
00:19:33.86\00:19:37.10
guilty, I always think to
myself, you cannot make me feel
00:19:37.10\00:19:40.70
guilty for
something I've not done.
00:19:40.70\00:19:42.90
Right, if you accuse me right
now of being an international
00:19:42.90\00:19:44.76
drug dealer, you can heap all of
the condemnation on me and guilt
00:19:44.76\00:19:49.76
and it would never stick.
00:19:49.76\00:19:52.03
--Even a local drug dealer.
00:19:52.03\00:19:53.80
--It doesn't stick.
00:19:53.80\00:19:55.96
You cannot make me feel guilty
about that because there is no
00:19:55.96\00:19:59.73
guilt in me about that.
00:19:59.73\00:20:01.16
--So, when people say that they
suggest that perhaps there's
00:20:01.16\00:20:03.26
something guilty.
00:20:03.26\00:20:04.46
--The only thing that I ever
find that I get a guilt trip
00:20:04.46\00:20:05.93
about are the things that
I'm actually guilty of and I
00:20:05.93\00:20:09.36
understand that there are people
who try and, you know, really
00:20:09.36\00:20:12.83
give other people guilt trips
but the point here is that,
00:20:12.83\00:20:14.76
according to scripture,
and we've already seen this in
00:20:14.76\00:20:17.23
Romans 3, the whole
world is guilty before God.
00:20:17.23\00:20:19.90
We stand in violation of God's
law, which is a transcript of
00:20:19.90\00:20:23.80
his goodness and of his love.
00:20:23.80\00:20:25.20
--If that law defines what
utterly perfect and selfless
00:20:25.20\00:20:31.30
other-centered love looks like,
by contrast, I'm going to see
00:20:31.30\00:20:36.90
selfishness in myself and it's
going to smart, it's gonna hurt,
00:20:36.90\00:20:41.73
it's gonna sting in my
conscience, and that's what Paul
00:20:41.73\00:20:45.76
means.
00:20:45.76\00:20:47.03
You mentioned Romans 3, he says,
by the law is the knowledge of
00:20:47.03\00:20:49.63
sin.
00:20:49.63\00:20:50.53
There's another
way to translate that.
00:20:50.53\00:20:51.80
By the law is the consciousness
of sin, and I say consciousness
00:20:51.80\00:20:56.30
because the word conscience in
consciousness is big in Paul's
00:20:56.30\00:21:00.66
thinking, especially in the book
of Hebrews, he says that we have
00:21:00.66\00:21:04.00
a defiled conscience.
00:21:04.00\00:21:06.06
He says that our conscience
needs to be sprinkled with clean
00:21:06.06\00:21:09.86
water.
00:21:09.86\00:21:11.13
Our conscience is filled with a
reservoir of stored up guilt of
00:21:11.13\00:21:17.06
all the bad things that we've
ever done, all the violations.
00:21:17.06\00:21:19.50
It's there, ready to come to the
surface of our consciousness,
00:21:19.50\00:21:24.23
given the right circumstances,
like somebody saying, don't make
00:21:24.23\00:21:27.33
me feel guilty.
00:21:27.33\00:21:28.50
The guilt is
coming to the surface.
00:21:28.50\00:21:30.53
If you're doing something right
and I'm doing something wrong by
00:21:30.53\00:21:34.70
contrast, you're not exactly the
kind of person I wanna hang out
00:21:34.70\00:21:37.50
with because your right doing
magnifies my wrongdoing and
00:21:37.50\00:21:42.13
that's why people gravitate
to certain social circles.
00:21:42.13\00:21:44.93
We hang out with people
that validate us in our current
00:21:44.93\00:21:51.33
position, but it's not healthy.
00:21:51.33\00:21:52.50
We should gravitate toward
people, who can, as we were
00:21:52.50\00:21:55.53
saying earlier, challenge us
and make us think differently,
00:21:55.53\00:21:59.06
that's right.
00:21:59.06\00:22:00.40
I hate to say this, but we have
to take a break right now and
00:22:00.40\00:22:02.86
then we're just
gonna continue on.
00:22:02.86\00:22:06.70
[Music]
00:22:06.70\00:22:09.46
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00:22:13.40\00:22:14.93
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--We were seeing that Paul poses
a question here in verses 7 and
00:24:04.20\00:24:08.50
8, so let's restate the question
since we're coming back from a
00:24:08.50\00:24:12.13
break.
00:24:12.13\00:24:13.10
--Want me to just
read it again real quick?
00:24:13.10\00:24:14.30
But the ministry of death,
written and engraved on stones
00:24:14.30\00:24:15.40
was glorious so that the
children of Israel could not
00:24:15.40\00:24:17.56
steadily look at the face of
Moses because of the glory of
00:24:17.56\00:24:20.63
his countenance, which glory
was passing away, how will the
00:24:20.63\00:24:23.53
ministry of the
spirit not be more glorious?
00:24:23.53\00:24:25.50
--So, we have a contrast here
between one glory and another
00:24:25.50\00:24:29.46
glory.
00:24:29.46\00:24:30.70
We've got a glory that is lesser
and a glory that is greater.
00:24:30.70\00:24:35.66
Parallel language that helps us
to understand this in Romans 7
00:24:35.66\00:24:39.00
where the apostle Paul says,
of the law, the 10 commandments
00:24:39.00\00:24:43.13
engraved with stone, right?
00:24:43.13\00:24:45.03
That it is holy, just,
and good, and it's spiritual.
00:24:45.03\00:24:48.40
So, in and of
itself, the law isn't bad.
00:24:48.40\00:24:53.20
In fact, it's glorious.
00:24:53.20\00:24:54.63
--And he's mentioning the glory
from Moses from the face of
00:24:54.63\00:25:00.43
Moses.
00:25:00.43\00:25:01.43
So, he's using just
this little simple example.
00:25:01.43\00:25:03.30
--It's the entire Sinai episode.
00:25:03.30\00:25:05.26
--So, you're saying if the old
was so glorious that there was
00:25:05.26\00:25:09.26
residue glory on his face and
this is better, how much more
00:25:09.26\00:25:14.33
awesome will
this be than the old?
00:25:14.33\00:25:16.33
Basically, in
dumbed down language.
00:25:16.33\00:25:18.86
--And what's the glory, what's
the glory that supersedes?
00:25:18.86\00:25:22.10
--The glory of the spirit.
00:25:22.10\00:25:24.20
--The glory of the spirit, and
ultimately, he's gonna break it
00:25:24.20\00:25:26.96
down and explain, it's the glory
that we see in Christ himself as
00:25:26.96\00:25:30.80
the fulfillment of
God's covenantal faithfulness.
00:25:30.80\00:25:34.53
That's what turns out to be
the glory that supersedes and he
00:25:34.53\00:25:38.56
even says...
00:25:38.56\00:25:39.63
--He's gonna say that
expressly in the next verse.
00:25:39.63\00:25:41.66
Okay, for the ministry, if
the ministry of condemnation had
00:25:41.66\00:25:45.03
glory, the ministry of
righteousness exceeds much more
00:25:45.03\00:25:47.60
in glory.
00:25:47.60\00:25:48.80
--So, here's more language
to help break it down for us.
00:25:48.80\00:25:51.53
He sees, he's explaining that
the law given at Sinai, the 10
00:25:51.53\00:25:56.40
commandments engraved in
stone has a function and that
00:25:56.40\00:26:00.50
function, it's a glorious
function and it's the ministry
00:26:00.50\00:26:04.80
of condemnation.
00:26:04.80\00:26:05.80
It administers condemnation.
00:26:05.80\00:26:08.43
--And yet, he
says, it's glorious.
00:26:08.43\00:26:10.16
--Because it's a transcript
of the goodness of God.
00:26:10.16\00:26:12.36
--It's shocking language.
00:26:12.36\00:26:14.83
I mean, since
when is condemnation...
00:26:14.83\00:26:17.23
--You know he's
doing that on purpose.
00:26:17.23\00:26:18.53
He's making a point, because
remember, he's not writing here
00:26:18.53\00:26:21.06
to Jeffrey,
James, Ty, and David.
00:26:21.06\00:26:23.13
I mean, by extension he is,
but he's writing to a Jewish
00:26:23.13\00:26:26.70
audience who would've been very
familiar with and very tied to
00:26:26.70\00:26:29.93
gentiles of course, as well, to
a grabbing onto and a clinging
00:26:29.93\00:26:34.96
to the law as the thing,
the oracles of God that they
00:26:34.96\00:26:37.76
possess, they
gave them a step above.
00:26:37.76\00:26:39.26
So, he's, to use a phrase that I
used yesterday that I think you
00:26:39.26\00:26:43.30
liked, he here is intellectually
outflanking them, right?
00:26:43.30\00:26:46.70
He's basically employing the
thing that is their glory and
00:26:46.70\00:26:50.43
saying, yeah, that's glorious,
but that's a ministry of
00:26:50.43\00:26:52.70
condemnation and death, there's
something even more glorious,
00:26:52.70\00:26:55.20
directing the
mind to another thing.
00:26:55.20\00:26:57.53
--Yeah, I love that because in
verse 10, he goes on to say then
00:26:57.53\00:27:00.30
that, that thing that we've just
identified as glorious actually
00:27:00.30\00:27:05.13
has no glory at all for this
reason, the glory of the spirit
00:27:05.13\00:27:09.40
is so much exceeding the glory
that it makes that thing have
00:27:09.40\00:27:14.50
absolutely no glory.
00:27:14.50\00:27:15.60
--You want me to read it?
00:27:15.60\00:27:16.60
--Yeah, read it.
00:27:16.60\00:27:17.73
--For even what was made
glorious had no glory in this
00:27:17.73\00:27:20.26
respect because of
the glory that excels.
00:27:20.26\00:27:22.16
--So, what's the
glory that excels?
00:27:22.16\00:27:23.76
It's the glory of the spirit,
number one, that's one kind of
00:27:23.76\00:27:26.56
language that he uses, it
is the glory of administering
00:27:26.56\00:27:31.50
righteousness rather than
administering condemnation.
00:27:31.50\00:27:34.50
So, that's what we were talking
about in our previous session,
00:27:34.50\00:27:38.03
God can relate to us with
condemnation and legitimately
00:27:38.03\00:27:42.36
so.
00:27:42.36\00:27:43.56
And the law does call our
attention to our guilt, but we
00:27:43.56\00:27:46.86
see in Christ and in the gospel
that God is actually choosing to
00:27:46.86\00:27:51.06
relate to us by
bestowing righteousness.
00:27:51.06\00:27:54.56
--We spent a
whole program on that.
00:27:54.56\00:27:55.80
Not imputing their
trespasses unto them.
00:27:55.80\00:27:57.73
We spent a
whole program on that.
00:27:57.73\00:27:59.93
Not imputing their trespasses
unto them, that was, we were in
00:27:59.93\00:28:03.06
2 Corinthians 5.
00:28:03.06\00:28:05.93
--This isn't another chapter,
this is, we're just going back
00:28:05.93\00:28:10.90
now.
00:28:10.90\00:28:12.10
--The illustration that
I've used, you might've heard it
00:28:12.10\00:28:13.96
before is that the starts look
absolutely beautiful at night
00:28:13.96\00:28:17.90
and the moon is glorious
and it's shining, especially if
00:28:17.90\00:28:20.86
you've been out camping in
the wilderness where you're away
00:28:20.86\00:28:23.66
from all light pollution and you
get out in Wyoming or Montana or
00:28:23.66\00:28:26.26
even, you know,
California, the sky is awesome.
00:28:26.26\00:28:30.93
And the moon is awesome.
00:28:30.93\00:28:32.20
I mean, I have hiked in my life
hundreds of miles by moonlight.
00:28:32.20\00:28:35.50
Backpacking.
00:28:35.50\00:28:36.86
Yeah, just by moonlight.
00:28:36.86\00:28:38.10
Sometimes, it's so bright,
your eyes adjust, you just hike.
00:28:38.10\00:28:39.90
But here's what
ends up happening.
00:28:39.90\00:28:41.83
When the sun comes out the
next day, those stars are still
00:28:41.83\00:28:44.46
there.
00:28:44.46\00:28:45.53
All those stars are
still there in the sky.
00:28:45.53\00:28:48.00
It's not as though the stars
go away, and even the moon is
00:28:48.00\00:28:50.40
there, but you
can't see the starts.
00:28:50.40\00:28:51.36
Sometimes you can
see them but it's faint.
00:28:51.36\00:28:53.60
--Can I say why, can I?
00:28:53.60\00:28:54.93
Because the glory that excels.
00:28:54.93\00:28:56.90
The sun eclipses the light of
the moon and the stars because
00:28:56.90\00:29:01.30
it literally outshines them all.
00:29:01.30\00:29:05.26
--And if you take that
illustration to its, and we
00:29:05.26\00:29:07.56
could have a lot of fun with it.
00:29:07.56\00:29:08.83
You can have a lot of fun with
this because, for example, Jesus
00:29:08.83\00:29:13.13
is called, in Malachi, the sun
of righteousness, S-U-N, right,
00:29:13.13\00:29:17.63
so we can, we were living
in darkness and there's lots of
00:29:17.63\00:29:20.56
texts about that, you know,
darkness covers the earth and
00:29:20.56\00:29:23.70
the people, and there were stars
in the sky, there were prophets,
00:29:23.70\00:29:26.90
there were the oracles of
God, there was the ministry of
00:29:26.90\00:29:29.23
condemnation written and
engraved on stones, but when God
00:29:29.23\00:29:31.93
shows up in a manger, right,
when Jesus shows up in a manger,
00:29:31.93\00:29:36.30
when he's hanging on Golgotha's
tree, now this is like,
00:29:36.30\00:29:40.33
eclipses.
00:29:40.33\00:29:42.56
Is the other light still there?
00:29:42.56\00:29:43.80
Is it valid, is it important?
00:29:43.80\00:29:45.20
Of course it is.
00:29:45.20\00:29:46.43
--That language you just
used about Jesus being born in a
00:29:46.43\00:29:48.00
manger, notice what the angel
said in Luke chapter 2 when they
00:29:48.00\00:29:51.96
saw the babe in the manger.
00:29:51.96\00:29:54.53
They said, glory
to God in the highest.
00:29:54.53\00:29:58.06
This is the highest
manifestation of the glory of
00:29:58.06\00:30:00.83
God.
00:30:00.83\00:30:02.03
This is the eclipsing glory
of God in the incarnation of
00:30:02.03\00:30:04.93
Christ.
00:30:04.93\00:30:06.16
--Okay, I got a question for
you, I wanna read verse 11, and
00:30:06.16\00:30:08.53
we might have a disagreement
here, so I'll be interested to
00:30:08.53\00:30:10.70
see if we do.
00:30:10.70\00:30:11.90
This could be a good example,
a good opportunity for us to
00:30:11.90\00:30:14.93
practice what we were preaching.
00:30:14.93\00:30:16.16
Here we go, verse 11 says,
for if what was passing away was
00:30:16.16\00:30:18.73
glorious, what
remains is much more glorious.
00:30:18.73\00:30:21.53
Right, now I'm just
gonna read a little bit more.
00:30:21.53\00:30:23.53
So far so good, because
I have not said anything.
00:30:23.53\00:30:25.56
Therefore, since we have such
hope, we use such great boldness
00:30:25.56\00:30:28.43
of speech, unlike Moses, who put
a veil over his face so that the
00:30:28.43\00:30:31.00
children of Israel could not
steadily look at the end of what
00:30:31.00\00:30:32.76
was passing away.
00:30:32.76\00:30:34.13
Okay, now, here's my question.
00:30:34.13\00:30:35.36
--You were reading that
really fast, by the way.
00:30:35.36\00:30:38.00
--Sorry, compared
to you, I read fast.
00:30:38.00\00:30:39.83
Here's my question in verse
11, what is the thing that is
00:30:39.83\00:30:44.20
passing away that was glorious?
00:30:44.20\00:30:47.63
The silence is deafening.
00:30:49.36\00:30:51.90
--I was deferring.
00:30:52.93\00:30:54.06
--I was just looking at
James, and anyway, go ahead.
00:30:54.06\00:30:56.30
--This is the heavy
part, because there's 2 time,
00:30:56.30\00:31:01.10
actually, back in verse 7,
the last 2 words of verse 7 is
00:31:01.10\00:31:04.33
passing away, and then again, he
says here, in 11 and 12, passing
00:31:04.33\00:31:09.33
away.
00:31:09.33\00:31:10.60
And so, this passage has been
controversial and uncomfortable
00:31:10.60\00:31:17.00
for those who validate the
10 commandments as a holy, good,
00:31:17.00\00:31:20.26
just law, because this passage
is used by some to say the law
00:31:20.26\00:31:24.56
in total, the 10 commandments as
a moral code, as an expression
00:31:24.56\00:31:29.56
of what love looks like,
relationally, vertically and
00:31:29.56\00:31:31.96
horizontally, is done
away with, it's invalid.
00:31:31.96\00:31:35.10
--Which is the most insane thing
possible, but there are people
00:31:35.10\00:31:37.10
that say that.
00:31:37.10\00:31:38.33
--But what Paul, I think, is
saying is that what's passing
00:31:38.33\00:31:42.43
away is one era and system that
had existed, that is giving way
00:31:42.43\00:31:52.93
now to the new covenant
experience and relationship, not
00:31:52.93\00:31:59.56
that nobody could have it
before, but it's giving way to
00:31:59.56\00:32:03.23
basically the person of Christ
as the fulfillment of the whole
00:32:03.23\00:32:08.33
system that was pointing forward
to him, so it's the system as a
00:32:08.33\00:32:13.26
whole.
00:32:13.26\00:32:14.53
--So, it would be incorrect to
say that the thing itself hasn't
00:32:14.53\00:32:17.80
changed, but that there were
just 2 ways of relating to the
00:32:17.80\00:32:21.43
thing?
00:32:21.43\00:32:22.16
--What is the thing?
00:32:22.16\00:32:23.00
--There was an
old way and a new way.
00:32:23.00\00:32:24.36
Well, it could be the covenant,
it could be the law, the law of
00:32:24.36\00:32:29.16
the 10 commandments.
00:32:29.16\00:32:30.03
--I think Paul
identifies it in verse 9.
00:32:30.03\00:32:30.90
It's the
ministration of condemnation.
00:32:30.90\00:32:33.80
There's 2 ministrations, the
ministration of condemnation,
00:32:33.80\00:32:35.90
there's a
ministration of righteousness.
00:32:35.90\00:32:38.16
So, the ministration of
condemnation is giving way to
00:32:38.16\00:32:41.60
the ministration of
righteousness, so, but the
00:32:41.60\00:32:44.00
ministration of condemnation
pointed to the ministration of
00:32:44.00\00:32:46.53
righteousness.
00:32:46.53\00:32:47.73
That's what he says right
here in verse 13, he says, they
00:32:47.73\00:32:49.33
couldn't see the end of that
which was giving way to this.
00:32:49.33\00:32:52.93
They couldn't see that the
ministration of condemnation was
00:32:52.93\00:32:55.40
leading us.
00:32:55.40\00:32:56.66
It's kinds of like Galatians,
the law is our school master to
00:32:56.66\00:32:59.26
lead us to Jesus, and they
couldn't see that it wasn't an
00:32:59.26\00:33:03.40
end in itself, but it was
leading us, it was pointing us
00:33:03.40\00:33:05.63
to it.
00:33:05.63\00:33:06.86
--Giving a hard definition
of the ministry of condemnation
00:33:06.86\00:33:08.83
is...
00:33:08.83\00:33:11.03
--The work of...
00:33:11.03\00:33:12.93
--You're asking a question?
00:33:12.93\00:33:14.13
--I'm asking you.
00:33:14.13\00:33:15.16
The ministry of condemnation is?
00:33:15.16\00:33:17.83
--The ministry of condemnation
is the 10 commandment law.
00:33:17.83\00:33:20.30
--Okay, and so the
ministry of righteousness is?
00:33:20.30\00:33:23.10
--The work of the 10 commandment
law exalted by Christ in filled
00:33:23.10\00:33:30.33
by the spirit.
00:33:30.33\00:33:31.56
--Okay, so then the point is
that the thing doesn't change,
00:33:31.56\00:33:35.06
but that there are 2 ways
of relating to the same thing,
00:33:35.06\00:33:38.36
right?
00:33:38.36\00:33:39.63
And that the old way of relating
to the thing has been replaced
00:33:39.63\00:33:42.06
or superseded by the new way.
00:33:42.06\00:33:44.03
--Superseded is
a much better word.
00:33:44.03\00:33:45.46
--Which is, yeah, not replaced,
superseded with a new way of
00:33:45.46\00:33:49.80
relating to the thing and that
new way of relating to the thing
00:33:49.80\00:33:53.53
is in the spirit, not in the
letter but in the spirit, does
00:33:53.53\00:33:56.53
that make sense?
00:33:56.53\00:33:58.36
--Here's another verse that
could complicate this for us.
00:33:58.36\00:33:59.36
--Don't complicate it.
00:33:59.36\00:34:02.10
--Look at John 1:17.
00:34:02.10\00:34:03.93
John 1:17 is also a difficult
passage that those who wanna
00:34:03.93\00:34:07.96
validate the 10 commandments,
such as us at this table, those
00:34:07.96\00:34:11.76
who would say with David, oh,
how I love your law, alright?
00:34:11.76\00:34:17.16
John 1:17 is a parallel passage.
00:34:17.16\00:34:20.10
I say parallel conceptually, and
the verse simply says, for the
00:34:20.10\00:34:24.73
law was given through Moses
but grace and truth came through
00:34:24.73\00:34:29.66
Jesus Christ.
00:34:29.66\00:34:31.83
--The word but really shouldn't
be there, because he's just
00:34:31.83\00:34:35.03
making two, but even
conceptually, that's the
00:34:35.03\00:34:38.66
replaced thing, it's the
difference between superseded
00:34:38.66\00:34:43.13
and replaced.
00:34:43.13\00:34:44.36
If it just said, for the law
was given through Moses, and you
00:34:44.36\00:34:47.96
could say, and then grace and
truth came through Jesus Christ.
00:34:47.96\00:34:51.03
The but isn't totally
inappropriate in a sense that
00:34:51.03\00:34:53.80
it's introducing a contrast, but
it's not the replacement of a
00:34:53.80\00:34:57.46
thing.
00:34:57.46\00:34:58.70
Anyway, you unpacked the text,
you're the one that took us
00:34:58.70\00:34:59.93
there, I just wanted to
point out that it's not a hard
00:34:59.93\00:35:02.30
contrast, that's not his point,
in the same way that Paul's
00:35:02.30\00:35:05.93
point here is not a hard
contrast, it's a superseding.
00:35:05.93\00:35:08.96
That thing, the stars are
still bright, the moon is still
00:35:08.96\00:35:11.30
bright, but now there's
something that's even more
00:35:11.30\00:35:13.36
bright, that eclipses.
00:35:13.36\00:35:14.63
--Could we say it this way, what
Paul is trying to communicate to
00:35:14.63\00:35:18.70
us and doing a good job of
communicating it to us, is that
00:35:18.70\00:35:24.23
the law has its place and its
function and the place and the
00:35:24.23\00:35:29.40
function that it
has is not to save.
00:35:29.40\00:35:33.46
The law cannot administer
righteousness, the law cannot
00:35:33.46\00:35:37.70
regard Jeffery as righteous.
00:35:37.70\00:35:41.76
The law cannot impute
righteousness and not impute
00:35:41.76\00:35:46.63
your sins unto you.
00:35:46.63\00:35:47.86
That's a personal function,
that's a relational function.
00:35:47.86\00:35:51.80
So, the law, as a code on tables
of stone, has no saving virtue
00:35:51.80\00:35:56.86
in and of itself.
00:35:56.86\00:35:59.70
--The only just small
clarification I would add to
00:35:59.70\00:36:01.63
that is that if
someone is not a sinner.
00:36:01.63\00:36:04.30
--I was just about to
say, unless I'm not guilty.
00:36:04.30\00:36:06.50
--Yeah, in other words, the law
can communicate righteousness,
00:36:06.50\00:36:11.53
it can, I think the word you
used was impute, I don't wanna
00:36:11.53\00:36:14.16
necessarily argue over that
word, but the law can definitely
00:36:14.16\00:36:17.03
give a vote of confidence and a
vote of righteousness to someone
00:36:17.03\00:36:21.10
who's never violated its
principles and who has lived the
00:36:21.10\00:36:23.76
selfless love that
is communicated therein.
00:36:23.76\00:36:27.10
But we find ourselves on
the other side of that, all of
00:36:27.10\00:36:29.33
humanity does.
00:36:29.33\00:36:30.60
--But there's a deep truth there
in what you just said and that
00:36:30.60\00:36:32.80
is there is one, one righteous
man who came into this world,
00:36:32.80\00:36:38.36
Jesus Christ, and he never did
violate the law, he consistently
00:36:38.36\00:36:42.70
manifested selfless love,
and that is, and we never got to
00:36:42.70\00:36:46.36
this, and we probably won't have
time to, that is the very reason
00:36:46.36\00:36:49.53
why he himself said and
Paul articulates that the grave
00:36:49.53\00:36:53.50
couldn't hold him.
00:36:53.50\00:36:54.73
Jesus wasn't resurrected by
arbitrary fiat, God didn't just
00:36:54.73\00:36:59.00
strong arm him out of death.
00:36:59.00\00:37:03.43
According to the gospel, Jesus
whooped it, he was victorious
00:37:03.43\00:37:07.40
over death, he was triumphant
over death, so he said, death
00:37:07.40\00:37:12.26
couldn't hold him.
00:37:12.26\00:37:13.53
He emerges from the tomb holding
the keys of hell and of death,
00:37:13.53\00:37:16.46
he's victorious over it by
virtue of the fact that he never
00:37:16.46\00:37:21.10
sinned, which sounds really
kinda sterile, he never ceased
00:37:21.10\00:37:27.13
loving us.
00:37:27.13\00:37:28.36
--He never ceased loving God
with all of his heart, mind, and
00:37:28.36\00:37:29.16
soul, and his
neighbor as himself.
00:37:29.16\00:37:30.23
--Sin couldn't hold
him, death couldn't hold him.
00:37:30.23\00:37:32.16
--I have another question.
00:37:32.16\00:37:33.13
--It had no legal right to him.
00:37:33.13\00:37:34.63
--Because the sting of death is
sin and the strength of sin is
00:37:34.63\00:37:37.13
law.
00:37:37.13\00:37:38.40
The sting of death, the thing
that causes death to come upon
00:37:38.40\00:37:41.36
someone is sin.
00:37:41.36\00:37:42.56
--And if he has no
sin, it has no sting.
00:37:42.56\00:37:44.33
--And that's 1
Corinthians 15:56.
00:37:44.33\00:37:47.73
--But what about the
part that says about the law?
00:37:47.73\00:37:50.33
--Yeah, so the sting of death is
sin and the strength of sin is
00:37:50.33\00:37:53.16
the law, which is the
point we're making here.
00:37:53.16\00:37:55.13
--Imagine if the law
was abolished, let's just
00:37:55.13\00:37:58.20
hypothetically say for a moment,
because some people interpret
00:37:58.20\00:38:01.83
Paul as saying, it's done away
with, it's passing away, that
00:38:01.83\00:38:04.83
means the 10 commandments is
gone, obsolete, doesn't exist in
00:38:04.83\00:38:08.20
God's system anymore.
00:38:08.20\00:38:10.03
It's invalid.
00:38:10.03\00:38:11.56
Let's just imagine,
hypothetically, if the law of
00:38:11.56\00:38:14.03
God was just removed from
reality, what would follow?
00:38:14.03\00:38:20.40
--It's impossible to
imagine because it's completely
00:38:20.40\00:38:22.66
nonsensical.
00:38:22.66\00:38:23.90
--Well, for one thing,
Jesus wouldn't have had to die.
00:38:23.90\00:38:27.53
I mean, think about it.
00:38:27.53\00:38:29.00
--If he died to save
us from sin and death.
00:38:29.00\00:38:30.96
--And if there's no law, there
is no sin and if there's no sin,
00:38:30.96\00:38:33.83
why would we need a savior?
00:38:33.83\00:38:35.86
--Step 2, if there is no law, if
the law's done away with, then
00:38:35.86\00:38:39.86
there really is no
such thing as love anymore.
00:38:39.86\00:38:46.40
No relational integrity is
necessary, everybody can live
00:38:46.40\00:38:49.40
for himself.
00:38:49.40\00:38:50.66
Step 3, according to what James
just read, death would come upon
00:38:50.66\00:38:54.73
all of creation if
that law were extinguished.
00:38:54.73\00:38:58.16
The law of God is,
as we say, immutable.
00:38:58.16\00:39:01.13
It's changeless and it is the
very reason why the gospel had
00:39:01.13\00:39:08.40
to be enacted by Christ, Jesus
had to die on the cross because
00:39:08.40\00:39:14.76
the law can't be changed.
00:39:14.76\00:39:16.00
So, we need to keep that in
mind as we read Paul's language.
00:39:16.00\00:39:17.53
--Absolutely, so, in the context
of 2 Corinthians 3, the thing
00:39:17.53\00:39:21.20
that was originally passing away
was the glory that was on the
00:39:21.20\00:39:23.63
face of Moses.
00:39:23.63\00:39:24.90
He didn't continue to glow
through the rest of his life, it
00:39:24.90\00:39:26.83
was a temporary, residual glow,
as you said, But then Paul uses
00:39:26.83\00:39:30.43
that to say, hey, just as that
glory faded away, so, too, the
00:39:30.43\00:39:35.00
glory of the ministry of
the condemnation of death is not
00:39:35.00\00:39:38.70
replaced but superseded, the
stars don't disappear when the
00:39:38.70\00:39:41.53
sun comes out, they don't
literally go away, they're just
00:39:41.53\00:39:44.63
eclipsed.
00:39:44.63\00:39:45.73
Could I just kinda
finish the passage here?
00:39:45.73\00:39:48.33
At least read the next part?
00:39:48.33\00:39:50.23
Verse 13, to remind us of
context, unlike Moses, who put a
00:39:50.23\00:39:52.73
veil over his face so that
the children of Israel could not
00:39:52.73\00:39:54.43
steadily look at the end of what
was passing away, verse 14, but
00:39:54.43\00:39:58.53
their minds were blinded for
until this day, the, and we've
00:39:58.53\00:40:02.50
already read this passage
actually, a number of sessions
00:40:02.50\00:40:04.50
ago, for until this day, the
same veil remains unlifted in
00:40:04.50\00:40:07.60
the reading of the Old
Testament, because the veil is
00:40:07.60\00:40:09.66
taken away in Christ.
00:40:09.66\00:40:11.33
I'll just read verse 15, but
even to this day, when Moses is
00:40:11.33\00:40:13.73
read, a veil
lies over their heart.
00:40:13.73\00:40:15.86
Now, he almost, he doesn't
almost, he switches the point,
00:40:15.86\00:40:19.90
maybe he doesn't switch, that's
the wrong word, he expands the
00:40:19.90\00:40:21.86
point and basically says, when
that veil remains over the face,
00:40:21.86\00:40:27.70
right, when, the reading of
Moses, that is to say, Genesis,
00:40:27.70\00:40:31.10
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
Deuteronomy, and all of the
00:40:31.10\00:40:33.06
prophets, there is a, something
that has interposed itself
00:40:33.06\00:40:37.36
between what the text is saying
and the point of the text and
00:40:37.36\00:40:41.73
their minds.
00:40:41.73\00:40:43.00
He says their minds are blinded,
and that veil is removed, it's
00:40:43.00\00:40:46.26
taken away in Christ.
00:40:46.26\00:40:48.60
When we have a radical
Christ-centered reading of
00:40:48.60\00:40:51.76
scripture, and in context
of the law in the ministry of
00:40:51.76\00:40:54.20
condemnation, the
ministry of death.
00:40:54.20\00:40:55.66
--Because now we see the spirit
and not just the letter to
00:40:55.66\00:40:59.80
Christ.
00:40:59.80\00:41:01.26
--We see the point.
00:41:01.26\00:41:02.53
--Another thing that Paul just
did, is he, and I thought that's
00:41:02.53\00:41:06.23
what you were going to say
because I was seeing this in the
00:41:06.23\00:41:10.16
passage, I love the point that
you just made, but did you see
00:41:10.16\00:41:12.80
that Paul now expanded it to
the entire Old Testament, the
00:41:12.80\00:41:17.36
writings of Moses and
the prophets in total.
00:41:17.36\00:41:19.86
--The Old Testament.
00:41:19.86\00:41:21.10
--Yeah, so, if you're going
to say that it's passing away,
00:41:21.10\00:41:24.96
whatever he's talking about,
you're gonna have to basically
00:41:24.96\00:41:27.93
negate the entire Old Testament
which gives you no platform for
00:41:27.93\00:41:32.63
Christ whatsoever.
00:41:32.63\00:41:33.90
--And it's clearly not the way
that the New Testament writers
00:41:33.90\00:41:37.53
related to the Old Testament,
they saw, as they're writing
00:41:37.53\00:41:40.06
their gospels, their epistles,
their letters, they're looking
00:41:40.06\00:41:42.73
back, oh, yeah, there's
Jesus, there's Jesus, and if you
00:41:42.73\00:41:45.76
would've asked them, you
would've said, hey, what's the
00:41:45.76\00:41:48.20
deal with the New Testament,
what's the deal with this
00:41:48.20\00:41:49.80
writing?
00:41:49.80\00:41:50.80
Does that mean the Old
Testament is invalidated?
00:41:50.80\00:41:52.30
No, the Old
Testament is fulfilled.
00:41:52.30\00:41:54.36
The Old Testament is brought to
its grand and climactic point,
00:41:54.36\00:41:57.80
its end, its conclusion.
00:41:57.80\00:41:59.13
Is that glorious?
00:41:59.13\00:42:00.53
Yes, that's glorious, but this
is the point, this is even more
00:42:00.53\00:42:04.23
glorious, not that that has
no glory, but that this is the
00:42:04.23\00:42:07.10
consummation, this is the
conclusion, this is the climax
00:42:07.10\00:42:09.56
of the thing.
00:42:09.56\00:42:10.80
--The clock tells us we have
to push the pause button right
00:42:10.80\00:42:13.80
there, but our excitement
level's so high that we'll just
00:42:13.80\00:42:18.43
pick this up
with equal enthusiasm.
00:42:18.43\00:42:19.86
[Music]
00:42:20.56\00:42:28.43
--A Light in Zambia is a moving
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00:43:07.36\00:43:11.16
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00:43:11.16\00:43:14.60
--So, we left off in 2
Corinthians chapter 3, we're
00:43:15.73\00:43:17.90
just working
through the passage.
00:43:17.90\00:43:19.80
Where did we leave off?
00:43:19.80\00:43:20.86
What verse did we get to?
00:43:20.86\00:43:21.93
Verse 15, I think.
00:43:21.93\00:43:23.16
We got to verse 15.
00:43:23.16\00:43:24.56
I wanna call our attention to
the fact that there's a parallel
00:43:24.56\00:43:29.46
passage to 2 Corinthians 3.
00:43:29.46\00:43:30.46
--So we're just gonna
kinda keep our finger here.
00:43:30.46\00:43:31.63
--Yeah, keep our
finger in 2 Corinthians.
00:43:31.63\00:43:33.53
--Because there's a
passage I wanna look at as well.
00:43:33.53\00:43:34.80
--But there's actually a
parallel passage where Paul is
00:43:34.80\00:43:37.96
addressing the same exact
subject and he's using very
00:43:37.96\00:43:42.50
similar language, and it's
Romans 7, the first 6 verses,
00:43:42.50\00:43:47.26
and what's happening in Romans
7 is that the apostle Paul is
00:43:47.26\00:43:51.90
addressing, according to
verse 1, those who know the law.
00:43:51.90\00:43:57.23
So, he's addressing people
who are aware of the law, they
00:43:57.23\00:44:01.10
believe in the law, the 10
commandments are valid in their
00:44:01.10\00:44:04.53
thinking and they have some kind
of relationship with God that is
00:44:04.53\00:44:08.36
grounded in or has
something to do with the law.
00:44:08.36\00:44:11.96
They know the law,
they're not gentiles.
00:44:11.96\00:44:13.93
Or, they could even be
Christians who are aware of the
00:44:13.93\00:44:17.36
law like those of us
sitting at this table.
00:44:17.36\00:44:20.26
This is who he's addressing.
00:44:20.26\00:44:22.56
And then he tells a story.
00:44:22.56\00:44:24.10
It's kind of a short parable of
sorts, in verse 2, he says, for
00:44:24.10\00:44:28.76
the woman who has a husband is
bound to the law of her husband,
00:44:28.76\00:44:34.06
bound by the law to her
husband as long as he lives.
00:44:34.06\00:44:37.66
Now, watch this, but if the
husband dies, she is released
00:44:37.66\00:44:42.16
from the law of her husband.
00:44:42.16\00:44:44.00
Fascinating.
00:44:44.00\00:44:45.26
So, then, if while her husband
lives, she marries another man,
00:44:45.26\00:44:49.80
she will be called an
adulteress, but if her husband
00:44:49.80\00:44:53.16
dies, she is free from the law
so that she is no adulteress,
00:44:53.16\00:44:58.26
though she has
married another man.
00:44:58.26\00:45:00.30
Now, he makes his application.
00:45:00.30\00:45:01.96
Therefore, my brethren, you
also have become dead to the law
00:45:01.96\00:45:07.86
through the body of Christ that
you may be married to another,
00:45:07.86\00:45:12.40
to him who is raised from the
dead, now watch this, that you
00:45:12.40\00:45:17.13
may bear fruit to God.
00:45:17.13\00:45:19.76
There has been a relationship
with the law, those who know the
00:45:19.76\00:45:23.40
law, verse 1, that
has not been fruitful.
00:45:23.40\00:45:26.36
They're striving to obey
the law, no doubt, they see its
00:45:26.36\00:45:30.00
validity, but they're
not bearing fruit to God.
00:45:30.00\00:45:32.90
So, there's a sense in which
Paul says, actually, you have to
00:45:32.90\00:45:36.13
die to the law and come alive to
Christ in order to have a right
00:45:36.13\00:45:41.30
relation to the law, to be
successful in bearing fruit to
00:45:41.30\00:45:45.16
God in your obedience.
00:45:45.16\00:45:47.60
So, then he explains
further, this is amazing.
00:45:47.60\00:45:49.80
Look at verses 5
and 6, Romans 7:5 and 6.
00:45:49.80\00:45:52.73
For when we were in the flesh,
the sinful passions which were
00:45:52.73\00:45:57.63
aroused by the law were at work
in our members to bear fruit to
00:45:57.63\00:46:02.80
death.
00:46:02.80\00:46:04.03
But now, we have been delivered
from the law, having died to
00:46:04.03\00:46:08.23
what we were held by so that
we should serve in newness of
00:46:08.23\00:46:13.86
spirit and not in
oldness of letter.
00:46:13.86\00:46:17.10
--It's the same
language from 2 Corinthians 3.
00:46:17.10\00:46:18.76
--The apostle Paul was
essentially saying here that if
00:46:18.76\00:46:23.10
we attempt to relate to God with
the law of the 10 commandments
00:46:23.10\00:46:28.33
and God's whole law of
scripture, if we relate to God
00:46:28.33\00:46:32.26
through the laws, our primary
mode of relationship with God,
00:46:32.26\00:46:36.93
we will not bear fruit
because we are living under
00:46:36.93\00:46:40.00
condemnation.
00:46:40.00\00:46:41.46
We're striving to obey
with an eye single to the law.
00:46:41.46\00:46:44.50
But Paul says, in a sense, you
need to shift your focus, your
00:46:44.50\00:46:48.96
matrimonial focus, your heart,
you need to not be married to
00:46:48.96\00:46:54.10
the old husband, the law, you
need to be married to Christ.
00:46:54.10\00:46:57.60
Does that do away with the law?
00:46:57.60\00:46:58.86
Paul says, no, what it does with
the law is it puts you in right
00:46:58.86\00:47:02.50
relation to the law and it
produces a quality or a kind of
00:47:02.50\00:47:07.26
obedience that you
couldn't have apart from Christ.
00:47:07.26\00:47:10.06
What kind of
obedience does it produce?
00:47:10.06\00:47:12.26
An obedience, he says, in
verse 6 that not the oldness of
00:47:12.26\00:47:16.76
letter, but newness of spirit.
00:47:16.76\00:47:19.83
--That's why he's so, basically
the experiential transition of a
00:47:19.83\00:47:24.63
different relationship to the
thing and you know, you can be
00:47:24.63\00:47:28.26
so devoted, you can be so
focused on doing the right thing
00:47:28.26\00:47:32.86
and obeying the law, you wake up
in the morning, you go down the
00:47:32.86\00:47:35.10
checklist, but you're miserable.
00:47:35.10\00:47:36.56
So, there's this...
00:47:36.56\00:47:38.53
--That's not fruit bearing.
00:47:38.53\00:47:39.80
--No, and it brings to my mind
the whole ministration of death
00:47:39.80\00:47:41.63
and condemnation.
00:47:41.63\00:47:43.20
You're miserable doing the right
thing as opposed to doing the
00:47:43.20\00:47:46.23
right thing and it being
just the outflow of joy and of
00:47:46.23\00:47:50.10
pleasure.
00:47:50.10\00:47:51.36
--By the way, Jeffery, you're
not only miserable, but because
00:47:51.36\00:47:53.46
you're miserable, you want
to make other people just as
00:47:53.46\00:47:56.03
miserable as you are.
00:47:56.03\00:47:57.30
--Jeffery, add this, guilt does
not produce genuine obedience.
00:47:57.30\00:48:05.60
It's not the proper motive or
impetus, it doesn't produce the
00:48:05.60\00:48:09.93
right quality of relationship
with God that would yield the
00:48:09.93\00:48:14.20
right kind of
obedience to the law.
00:48:14.20\00:48:15.90
The only thing that yields the
right kind of relationship to
00:48:15.90\00:48:20.56
the law and God is, he
says, being married to Christ.
00:48:20.56\00:48:25.53
Falling in love with Christ as
our spiritual husband produces a
00:48:25.53\00:48:29.46
whole different
motivational mainspring.
00:48:29.46\00:48:32.60
There's something that is coming
up from the inside toward God.
00:48:32.60\00:48:37.40
The law is somehow now as
internally written and scribed
00:48:37.40\00:48:43.16
and realized.
00:48:43.16\00:48:44.30
--We need to get
to that in Hebrews 8.
00:48:44.30\00:48:45.50
I've loved Paul, I called
you Paul, I love, Ty, your
00:48:45.50\00:48:50.06
explication there of Romans 7
because that is a passage that,
00:48:50.06\00:48:53.20
misunderstood, will introduce
an untextual antagonism between
00:48:53.20\00:48:58.86
Christ and the law.
00:48:58.86\00:49:00.13
He's not, and he actually
develops that, if we just jump
00:49:00.13\00:49:04.23
forward to Romans 10, this idea
that there's not an antagonism,
00:49:04.23\00:49:08.96
not a competition, but a
complementarity between the law
00:49:08.96\00:49:13.56
rightly understood and Christ,
and he fleshes that out with
00:49:13.56\00:49:17.43
tremendous clarity here in
Romans chapter 10, and I'm gonna
00:49:17.43\00:49:21.43
do something because I can
read really fast, I'm just gonna
00:49:21.43\00:49:23.30
start in 9:30, and
I'm just gonna read that.
00:49:23.30\00:49:26.16
What shall we say,
I'm in Romans 9:30.
00:49:26.16\00:49:29.30
What shall we say then?
00:49:29.30\00:49:30.43
That Gentiles, who did
not pursue righteousness, have
00:49:30.43\00:49:32.73
attained to righteousness, even
the righteousness of faith, but
00:49:32.73\00:49:36.10
Israel, pursuing the law of
righteousness, has not attained
00:49:36.10\00:49:38.90
to the law of righteousness.
00:49:38.90\00:49:40.33
Well, why?
00:49:40.33\00:49:41.16
How'd that happen?
00:49:41.16\00:49:42.43
Because they did not seek it
by faith, but as it were, by the
00:49:42.43\00:49:44.03
works of the law.
00:49:44.03\00:49:45.80
That's the very thing that
we were just saying in Romans 7.
00:49:45.80\00:49:47.50
For they stumbled at
that stumbling stone.
00:49:47.50\00:49:50.00
As it is written, behold, I lay
in Zion a stumbling stone and
00:49:50.00\00:49:52.76
rock of offense, and whoever
believes on Him will not be put
00:49:52.76\00:49:54.73
to shame.
00:49:54.73\00:49:55.90
Well, that cornerstone,
that stumbling stone is Christ.
00:49:55.90\00:49:57.46
Now watch, Paul, you can just
feel the pathos, the passion,
00:49:57.46\00:50:02.13
the pastoral concern here
in 10:1, Brethren, brothers, my
00:50:02.13\00:50:07.40
heart's desire and prayer to God
for Israel is that they may be
00:50:07.40\00:50:10.56
saved.
00:50:10.56\00:50:11.80
That they might be in right
relationship to the law and to
00:50:11.80\00:50:13.86
the God of the law through
Christ, verse 2, hey look, I
00:50:13.86\00:50:17.66
bear them witness that they have
a zeal, it's not a lack of zeal
00:50:17.66\00:50:20.70
or sincerity, but their zeal
is not according to knowledge.
00:50:20.70\00:50:23.83
And I'm just gonna say
the quickest thing, back in 2
00:50:23.83\00:50:25.96
Corinthians chapter 3, Paul
said, man, they're reading Moses
00:50:25.96\00:50:28.56
every day.
00:50:28.56\00:50:29.83
Every day they're reading Moses
in the synagogue, but there's a
00:50:29.83\00:50:32.03
veil over their face.
00:50:32.03\00:50:33.30
They've got it memorized, but
they're not seeing the point of
00:50:33.30\00:50:37.76
it.
00:50:37.76\00:50:39.00
Now, here it is, verses 3 and
4, the penny is about to drop.
00:50:39.00\00:50:42.13
For they being ignorant
of God's righteousness, why?
00:50:42.13\00:50:44.96
Because they're blinded by
the veil that's over their face.
00:50:44.96\00:50:47.63
They don't see God's
righteousness, which is in
00:50:47.63\00:50:49.70
Christ, which is the thing the
law is pointing to, and seeking
00:50:49.70\00:50:53.10
to establish their own
righteousness, they have not
00:50:53.10\00:50:55.73
submitted to the
righteousness of God.
00:50:55.73\00:50:59.56
Verse 4, for Christ is the end
of the law for righteousness to
00:50:59.56\00:51:04.10
everyone who believes.
00:51:04.10\00:51:06.83
Whoa, now, if you just read 10:4
in isolation, in some vacuum by
00:51:06.83\00:51:11.40
itself, you just proof text,
you just dive in, you don't read
00:51:11.40\00:51:14.03
anything, you just read 10:4,
for Christ is the end of the
00:51:14.03\00:51:16.90
law, for righteousness to
everyone who believes, there it
00:51:16.90\00:51:18.73
is, the law is done away with.
00:51:18.73\00:51:20.00
But that introduces, as you've
already pointed out very nicely,
00:51:20.00\00:51:22.23
a chaotic situation in
which there is not only no law,
00:51:22.23\00:51:25.90
there's no love, there's no
standard by which to measure
00:51:25.90\00:51:28.30
relational integrity.
00:51:28.30\00:51:29.30
--The universe implodes.
00:51:29.30\00:51:30.90
--So, clearly,
that's not what he's saying.
00:51:30.90\00:51:32.66
What he's saying is that Christ
was the goal of the law all
00:51:32.66\00:51:36.06
along.
00:51:36.06\00:51:37.33
For those who now believe and
who see Christ as the goal, as
00:51:37.33\00:51:40.86
the purpose, as the intent and
conclusion of the law, you're no
00:51:40.86\00:51:44.03
longer trying to establish a
righteousness of your own, by
00:51:44.03\00:51:46.30
your works, by your law keeping,
which is being married to the
00:51:46.30\00:51:49.36
law, it's a wrong relationship.
00:51:49.36\00:51:50.70
Christ is the goal of the law,
he's the point, he's the purpose
00:51:50.70\00:51:53.80
for everyone who believes.
00:51:53.80\00:51:56.10
Go ahead, that's it, that's it.
00:51:56.10\00:51:57.76
--It's just a funny illustration
in a sense of an experience that
00:51:57.76\00:52:00.70
I had over a number of years.
00:52:00.70\00:52:03.60
I was out going door to door,
knocking on doors and creating
00:52:03.60\00:52:06.36
bible studies, and I went to a
door where there were a couple,
00:52:06.36\00:52:09.40
an older couple that were of
a specific denomination and this
00:52:09.40\00:52:13.26
couple wanted to study the
bible with me because their
00:52:13.26\00:52:15.90
denomination's
really into bible study.
00:52:15.90\00:52:17.80
And I'd given them a tract, 100
facts about the Sabbath, came
00:52:17.80\00:52:20.96
back, there was another that
came, 2 suitcases full of books,
00:52:20.96\00:52:23.83
we sat down and we went over it.
00:52:23.83\00:52:26.06
And this was one of the main
verses, out of context, focusing
00:52:26.06\00:52:29.06
on, and we just argued and
battled and argued and battled.
00:52:29.06\00:52:34.43
Finally, they didn't wanna pray
with me, I left, it was done, it
00:52:34.43\00:52:36.36
was over.
00:52:36.36\00:52:37.63
Fast forward years ahead, fast
forward, continuing as we talked
00:52:37.63\00:52:42.20
about to grow and mature
and see different dimensions and
00:52:42.20\00:52:46.00
understand the context of
this and the beauty of Christ.
00:52:46.00\00:52:49.40
Knock on the door.
00:52:49.40\00:52:50.86
--You went and found them again?
00:52:50.86\00:52:52.13
--Not me, I'm at a house,
my mother-in-law's house, and
00:52:52.13\00:52:54.96
there's a knock on the door, and
it's the same denomination, and
00:52:54.96\00:52:58.56
there they are at the door,
doing their thing, bible study,
00:52:58.56\00:53:01.66
I'm like, oh, yeah, I'm a
Christian, I love Jesus, I've
00:53:01.66\00:53:06.00
accepted him as my savior, I
follow him, I believe in him,
00:53:06.00\00:53:09.50
just gospel, gospel, gospel,
gospel, gospel, because it's
00:53:09.50\00:53:13.46
just coming out of me.
00:53:13.46\00:53:14.36
And you know
what they said to me?
00:53:14.36\00:53:15.63
Same denomination, that years
before had said, no, no, the law
00:53:15.63\00:53:18.13
is done away, Christ is the end
of the law, you know what they
00:53:18.13\00:53:20.53
said?
00:53:20.53\00:53:21.73
They said, well, you know,
we need to be keeping the 10
00:53:21.73\00:53:23.76
commandments.
00:53:23.76\00:53:24.96
And you know what I said?
00:53:24.96\00:53:27.86
I said, oh, yeah, I know that,
but I can't stop talking about
00:53:27.86\00:53:30.33
Christ.
00:53:30.33\00:53:31.16
--It had shifted.
00:53:31.16\00:53:32.16
--Yes, totally shifted.
00:53:32.16\00:53:33.46
--Their response to you shifted
when your emphasis shifted.
00:53:33.46\00:53:35.63
--David, I wanna emphasize
something you said for clarity's
00:53:35.63\00:53:39.43
sake.
00:53:39.43\00:53:40.70
When you read verse 4 for Christ
is the end of the law, you used
00:53:40.70\00:53:44.80
the word goal in place of
end, and I just wanna affirm and
00:53:44.80\00:53:48.43
bring others into this
conversation and this awareness
00:53:48.43\00:53:52.56
that that is an accurate
translation, the Greek word
00:53:52.56\00:53:56.63
there is tellos from which
we get, for example, the word
00:53:56.63\00:53:59.43
telescope, right, the idea, so
you could literally translate it
00:53:59.43\00:54:04.10
this way, for Christ is
the end goal of the law.
00:54:04.10\00:54:08.16
In other words, not end in the
sense of negation or finality,
00:54:08.16\00:54:13.33
but end in the sense of in
Christ, everything that the law
00:54:13.33\00:54:18.06
pointed forward to is realized.
00:54:18.06\00:54:19.73
--That's the word that Paul used
in our primary passage, right,
00:54:19.73\00:54:26.00
in 2 Corinthians 3.
00:54:26.00\00:54:27.26
He's also using the same
language, the same concept.
00:54:27.26\00:54:29.93
Well, in chapter
3, verse, is it 13?
00:54:29.93\00:54:32.23
It says here, that unlike Moses,
who put a veil over his face so
00:54:32.23\00:54:37.16
that the children of Israel
could not look steadily at the
00:54:37.16\00:54:39.20
end of what was passing away.
00:54:39.20\00:54:41.33
So, this whole thing we're
talking about that one thing has
00:54:41.33\00:54:44.23
passed and a new thing has come.
00:54:44.23\00:54:48.23
That thing that has passed, when
we say it's at an end, we're
00:54:48.23\00:54:53.03
talking about the
same concept here.
00:54:53.03\00:54:54.63
--And the word is tellos there.
00:54:54.63\00:54:56.90
--It's reached its
goal, it's end goal.
00:54:56.90\00:54:59.60
--That is true, not only in the
Greek, it's true in the English.
00:54:59.60\00:55:03.76
If somebody says, oh I did this
and this and I did this and this
00:55:03.76\00:55:06.30
and then I did this, I
would say, to what end?
00:55:06.30\00:55:07.80
To what purpose?
00:55:07.80\00:55:10.36
What was the reason
you were doing that?
00:55:10.36\00:55:13.13
What was the goal.
00:55:13.13\00:55:14.26
In other words, it can be
both a finality and it can be a
00:55:14.26\00:55:16.80
conclusion, it can
be to the end that...
00:55:16.80\00:55:19.60
--Peter uses the same language,
he talks about in 1 Peter 1:9,
00:55:19.60\00:55:24.13
he talks about the end
of our faith is salvation.
00:55:24.13\00:55:28.20
So, by the word end, and the
word end there, guess what word
00:55:28.20\00:55:33.33
the word end there is in Peter.
00:55:33.33\00:55:35.50
It's tellos, so the end, the
goal of your faith is to bring
00:55:35.50\00:55:38.86
you into a salvation
experience with Christ.
00:55:38.86\00:55:42.00
--Now, you spoke earlier, James
about the law being an internal
00:55:42.00\00:55:45.13
principle that was written,
that was either you or Ty.
00:55:45.13\00:55:48.33
--It was Ty.
00:55:48.33\00:55:49.66
--You wanna take us there?
00:55:49.66\00:55:51.16
--Hebrews chapter 8, I think,
really, these verses sum it all
00:55:51.16\00:55:53.96
up, they bring it all together,
and I'm just gonna read through
00:55:53.96\00:55:56.03
the verses and then we can
comment on them because I don't
00:55:56.03\00:55:58.00
wanna miss any of these
verses out of our discussion.
00:55:58.00\00:56:02.30
So, Hebrews 8, I'm gonna begin
here with verse 7, for if the
00:56:02.30\00:56:05.46
first covenant, that's
what we're talking about, first
00:56:05.46\00:56:08.56
covenant, second covenant have
been faultless, then should no
00:56:08.56\00:56:10.53
place have been sought for the
second, for finding fault with
00:56:10.53\00:56:12.66
them, that is the people, their
promises, verse 6, he, God said,
00:56:12.66\00:56:16.60
behold the day's come, says
the Lord, when I will make a new
00:56:16.60\00:56:19.23
covenant with the house of
Israel, with the house of Judah,
00:56:19.23\00:56:22.06
verse 9.
00:56:22.06\00:56:23.33
Not according to the covenant
that I made with their fathers
00:56:23.33\00:56:25.43
when I took them out of the land
of Egypt, because they continue
00:56:25.43\00:56:28.86
not in my covenant.
00:56:28.86\00:56:30.13
I regarded them not says the
Lord, for this is the covenant,
00:56:30.13\00:56:32.90
verse 10, that I will make with
the house of Israel, after those
00:56:32.90\00:56:36.16
days, says the Lord, I will put
my law into their minds, I will
00:56:36.16\00:56:39.50
write it in their hearts, I will
be to them a God and they shall
00:56:39.50\00:56:43.90
be to me a people, and they
shall not teach every man is
00:56:43.90\00:56:46.00
neighbor and every man is
brother say the Lord, for all
00:56:46.00\00:56:48.26
will know me from the
least to the greatest.
00:56:48.26\00:56:50.13
And I will be merciful to their
unrighteousness and their sins
00:56:50.13\00:56:54.43
and their iniquities
I will remember no more.
00:56:54.43\00:56:56.00
In that verse 13, he says, a new
covenant, he has made the first
00:56:56.00\00:57:00.53
old, now that which decays and
waxes old is ready to vanish.
00:57:00.53\00:57:04.96
--In the New King James,
it says, he made the first
00:57:04.96\00:57:08.00
obsolete, now what is becoming
obsolete and growing old is
00:57:08.00\00:57:11.33
ready to vanish away.
00:57:11.33\00:57:13.00
Same language
as 2 Corinthians 3.
00:57:13.00\00:57:15.26
He is doing a new thing,
and here's a fascinating point.
00:57:15.26\00:57:19.50
And I think we wanna actually
end in 2 Corinthians 3 because
00:57:19.50\00:57:23.06
we're literally there.
00:57:23.06\00:57:24.66
--We've got literally
a minute left, but do it.
00:57:24.66\00:57:26.53
Go, man, go.
00:57:26.53\00:57:28.06
--So, in 2 Corinthians chapter
3, he brings this point about
00:57:28.06\00:57:30.90
writing his law on the external
tablets of stone, but on the
00:57:30.90\00:57:34.66
fleshly tables of the human
heart, so he says then, in verse
00:57:34.66\00:57:38.36
16, 2 Corinthians 3:16,
nevertheless when one turns to
00:57:38.36\00:57:42.30
the Lord, the
veil is taken away.
00:57:42.30\00:57:45.13
Now the Lord is the Spirit; and
where the Spirit of the Lord is,
00:57:45.13\00:57:48.70
there is liberty.
00:57:48.70\00:57:50.40
But we all, with unveiled face,
beholding as in a mirror the
00:57:50.40\00:57:54.70
glory of the Lord, are being
transformed into the same image
00:57:54.70\00:57:57.10
from glory to glory, just
as by the Spirit of the Lord.
00:57:57.10\00:58:00.70
--Our entire weight of emphasis
and focus has shifted to Christ.
00:58:00.70\00:58:06.30
We see him and in seeing him, we
begin to see God, ourselves, the
00:58:06.30\00:58:12.23
law of God, everything takes on
clarity as the veil is removed
00:58:12.23\00:58:17.80
from our reading and study
of scripture and we center our
00:58:17.80\00:58:20.73
faith in Christ, we're married
to Christ, Paul says, and in
00:58:20.73\00:58:24.43
being married to him, we
bear fruit to God of a whole new
00:58:24.43\00:58:28.50
quality by beholding his glory,
we become changed, we become
00:58:28.50\00:58:32.86
transformed into
the same exact image.
00:58:32.86\00:58:36.33
--Hallelujah.
00:58:36.33\00:58:37.40
[Music]
00:58:37.40\00:58:38.40