Participants: Shelley Quinn
Series Code: 16HC
Program Code: 16HC000005A
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00:48 Good morning and welcome to 3ABN's Fall Homecoming
00:52 2016. What a blessing we've already had... 00:57 we've experienced being here, haven't we? 00:59 Amen! Amen! 01:01 Welcome to our family here and welcome to you, our 3ABN 01:05 family at home. Whether you're watching 01:07 or listening on the radio we welcome you 01:10 and we're so glad that you have joined us today. 01:12 We've had a Spirit-filled anointed Camp Meeting so far 01:16 focusing on the revival... 01:18 the revival that the Lord Jesus wants to make 01:20 in each one of our hearts and lives. 01:23 And right now it is my privilege to introduce 01:26 Sr. Shelley Quinn. She is a woman of God. 01:29 She and her husband J.D. are precious people: 01:33 students of the Word that travel the world 01:37 sharing Jesus. Sharing the gospel of grace 01:40 and how God wants to transform our hearts and lives. 01:43 And she has impacted my life in incredible ways as well. 01:47 She's a woman of God and she lives what she teaches... 01:51 and that's the most important thing. 01:52 Her message this morning is God's Covenant Love. 01:55 But before she comes and ministers to us 01:58 we have a special duet from Tim Parton - he's already 02:02 seated over there at the piano. 02:04 He's is the general manager of our new Praise Him! music 02:07 channel, and Pastor John Lomacang is director 02:10 of world evangelism here at 3ABN. 02:13 And he is also the pastor... he's MY pastor: 02:16 the pastor of the Thompsonville SDA church. 02:19 And the song they're going to be doing is I Must Tell Jesus. 02:23 But before they come and minister to us 02:25 let's go to the Lord in prayer. 02:27 Father, we come before You and we ask right now 02:30 that you would give us ears to hear 02:33 and a heart that is open to receive Your message. 02:37 And we thank you in the precious and holy name of Jesus, 02:41 Amen. Amen! 02:51 I must tell Jesus 02:55 all of my trials; 03:00 I cannot bear these 03:04 burdens alone; 03:09 In my distress He 03:13 kindly will help me; 03:18 He ever loves and 03:22 cares for His own. 03:26 I must tell Jesus! 03:31 I must tell Jesus! 03:36 I cannot bear my 03:40 burdens alone; 03:45 I must tell Jesus! 03:49 I must tell Jesus! 03:54 Jesus can help me, 03:59 Jesus alone. 04:03 I must tell Jesus 04:07 all of my troubles; 04:12 He is a kind, 04:15 compassionate friend; 04:21 If I but ask Him 04:25 He will deliver, 04:30 Make of my troubles 04:34 quickly an end. 04:39 I must tell Jesus! 04:43 I must tell Jesus! 04:48 I cannot bear 04:51 my burdens alone; 04:57 I must tell Jesus! 05:02 I must tell Jesus! 05:06 Jesus can help me... 05:11 Jesus can help me... 05:16 Jesus can help me, 05:20 Jesus alone. 05:33 Amen and amen! Thank you for that beautiful song! 05:37 And how true... Jesus alone can help us. 05:41 Well, you all look really good this morning. 05:43 What did you think of the rain? 05:46 Yeah. You know what? I like the rain! 05:49 My hair doesn't but I like the rain! 05:52 Well, we are going to do an old-fashioned Bible study 05:56 this morning. I hope you have your Bibles with you 05:58 because, you know... I didn't do graphics. 06:01 I'm kind of... hmm... I have mixed feelings about graphics. 06:05 I think sometimes we depend too much upon graphics 06:08 although it is good for our television audience. 06:10 And we want to just welcome those of you 06:13 who are watching by TV or radio or on the Internet. 06:17 Please get your Bibles and join with us 06:20 because what we're going to talk about this morning 06:22 is something that is critical. 06:24 And I think if we under- stand it a little bit better - 06:28 it's a familiar topic - but if we understand it 06:31 a little bit better, I believe 06:34 that we will not have any problem 06:38 with obedience. We won't have any problem 06:41 with condemnation. 06:44 We won't have problems in not having assurance of salvation. 06:49 So let's go to the Lord in prayer. 06:52 Ah, heavenly Father, thank you for this day of life! 06:56 Thank you, Father, that we woke up this morning! 06:59 And thank you, Father, that you are our Maker 07:01 and our Creator, and that You desire the works of Your hands, 07:06 Father. We thank you, Father, for the gift of Jesus Christ, 07:10 the gift of Your Holy Spirit. 07:12 The gift of Your Word, Father. 07:14 And to know that Your grace, Father, has... 07:19 Your grace incorporates divine assistance 07:23 and supernatural power unto salvation. 07:26 Father, I pray in the name of Jesus: forgive us of our sins. 07:30 Just give us cleans hands and a pure heart. 07:32 I ask in the name of Jesus right now, Father, that 07:35 You would get me out of the way. That You would speak through me 07:39 as we read Your Word. 07:41 Send Your Holy Spirit to be our teacher. 07:45 In Jesus' name, Amen. 07:47 What we're going to talk about this morning 07:50 is God's covenant love. 07:52 The unifying theme of scripture is this: 07:57 God is a covenant maker 07:59 and God is a covenant keeper. 08:03 And His covenants define and establish 08:08 His relationship to mankind. 08:11 And over and over again we see 08:13 the heart of a loving God is this: 08:16 "I will be their God and they will be My people. " 08:22 That's what God is looking for. 08:24 And, you know, in the Old Testament - 08:27 during the Old Testament times - covenants were quite common. 08:31 What is a covenant? It is an oath-bound contract, 08:37 an oath-bound arrangement where one person 08:40 is contracting, basically, 08:44 to bless and serve another. 08:47 And what they did... You remember how they ratified 08:50 covenants in the Old Testament times? 08:54 They would sacrifice an animal. 08:57 The covenants were always ratified by blood. 09:02 And we see the same thing with God's covenant with people. 09:07 Now sometimes covenants were unilateral. 09:10 That meant that the other party 09:12 did not have to respond in any way. 09:15 Can we think of unilateral covenants that God gave us? 09:18 How about Noah? 09:20 When He gave Noah the covenant that it would not rain any more 09:24 what was the sign of the covenant? The rainbow. 09:27 So that was unilateral. 09:29 I mean, this is just God saying: "This is what I'm going to do. " 09:32 You don't have to do anything in response. 09:34 How about with David? The Davidic covenant 09:38 that David would always have someone from his lineage 09:42 sitting on the throne. Didn't have to do anything. 09:45 This is a covenant that God was going to do by Himself. 09:49 But sometimes covenants included a response 09:54 from the person with whom the covenant was being made. 09:58 And if you think about the ratification 10:01 we're going to look today how when God made a covenant 10:04 with Abraham He ratified it with blood. 10:08 This was the covenant that you will be justified by grace 10:12 through faith. And the covenant that he would have... 10:17 be the father of many, many nations. 10:20 When God made the old covenant 10:22 He ratified it with blood. They sacrificed. 10:26 And when God made the new covenant 10:29 how did He ratify the new covenant? 10:32 With the blood of Jesus Christ. 10:34 And so we are going to look at that. 10:36 But I also wanted to take this idea of signs. 10:40 There were always signs of the covenant. 10:43 What is the sign of the covenant of God's grace? 10:49 Do you know what it is? 10:51 Exodus 31:13. 10:54 God said: "I have given you the Sabbath Day 10:58 as a sign that I am the One who sanctifies you. " 11:05 See, it has always been sal- vation by grace through faith. 11:11 And as we look at the history of covenants today 11:14 we're going to understand that I hope in a better way. 11:17 What was the sign of the old covenant 11:21 with the book of the law and the book of Moses? 11:24 Circumcision. What is the sign of the new covenant? 11:28 Baptism. See... Jesus only instituted two ordinances 11:34 for the new covenant. 11:36 One was communion, which pointed to His death. 11:40 The other was baptism 11:43 which pointed to the burial and resurrection. 11:46 So there are always signs to God's covenants. 11:51 Now I used to believe - 11:55 and there's still many people who believe - 11:58 that the Old Testament - that the old covenant - 12:03 was salvation by works. 12:07 And I believed that the new covenant was salvation by grace. 12:12 You know, someone has said 12:15 preconceived opinions effectively insulate 12:19 the mind against truth. 12:22 And what you'll find as you're talking with so many people 12:27 who are just like me, growing up in a Sunday-keeping church... 12:31 I was taught all my life the commandments of God 12:34 were nailed to the cross. The Old Testament was not 12:37 important. And it took the Lord 12:43 when He called me to full-time ministry 12:45 He impressed upon my mind by the Holy Spirit 12:48 "Come sit at My feet. Forget what you think you know. 12:52 I will teach you. " And you know where He started me? 12:55 He started me on a study of the sanctuary. 12:58 Whooh! If we don't understand the sanctuary, 13:03 we're not going to understand the rest of God's Word. 13:08 Because when we look at things through the sanctuary... 13:13 the lens of sanctuary understanding 13:16 then we truly understand the ministry of Jesus Christ. 13:20 So the sanctuary is one of the most important doctrines 13:24 that we can know. So it took a lot of time 13:27 because I'm kind of a hard-headed person 13:29 but Biblical evidence disproved 13:33 the traditions that had been handed down to me. 13:36 You know, Jesus said: "You make void 13:39 the Word of God by your traditions of men. " 13:42 What I learned was that 2/3 13:46 of the first 5 books of the Bible... 13:49 Genesis through Numbers... 13:52 is a narrative of God's grace. 13:55 It is a narrative that shows the calling, the election, 14:00 salvation, the providential care of God for His people 14:04 Israel. And I discovered that salvation has always been 14:08 by grace through faith. 14:10 Righteousness has always been by faith. 14:14 In Isaiah 64 and verse 6 Isaiah says that our righteousness 14:20 is nothing more than filthy rags in front of Him. 14:24 How many of you have noticed that the closer you get to God 14:28 the more you recognize your own sin? 14:31 Because the beauty of the brightness of His light 14:38 helps us see. You know, this is why we should never be 14:41 judgmental. What did Paul say? 14:46 "Judge not that ye be not judged. " Amen? 14:49 I learned in Jeremiah 33 and verse 16 14:55 that it says: "The Lord, our righteousness. " 15:01 So the people of the Old Testament times 15:04 knew of God's grace. Please open your Bibles to 15:07 II Timothy chapter 1 and verse 9. 15:10 II Timothy 1:9. 15:14 What I hope to put to bed today during this Bible study... 15:19 Have you ever had anyone tell you that if you are trying 15:24 to walk in obedience that you are trying to be saved by works 15:28 and that you're legalistic? 15:30 That is so untrue. Untrue! 15:33 But let's look at II Timothy 1 and verse 9. 15:35 Paul writes: "Who has saved us... " Speaking of God... 15:40 "Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling. 15:44 Not according to our works but according to His own 15:49 purpose and grace which was given to us 15:54 in Christ Jesus... " When? 15:58 "before time began. " 16:02 The everlasting covenant of grace is God's promise 16:07 to save sinful humanity through the redemptive work 16:10 of Jesus Christ. This is a covenant of redemption, 16:14 His oath-bound promise that was established by God 16:18 before time began. And did you know that 16:21 physicists have now said... I say now. It's been about 16:24 twenty years ago I read this... 16:27 that they now say there was no time before the world began. 16:32 That's what the Bible has always said. 16:35 But His plan was to send Jesus Christ 16:40 to rescue fallen humanity and fulfill His plan 16:44 of giving us the gift of eternal life. 16:47 In Titus 1:12... excuse me... Titus 1:2 16:52 it say: "In hope of eternal life 16:54 which God - who cannot lie - 16:58 promised before time began. " 17:02 So we have the hope of eternal life. 17:06 Do we have immortality right now? 17:10 We don't? There's so many people out there who think we do! 17:14 But I Timothy 6:16 says that God ALONE is immortal. 17:20 And I Corinthians 15:51-55 17:24 explains to us that it is at the last trump 17:29 when Jesus returns to call forth His saints 17:34 from their graves... it is at THAT moment 17:37 that this mortal puts on immortality. 17:40 But before time began 17:43 God had the Calvary plan in mind. 17:46 Revelation 13:8 says 17:48 that Jesus was the Lamb who was slain from the foundations 17:52 of the earth. So, from the foundations of the world 17:57 we know that it is His blood 18:00 that will be the blood of the everlasting covenant 18:03 as Hebrews tells us. 18:04 It is Jesus and righteousness by faith - 18:09 salvation by grace - which is the everlasting gospel 18:13 that Revelation 14:6 tells us. 18:16 So what God's covenants do 18:18 is they are a progressive revelation 18:22 of God's plan of salvation. 18:25 He's unfolding the eternal plan through His various 18:30 covenants. And remember this: 18:33 both the Old and the New Testament say 18:36 we cannot save ourselves. 18:38 Both the Old and the New Testament clearly say 18:41 "salvation belongs to the Lord. " 18:44 So let's consider some of His covenants real quickly. 18:48 These are covenants of grace, 18:50 and it began with Adam and Eve. 18:53 When God created Adam and Eve in His own image 18:57 He implanted in them His moral character. 19:03 It was natural to do His will. 19:06 They understood God's law. 19:09 It was just part of them. 19:12 Now God has a specific command 19:16 that He made to them saying: 19:18 "Do not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. " 19:22 Why not? 19:24 Because that meant that you are now, when you eat of that 19:29 fruit, you are going to decide what's good for you; 19:32 you're going to decide what's bad for you. 19:35 It's like you were becoming God. 19:38 And that's why when He said "If you eat of this tree 19:41 you will surely die. " And Satan comes along and 19:44 says: "Ha, ha... no you won't! " 19:46 "You won't surely die... you'll become like God. " 19:50 "You can decide what's good for you. 19:53 You can decide what's bad for you. " 19:56 Isn't that what the world is doing today? 19:59 It is! So they were deceived by Satan. 20:03 And the fall of mankind... when they fell 20:08 they recognized they were naked. 20:10 They felt guilt and shame for the first time 20:13 and they actually hid from God. 20:17 But God established a substitutionary sacrifice. 20:21 Let's turn to Genesis 3:15. 20:24 Because as God establishes 20:28 this substitutionary sacrifice 20:31 He shows them - He's fore- shadowing - the redemptive work 20:36 of Christ. So Genesis 3:15 20:39 where God is announcing the everlasting covenant of grace 20:44 that was put into action as soon as man sinned 20:47 to restore the fellowship in obedience. 20:50 Genesis 3:15. 20:53 And God says: "And I will put enmity... " 20:57 a deep-rooted hatred... "between you and the woman 20:59 and between your seed and her Seed. 21:01 He shall bruise your head 21:04 and you shall bruise His heel. " 21:07 He's speaking to the serpent 21:09 who deceived God's people 21:12 and He is saying there's going to be enmity. 21:16 "This is the Great Controversy 21:18 between you and between My Son Christ Jesus, the Seed. " 21:24 Which we will look at. Galatians 3:19 says 21:27 He is the Seed. He says: "OK, serpent, 21:31 you're going to bruise His heel but He will crush you 21:35 under His feet. " 21:37 So when God made this promise 21:41 then He had to do a sacrifice. 21:44 He had to sacrifice an animal to cover their nakedness. 21:48 So that ratified the covenant with Adam. 21:52 Now turn to Genesis chapter 15. 21:56 No, no, no, no. Let' start with Genesis... Yeah, Genesis 21:59 chapter 15 when God made a covenant 22:05 with Abraham. 22:07 Genesis chapter 15, and we're going to look at verses 6-18. 22:12 So I'm going to be reading rather quickly. 22:15 Genesis 15 verses 6 through 18. 22:19 "And he... " speaking of Abraham... "believed in the Lord 22:22 and He accounted it... " He, God... "accounted it to Abraham 22:28 for righteousness. Then He said to him: 22:30 'I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur 22:33 and out of the Chaldeans to give you this land to inherit it. ' 22:38 And he said: 'Lord God, how shall I know 22:41 that I will inherit it? ' So He, the Lord, said 22:45 to Abraham: 'Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, 22:47 a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, 22:50 a turtledove and a young pigeon. ' 22:51 Then he brought all of these to Him 22:54 and He cut them in two down the middle 22:56 and placed each piece opposite the other. 22:59 But He did not cut the birds in two. 23:01 And when the vultures came down on the carcasses 23:03 Abram drove them away. 23:05 Now when the sun was going down 23:07 a deep sleep fell upon Abram... " 23:10 This is Abram before he was called Abraham... 23:13 "and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. 23:19 Then He... " God... "said to Abram: 'Know certainly 23:23 that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not 23:26 theirs and will serve them. And they will be afflicted 23:30 for 400 years. ' " So God is telling him in advance 23:34 that they're going to be carried away to Egypt. 23:35 "And also the nation whom they serve I will judge 23:39 afterward. They shall come out with great possessions. 23:43 Now as for you: you shall go to your fathers 23:46 in peace. " He's saying "You shall die in peace. " 23:48 "You shall be buried at a good old age. 23:51 But in the fourth generation they shall return here 23:55 for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. " 23:58 "And it came to pass when the sun went down and it was dark 24:01 that behold, there appeared a smoking oven 24:04 and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. 24:09 And on the same day the Lord made a covenant 24:12 with Abram. " So He is making a covenant. 24:16 He ratifies it, puts Abraham in a deep sleep. 24:19 And I believe this is when Abram saw 24:22 the day of Jesus. You know, remember when Jesus 24:25 told the Pharisees "Your father Abraham 24:28 has seen My day and was glad. " 24:31 I believe this is when God showed him 24:35 because He's making a covenant of grace with him. 24:38 And I believe this is when the Lord showed Abraham 24:42 what was going to happen. 24:44 Now what we want to do is turn to Galatians 3 24:48 so we can get the New Testament part of this. 24:51 Galatians 3, and we'll begin with verse 6. 24:55 So God is making this covenant with Abraham 24:59 that he will be the father of many... of all nations. 25:01 Blessed through the promised Seed... 25:04 the prophesied Seed of Jesus Christ. 25:06 That he would be justified by faith alone 25:10 not by works and he will receive the Holy Spirit. 25:13 So let's look at Genesis chapter 3, and we will begin 25:17 with verse 6. That's Galatians... thank you. 25:21 You know, it's amazing when you're talking 25:24 you think you say the right thing. 25:26 I appreciate that so much, sister. Thank you. 25:28 Galatians chapter 3 and we will begin with verse 6. 25:32 Galatians 3 and verse 6. 25:35 Paul is writing to the Galatians and he says: 25:38 "Just as Abraham believed God and it was accounted him 25:42 for righteousness. " That's righteousness by faith! 25:45 "Therefore know that only those who are of faith 25:50 are sons of Abraham. " 25:53 So that includes you and I. 25:55 "And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify 25:59 the Gentiles by faith. " What does it mean to 26:01 be justified? It means that you have been declared innocent. 26:06 That you cannot be charged with your sins. 26:11 It's when you have been set free from your past. 26:18 He says: "The scriptures, fore- seeing that God would justify 26:21 the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham 26:23 beforehand saying: 'In you all the nations 26:26 shall be blessed. ' So then those who are of faith 26:30 are blessed with believing Abraham. 26:33 For as many as are of the works of the law 26:36 are under the curse. " 26:39 Now, we haven't gotten to this covenant. 26:42 When he's speaking of the law here, he's speaking of 26:45 the old covenant - the book of the law 26:48 that was written by Moses that had the ceremonial 26:52 practices and regulations. 26:55 That had the civil laws in it. 26:58 So I'm going to prove that to you from the text here. 27:01 "For as many as are under the works of the law 27:05 are under the curse for it is written - 27:07 and now he's going to quote Deuteronomy 27:2- 27:11 "Cursed is everyone who does not continue 27:14 in all the things which are written in the book 27:18 of the law to do them. " 27:22 What Moses wrote as God dictated it to him 27:28 is the old covenant. 27:29 He wrote it, and they called it the book of the law... 27:32 the book of the covenant. 27:34 And we'll look at that in just a moment. 27:36 "But that no one is justified by the law... " 27:39 the book of the law, the old covenant... 27:41 "in the sight of God is evident. For the just 27:44 shall live by faith. Yet the law is not of faith 27:47 but the man who does them shall live by them. 27:50 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. " 27:56 This book: God told Moses to put it on the side of the ark 28:01 that it would stand as a witness against them. 28:04 It had all the curses and all the blessings. 28:07 So he goes on once more and he says: 28:10 "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law 28:12 having become a curse for us. 28:14 For it is written: 'cursed is everyone 28:16 who hangs on a tree. ' 28:18 That the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles 28:21 in Christ Jesus that we might receive 28:24 the promise of the Spirit through faith. " 28:29 Brethren, I believe... He said: "I speak in the manner 28:32 of men, though it is only a man's covenant. 28:35 Yet if it is confirmed no one annuls or adds to it. 28:38 Now to Abraham and his seed were promises made. 28:44 He does not say 'and his seeds' as of many 28:48 but as of one and to your Seed who is Christ. " 28:52 So the everlasting covenant is this covenant that was made 28:56 with Abraham that "you'll be justified by faith. " 29:00 And then he says: "And this I say: that the law... " 29:04 still speaking of the book of the law 29:07 which was 430 years later... "cannot annul the covenant 29:12 that was confirmed by God in Christ that it should 29:16 make the promise of no effect. 29:19 For if the inheritance is of the law it is no longer 29:22 a promise. But God gave it to Abraham 29:26 by promise. " So he goes on and then he starts 29:29 talking how the law was given to drive us to faith. 29:33 So let's unpack this just a little bit more. 29:36 Turn to Genesis chapter 26. 29:39 Genesis chapter 26 and verse 4. 29:43 Here we have... God has made the everlasting covenant 29:47 with Abraham: that we will be justified by faith, 29:50 that we will receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. 29:53 That it is all going to come through the Seed - capital S - 29:57 Jesus Christ. And some people say: "Yes! 30:03 We are saved by grace. We do not need to worry about 30:06 obedience. " Hmmm! 30:10 Let's see if Abraham understood it that way. 30:14 Let's look at Genesis chapter 26 30:17 and we'll begin with verse 4. 30:19 Genesis 26 and verse 4. 30:22 God is now speaking to Isaac. 30:25 Abraham has passed. 30:28 His life has expired. 30:31 But here's what God says to Isaac. 30:34 He is renewing the covenant that He made with Abraham. 30:38 He says: "I will make your descendants multiply 30:42 as the stars of the heaven. 30:44 I will give to your descendants all these lands 30:47 and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. " 30:50 Same words that He said to Abraham, isn't it? 30:54 But now look at verse 5. 30:57 Why is God renewing the covenant? 31:01 "Because Abraham obeyed My voice 31:07 and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes 31:11 and My laws. " The covenant with Abraham 31:14 was conditioned upon obedience to God's voice. 31:20 There was no written word at the time of Abraham. 31:25 When we read Genesis - the story of Abraham - 31:29 it was written by Moses. 31:31 This is one of the first five books of the Bible 31:34 that Moses wrote. 31:35 So Abraham spoke with God as a friend. 31:40 He knew the principles of God's government. 31:43 He knew His law of love 31:45 and Abraham passed this down to his children. 31:49 It was clear, if you read the book of Genesis 31:53 that all of the laws of God - all of the Ten Commandments - 31:57 are being followed by Abraham's descendants. 32:01 And these commandments were then later repeated at Sinai. 32:08 But during the course of time Abraham's descendants 32:11 are taken away. They're in Egypt: 32:14 a pagan nation, a sun-worshiping nation. 32:18 They're there for 400 years. 32:20 Now remember: there's no written word. 32:23 They are just following what they've heard. 32:28 But it's becoming increasing... When you are enslaved 32:32 it is very difficult to worship in the way that God prescribed. 32:36 So 400 years... Over time, they lost much of the understanding 32:42 of God's covenant with Abraham. 32:44 BUT the Bible says in Exodus 2:24 32:49 that God remembered His covenant with Abraham 32:53 and Isaac. He heard their voice when they cried out. 32:57 He remembered the covenant and He graciously delivered them 33:00 from the bondage of slavery. 33:02 Turn to Psalms 105. 33:06 Psalms 105. 33:12 Here are the people in bondage in Egypt 33:15 just as God had foretold. 33:18 Four hundred years; four generations of people 33:22 are in bondage in Egypt. 33:24 God hears their voice as they cry out 33:28 and He saves them! 33:31 He delivers them from the bondage of slavery. 33:34 Look at Psalms 105 verse 43. 33:38 Psalms 105 verse 43. 33:41 "And He brought forth His people with joy. " 33:47 This is a God of covenant love who loved His people! 33:52 "He brought forth His people with joy and His chosen ones 33:55 with gladness and singing and gave them the lands 33:58 of the nations of Canaan and they repeated the fruits 34:00 of these peoples' labors... " 34:02 Why? Look at verse 45. 34:05 "that they might observe His statutes and keep His laws. " 34:10 Huh! God brings them out of bondage. Why? 34:15 They're under the everlasting covenant of Abraham 34:18 but so that they may observe His laws. 34:21 So He led them to Mt. Sinai; 34:24 He reminds them at Mt. Sinai of His law of love... 34:28 His Ten Commandments. 34:30 But let me ask you a question. 34:33 Did they have to obey His commandments before they were 34:36 saved? No! He saved them first! 34:40 He parted the Red Sea. They were saved by grace 34:43 through faith. They had faith that as they entered the Red Sea 34:47 God was going to keep those walls of water up there. 34:50 They didn't have to measure up to His moral standards first. 34:54 He knew they couldn't! 34:56 You and I cannot measure up to God's standards 35:00 until we are saved and converted and have the Holy Spirit 35:03 within us. They believed God would see them safely through. 35:09 Then He destroyed their enemy. 35:11 Turn to Exodus 19 and verse 4. 35:14 Exodus 19 and verse 4. 35:18 I love this passage 35:20 because we see the covenant-love language of God. 35:24 This is before God ever speaks the Ten Commandments. 35:28 This is before He's come down with all of His pyrotechnics 35:33 on the mountain. Exodus 19 and verse 4. 35:37 God's telling Abraham: "I want you to tell the people this. " 35:40 And what He says is: "You have seen what I did to 35:45 the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagle's wings 35:50 and I brought you to Myself. " 35:53 See the covenant-love language? 35:55 "I want to be your God and you be My people. " 36:00 "Now therefore... " He says in verse 5... 36:03 "if... " This is going to be a conditional... it is 36:08 a conditional covenant... "if you will indeed obey 36:10 My voice and keep my covenants then you shall be a special 36:13 treasure to Me above all the people. 36:16 For all the earth is Mine and you shall be to Me 36:18 a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. 36:21 These are the words, Moses, that you are to speak 36:24 to the children of Israel. " 36:25 Does this not remind you of I Peter 2:9 36:28 that we are a "royal priesthood, a chosen nation. " 36:32 This is what He's saying to them: 36:34 "You'll be My royal priesthood 36:36 if you'll obey My voice. I love you! 36:39 All I ask is your response of love to Me. 36:42 If you love Me, keep My commandments. " 36:44 And so Moses goes and tells the people 36:47 and in the next verse... see, God is pledging His benevolence 36:52 and protection in exchange for their loyalty. 36:54 So verse 7 says: "So Moses came and called for 36:57 the elders of the people and lay before them all of these 36:59 words which the Lord had commanded him. " 37:02 What words? The words we just read 37:04 in verses 4 through 6. 37:08 These are the words: "I'll be your God; 37:12 you'll be My people if you'll just obey Me. " 37:15 And so... verse 8: "All the people answered together 37:19 and they said: 'All that the Lord has spoken 37:22 we will do. ' " "Yes, we'll be His people. " 37:25 "Yes, we will respond in covenant love by obeying Him. " 37:31 But see, the people... Moses then goes back to the Lord 37:35 and says: "Yes! They want to! " 37:37 The people have responded to this before God even spoke 37:41 the Ten Commandments. 37:42 He's invited them into covenant relationship. 37:46 And so the covenant was conditioned upon obedience 37:52 to His voice. 37:55 But their obedience was an expression... 37:58 supposed to be an expression... of covenant love. 38:01 It's a precondition to receiving the covenant blessing. 38:07 So if you think about it 38:09 God's kingdom operates 38:14 on two fundamental principles of love. 38:17 Can you tell me what those are? 38:19 Mark 12:30-31. 38:23 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, 38:27 with all of your soul, with all of your mind, 38:29 with all your strength. " And the second is: 38:32 "You shall love your neighbor as yourself. " 38:35 See, the first is unreserved love for God. 38:39 The second is self-sacrificing love for others. 38:44 But the law of love - the Ten Commandments - 38:47 the moral law is and always has been the standard 38:52 of God's government. 38:54 He expects His covenant people to keep His law. 38:57 Now, He first spoke these audibly 39:01 and the people trembled because the Bible says 39:06 when you hear the audible voice of the Lord that, in Revelation 39:09 it says His voice is like the rushing waters... 39:13 many rushing waters. 39:15 But now turn to Exodus 20. 39:19 Exodus 20. The people are trembling now 39:24 in the awe-inspiring presence of God. 39:27 But He is getting ready just to speak the Ten Commandments. 39:32 He's going to remind them of what He had told Abraham, 39:37 what He had told Isaac. 39:39 Remind them of the things that had been passed down to them 39:43 by word. And it starts... This is the preamble 39:47 of the Ten Commandments: 39:49 "And God spoke all these words saying: 39:52 'I am the Lord your God 39:55 who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 39:59 out of the house of bondage. ' " 40:02 Do you hear God's love in this preamble? 40:08 Before we go through the Ten Commandments let me just 40:10 say this: in Hebrew they are called ten words. 40:15 And the syntax - which is the arrangement of these words - 40:19 indicates that they are commandments. 40:23 But they are written in the future tense 40:26 which indicates that they are promises from God. 40:30 Let me repeat that. 40:32 The Ten Commandments are promises from God. 40:38 We have to quit thinking 40:41 that we can do anything without God's power. 40:46 Because what God is saying is 40:49 anything that He calls us to be He will cause us to be. 40:54 It is God working in us to will and to do 40:57 His good pleasure. So here He is. He started off 41:02 this preamble saying: "I am the Lord your God 41:04 who brought you out of bondage. I have borne you to Myself 41:08 on the wings of eagles. " And then He goes on to say 41:12 "You shall have no other gods before Me. " 41:15 "You won't bow down to idols any longer. " 41:19 "No... you won't take My name in vain. " 41:22 "You will REMEMBER My Sabbath Day. 41:25 You're going to be so excited to come spend this time with Me. 41:29 This time that I have sancti- fied, that I have put aside 41:33 as holy... this time for you and I. " 41:37 And then He says to them: 41:40 "You will honor your mother and your father. 41:42 You will not commit murder; you'll not commit adultery. 41:45 You'll not lie; you'll not steal. 41:48 You're not going to bear false testimony. 41:50 You're not going to covet. " Why? 41:52 "Because that's what being in covenant relationship with Me 41:57 is like. I'm going to empower you 42:00 to overcome these things. " 42:03 Then God engraves, we know, 42:07 the only part of scripture that was written with the finger 42:11 of God are the Ten Commandments. 42:14 And He tells Moses: "Put these in the ark. " 42:19 What was the ark? 42:21 That's God's throne. 42:23 They were put in the ark, and the mercy seat was above them. 42:28 Mercy always triumphs judgment. 42:31 But the law is God's... 42:34 the foundation of God's government. 42:39 Now... even after the first set was broken 42:43 God re-wrote them and had them placed there. 42:47 Let me run through the timeline 42:49 of... before we get into the old covenant. 42:52 I've got to hurry. How does time go away so quickly? 42:56 Let's look at the timeline of what happened at Mt. Sinai 43:00 because I think we've got it all wrong. 43:02 So first the people - before God even speaks the commandments - 43:06 they enter into covenant relationship saying: "Yes, 43:09 we will... You can be our God; we'll be Your people. 43:12 We'll obey You. " 43:14 So then God goes and He speaks from the mountain. 43:17 He speaks the Ten Commandments. 43:19 And then the people, because they are fearful, 43:22 say: "Ooh! Moses... YOU be our mediator. " 43:25 So Moses goes up the mountain 43:27 and he receives the words of a special covenant with Israel. 43:33 The ceremonial laws, the civil laws. 43:39 Also the Ten Commandments. He comes down. 43:42 Turn to Exodus 24. 43:44 Exodus 24 and verse 3. 43:47 Moses comes down... Now, mind you, the Ten Commandments have 43:51 not yet been written on stone. 43:53 They've only been spoken. 43:56 Now Moses comes down. And he is writing everything 44:00 that the Lord tells him. So here's what happens. 44:03 Exodus 24 verse 3: "Moses came and he told the people 44:08 all the words of the Lord and all of the judgments. " 44:12 He's reciting the covenant blessings, 44:14 the covenant judgments. 44:15 "And all the people answered with one voice and said: 44:17 'All the words which the Lord has said we will do. ' " 44:21 They're repeating what they said before. 44:23 "And Moses wrote all of the words of the Lord. " 44:26 Everything that God had dictated to him. 44:29 "He rose early in the morning. He built an altar at the foot 44:32 of the mountain and the twelve pillars according to the twelve 44:34 tribes of Israel. Then he sent young men 44:36 of the children of Israel who offered burnt offerings 44:39 and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 44:42 And Moses took half the blood and put it in its basin; 44:46 half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. " 44:49 What is he doing? He's ratifying the old covenant 44:53 with blood. 44:55 "Then he took the book of the covenant... " 45:02 These are the words that Moses had just written, 45:04 also sometimes called the book of the law. 45:07 "He read it in the hearing of the people and they said: 45:10 "All that the Lord has said we will do. We'll be obedient. " 45:13 So he takes the blood; he sprinkles it on the people. 45:16 In Hebrews chapter 9 it says he also sprinkled it 45:21 on the book. It says: "This is the blood 45:25 of the covenant which the Lord has made with you 45:29 according to all these words. " 45:31 Now, after they've made this old covenant 45:35 Moses goes up the mountain. God tells him in those 40 days 45:39 "Build Me a tabernacle so I can dwell among the people 45:42 and we'll put all of these sacrificial things into place. " 45:47 He comes down the mountain; he sees the people in rebellion. 45:51 He breaks the first set... he goes back up the mountain. 45:53 God's writing this in stone again. 45:56 He brings them down and puts them inside the ark. 46:00 The Ten Commandments were not written on stone 46:02 until after the old covenant was written. 46:06 Do you see that? Why is this important? 46:10 The Ten Commandments, yes, are written in the old covenant. 46:14 They are the heart of the old covenant. 46:17 There's the civil laws, the ceremonial laws, 46:21 and the Ten Commandments that were written in the book 46:23 of the covenant. 46:25 But then afterwards God writes them on stone 46:28 and has them put inside the ark. Whereas 46:31 He has this book of the covenant put on the outside of the ark. 46:37 Stone was permanent! 46:40 Inside the ark it shows it's the foundation of His government. 46:43 On the side pocket it was temporary! 46:46 It was written on animal skins... not by God's hand 46:49 but by Moses' hand. 46:51 So this was... Deuteronomy 31 says that 46:56 it was there "as a witness against them" 47:00 to condemn their actions. 47:02 You know, throughout Deuteronomy 47:07 Moses presents the law of God as glorious. 47:11 "Oh this is a wonderful thing! " He's always saying this. 47:14 And he says: "If your heart's right, you can do it! " 47:17 But God knows our hearts. 47:20 He knows how weak we are. 47:22 He knew the depravity of mankind 47:24 and by grace He provided the sacrificial system. 47:28 And it was all to point... these ceremonial laws 47:33 were food and drink offerings... they were all to point 47:36 to the ministry of Christ. 47:38 And they had the celebrations and the festivals 47:41 and the special annual Sabbaths. 47:44 Not talking about the weekly Sabbath 47:46 but these ceremonial Sabbaths. 47:48 Everything was a shadow of Jesus Christ's ministry. 47:52 Turn to Colossians 22 and verse 14. 47:55 Colossians 2 and verse 14. 48:00 Everything from the old covenant - 48:03 which was a temporary, special contract 48:07 written with the people of Israel - 48:10 pointed to the ministry of Jesus Christ. 48:13 Now Colossians 2 and verse 14 48:19 says this. Paul writes: "Having wiped out the 48:24 handwriting of requirements that was against us 48:29 which was contrary to us... " That means taking it out 48:33 of the way... "having nailed it to the cross... " 48:35 What did He nail to the cross? 48:36 Well let's look in context. 48:38 "Having disarmed principalities and powers 48:40 He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them 48:43 in it, so... " As a result, based upon 48:47 what he just said. Because this thing has been nailed 48:53 to the cross... this thing that stood against us... 48:57 "let no one judge you in food or in drink... " 49:00 He's speaking of offerings... 49:02 "or regarding a festival or a new moon or 49:07 the annual Sabbath... the ceremonial days. " 49:09 He's talking about the old cove- nant, the book of the covenant 49:14 that got nailed to the cross. 49:17 And he goes on to say: 49:18 "Don't let them judge you in food and drink offerings. 49:22 Don't let them judge you in annual Sabbath, these ceremonial 49:27 days. " And then he finishes in verse 17, says: 49:31 "These are a shadow of things to come, but the substance 49:35 is of Christ. " So what got nailed to the cross? 49:39 It was the old covenant... the book of the testament. 49:43 the book of the covenant that Moses wrote. 49:45 It was not the Ten Commandments. 49:47 Turn to Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 9. 49:52 Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 9. 49:56 Christ's death proved that the law was absolute, 50:00 it was unchangeable. 50:02 And if God planned to do away with His law 50:06 then Christ died in vain 50:09 because He died to pay the penalty that we had incurred 50:15 from breaking the law. But look at verse... 50:19 Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 9. 50:22 In reference here, he is speak- ing of the first tabernacle. 50:26 He says: "It... " the first tabernacle... 50:29 "was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and 50:33 sacrifices are offered, which cannot make him who performed 50:37 the service perfect in regard to the conscience, 50:39 concerned only with food and drink, various washings 50:43 and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time 50:48 of reformation. " He's talking about the Levitical offerings. 50:51 Christ fulfilled all of this prophetic symbolism. 50:55 All of the sacrificial system and the ceremonial system. 50:59 His death - Daniel 9:27- 51:02 prophesied that His death "would bring an end 51:07 to the sacrifice and offerings. " 51:09 So we read in Galatians 3 that Moses... I mean 51:14 Paul said the Mosaic covenant was added 51:19 to Abraham's covenant 51:21 UNTIL the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. 51:27 So once Christ came 51:28 that old covenant got nailed to the cross. 51:33 The sad history of Israel's continued disobedience 51:37 and covenant breaking, though. 51:39 How they twisted and distorted obedience to the law 51:45 as a means of salvation. 51:47 They would rigorously observe the ceremonial laws 51:51 but they'd violate the purpose of the law. 51:54 And Jesus and Paul were both very critical of the misuse 51:58 of the law. But in the Old Testament 52:01 God wrote in Jeremiah 31:33-34 52:05 that He was going to write His law on our hearts 52:10 someday. He promised in the new covenant 52:14 He'd write His laws on our hearts. 52:16 And that promise was echoed in Ezekiel 36:26-27. 52:21 He said: "I'll give you a new heart; I'll put a new spirit 52:24 within you. " That's regeneration; that's new birth! 52:28 He says: "I will cause you to walk 52:31 in My statutes. " 52:33 You see, in Isaiah chapter 42 52:37 God promised that He would give Jesus, 52:41 His Son, as a covenant to the Gentiles. 52:46 Jesus is a light to us. 52:50 Jesus IS the new covenant. 52:53 And even Jesus said, when He was having the Last Supper 52:58 instituting communion, He said: 53:01 "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. " 53:06 "I am going to ratify this covenant with My own blood. " 53:13 So when He died on the cross as our substitute 53:17 He brought the new covenant in and made the old obsolete. 53:22 In the new covenant it is obvious that the church 53:26 is the new Israel. There's so many scriptures. 53:28 If you don't understand that, e-mail me 53:31 and we'll send you those scriptures. 53:32 But Christ fulfills all of God's covenants. 53:35 He's the Seed of the woman's seed of Abraham. 53:37 He's the end goal of the Mosaic covenant. 53:40 He sits on David's throne forever... 53:44 the Davidic covenant. 53:45 So turn to Hebrews chapter 8. 53:48 We have to get to this before we finish. 53:51 Hebrews chapter 8 and verse 8. 53:56 The question is: the Ten Commandments were the heart 54:00 of the old covenant. Are they also the heart 54:03 of the new covenant? Yes! 54:06 Hebrews 8 and verse 8. 54:10 Christ came not only to redeem us 54:13 but that He might exalt and magnify the law 54:16 and make it honorable. 54:18 So verse 8 says this: "Because finding fault with 54:21 them he said: 'Behold, the days are coming 54:24 says the Lord when I will make a new covenant 54:26 with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 54:28 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers 54:31 in the day when I took them by the hand 54:34 to lead them out of the land of Egypt 54:35 because they did not continue in My covenant 54:37 and I disregarded them. ' " 54:40 See, God keeps covenant 54:41 with those who keep covenant with Him. 54:45 "For this..." he says in verse 10... 54:48 "this is the covenant... " Here's my new covenant... 54:51 "that I'll make with the house of Israel 54:53 after those days says the Lord: 54:55 "I will put My laws in their mind and write them on 54:58 their hearts. I'll be their God; they shall 55:00 be My people. " Christ magnified the law. 55:06 He said: "You've heard it said 'You shall not 55:09 commit adultery? ' I'm saying if you lust 55:12 you're already guilty of adultery. " 55:14 "You've heard it said 'You shall not murder. ' 55:15 If you've got hatred in your heart toward somebody, 55:18 you're already guilty of that. " 55:20 He came to magnify the law and He fulfilled the law. 55:24 So His righteousness is given to us. 55:29 It is imputed and imparted to us. 55:34 This is why we can be jus- tified by grace through faith. 55:38 See, Jesus Christ always has been the everlasting... 55:43 the news of salvation by grace is the everlasting gospel. 55:48 But our response of covenant love 55:51 must be this: Jesus said 55:56 "If you love Me, keep My commandments 56:00 AND I will give you another Helper. " 56:03 Allos Parakletos. 56:05 One who is just like Me. 56:07 "I'll give you the Holy Spirit. " 56:10 That's what Acts 5:32 is saying: 56:13 that the Spirit is given to those who obey. 56:16 But the Ten Commandments - just as they were the heart 56:20 of the old covenant they are the heart 56:24 of the new covenant. They are permanent. 56:27 They are God's standard for His government. 56:32 The good news is this: turn to I Thessalonians chapter 5. 56:37 See, we don't... Jesus didn't obey to be saved. 56:43 I mean, to become the Son of God. 56:45 Jesus obeyed because He WAS the Son of God. 56:48 We don't obey to be saved; 56:51 we obey because we ARE saved! 56:54 And it is God who is working in us to will and to do 56:57 His good pleasure. I Thessalonians 5:23. 57:00 "Now may the God of peace, Jehovah Shalom Himself, 57:03 sanctify you completely making you holy, 57:06 separating you from sin. 57:08 May your whole spirit, soul, and body 57:12 be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord 57:14 Jesus Christ. " Now look at verse 24. 57:18 "He who calls you is faithful 57:23 who will also do it. " 57:25 Salvation is by grace through faith 57:28 and our response is love; 57:31 covenant love is obedience. |
Revised 2024-10-06