Participants: Jeff Zaremski
Series Code: AOT
Program Code: AOT000152
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00:12 Welcome to Anchors Of Truth, live from Surprise, Arizona.
00:21 And we do welcome you to night number two of 00:24 our Anchors Of Truth series, 00:26 the first and opening series for 2015 00:29 here from beautiful and warm, 00:31 praise the Lord, Surprise, Arizona. 00:33 Yeah, we just feel so sorry for the rest of the country tonight. 00:37 Because I know back home, it was like three degrees today. 00:41 Yea, as in one, two, three. 00:43 - Yeah, right. - It was very, very chilly. 00:45 And here I think it was about 70 or 75. 00:48 I don't know, but it was nice. It was. 00:50 And we don't want you to feel bad. 00:54 Don't turn us off, nothing like that. 00:56 But this is a beautiful place to spend the winter. 01:01 It is a beautiful place to spend the winter. 01:02 I've been here in the summer, and it's a wonderful place 01:05 to spend the winter. 01:09 We have done 116 to 120 in the summer. 01:13 - Indeed we have. - Yes, yes. 01:14 But tonight we are in this beautiful church. 01:17 Pastor Murrell is the pastor. 01:19 And beautiful people in front of us. 01:21 This is a good looking congregation, Jim. 01:23 It really is, and we've got a good group out here 01:26 for a Thursday night. 01:28 Fantastic support from this church. 01:31 This is an amazing church. 01:34 We want to talk to Pastor Tull a little bit about it. 01:36 It's only about six years old, the congregation, totally. 01:40 And they went from zero to this beautiful church in six years. 01:47 And 160 members, I believe. 01:50 Something like that. 01:52 This church is a vibrant growing church. 01:56 I had the joy of being here for their first Sabbath. 01:59 And now we're back again. 02:02 We sort of invited ourselves. 02:04 But Murrell said, "Come on." So we did. 02:08 And we're just so happy to be here with you in this beautiful 02:15 Clearview Seventh-day Adventist Church 02:17 in Surprise, Arizona. 02:21 You got that right. In Surprise, Arizona. 02:23 So we do welcome our congregation here in-house 02:27 and our worldwide congregation to what is the second, 02:30 we may make this an annual thing, 02:33 Anchors that focuses on the Jewish work 02:36 and the unique perspective that our Jewish brethren, 02:40 who have come over to the Adventist church, bring. 02:42 Last night Dr. Bolotnikov gave us a very powerful message. 02:46 He's a deep thinker, you know. 02:48 You've got to kind of get on the same wave link with Sasha. 02:50 And really challenged our minds. 02:52 And tonight we've got another good friend of our ministry, 02:55 Jeff Zaremsky. 02:56 And Ralph Ringer will introduce him in just a little bit. 02:59 Again, another deep thinker and great preacher, 03:02 and leader of the congregation there in Florida. 03:04 He said he's allergic to the cold, so he's pastoring 03:07 there in Florida; so we praise the Lord for that. 03:09 We have a bonus here tonight, 03:10 for those that are watching live. 03:12 Because after this first hour, then we have a second hour, 03:20 which is going to be a panel discussion. 03:22 And so we invite every single one of you to stay by. 03:27 And those of you that are home, stay by for that. 03:31 Because we're going to be talking to some very 03:35 interesting individuals. 03:37 Sasha Bolotnikov and Jeff Zaremsky, 03:40 and we're going to be also visiting with Ralph Ringer, 03:44 and talking about the Jewish work 03:48 and how important it is. 03:50 Right now we're going to invite Pastor Bolotnikov to 03:53 come forward and to have prayer for us 03:57 and to lead us in prayer this evening. 04:01 He is wearing a very quiet shirt. 04:08 But we won't have any trouble seeing him. 04:10 And lead us, would you. 04:13 Heavenly Father, we're so grateful for the opportunity 04:18 to present Your message here from this beautiful church. 04:23 And we ask You to bless everyone who participates. 04:28 Bless the speaker, bless all of us, bless the listeners, 04:35 and the visitors here at the church and our viewers 04:39 all across the globe so that the Holy Spirit 04:42 would touch everyone with the word of truth. 04:46 We pray in the name of Jesus, amen. 04:49 Amen. 04:51 We've got special music at this time. 04:54 And pastor Murrell Tull and his wife, Ginger, 04:59 are a real music team, but a real pastoral team. 05:04 And we're going to invite Ginger to come right now. 05:08 And she's going to be singing for us, 05:11 This Time, is the name of the song. 05:13 When Ginger finishes her song, Pastor Ralph Ringer 05:18 will come to introduce our speaker for this evening. 05:22 Ginger. 05:37 There were the little hills that seem so hard to climb; 05:46 there were even times I thought I'd lose my mind. 05:55 But I didn't know that just around the bend 06:03 stood the greatest hill that life could ever send. 06:13 And this time You gave me a mountain, dear Lord; 06:22 a mountain I'm too weak to climb. 06:31 And this time I need You like never before. 06:39 Hold my hand, guide my feet; 06:44 help me climb this mountain steep. 07:04 Through the pouring rain, the path I cannot see; 07:13 and the falling leaves say that winter's soon to be. 07:21 Yet in my heart I know Your way is best for me; 07:31 and these very trials have brought me to my knees. 07:40 And this time You gave me a mountain, dear Lord; 07:49 a mountain I'm too weak to climb. 07:58 And this time I need You like never before. 08:06 Hold my hand, guide my feet; 08:11 help me climb this mountain steep. 08:18 And this time You gave me a mountain; 08:27 a mountain I'm too weak to climb. 08:36 And this time I need You like never before. 08:44 Hold my hand, guide my feet; 08:49 help me climb this mountain steep. 08:56 And this time I need You like never before. 09:04 Hold my hand, guide my feet; 09:09 help me climb this mountain steep. 09:24 Amen. 09:27 This evening, Jeff Zaremsky, who leads two of our congregations, 09:33 and is also the director of the Shalom Adventure 09:39 outreach magazine for Jewish people, 09:41 will be our speaker. 09:47 Thank you for coming out tonight. 09:49 I find it better to say that in the beginning, 09:51 because at the end not everyone is always here. 09:53 So it's better to start with a, "Thank you for coming out." 09:57 What we want to talk about tonight will have to do with our 09:59 everlasting promises. 10:01 I'll be looking at that in relation to 10:03 dispensational theology, replacement theology, 10:06 old and new covenant, and what still applies today. 10:10 So all these things we'll wrap together. 10:13 Looking at the dispensational theology 10:15 and replacement theology. 10:17 I'm not going to talk about all the aspects of it, 10:18 but in relation to the everlasting promises 10:21 or the everlasting covenant the dispensationalists 10:25 basically teach that the Jewish people 10:28 were God's covenant people before Christ came, 10:32 and they continue to be God's covenant people 10:35 after Christ came. 10:37 That God gave the Jewish people specific promises 10:40 and specific commandments, and He's given to the Gentiles 10:44 other promises and other commandments. 10:46 Replacement theology basically teaches, in relation to 10:51 the covenant, is that the Jewish people 10:53 were God's covenant people before the cross, 10:57 before Christ came. 10:58 But then after Christ came, they were replaced... 11:02 That's where we get the term, replacement theology. 11:04 ...replaced with the church. 11:07 So we're going to look at this a little bit. 11:10 Let's look at a Bible text out of Romans chapter 11 verse 17. 11:15 It says, "...some of the branches were broken off..." 11:18 How many branches? 11:20 Some of the branches were broken off. 11:24 Now replacement theology kind of pictures it as 11:26 all the branches were broken off. 11:28 But it doesn't say that. It says, "some." 11:29 It doesn't say, "many." 11:31 It doesn't even say, "most." 11:32 It says, "...some of the branches were broken off..." 11:35 Now who were those branches? 11:40 Who were the branches that were broken off? 11:44 The Jewish people. Right. 11:45 And so then that's the, "some of the branches," 11:47 that were broken off. 11:48 Right? So then the rest of the branches that weren't 11:51 broken off, who were they? 11:53 The Jewish people as well. Right, exactly. 11:55 So some of the Jewish people were broken off, 11:58 the others who are outside of the, "some," 12:01 remained a part of the tree. 12:03 And then, "...you, being a wild olive tree, 12:07 were grafted in among them..." 12:09 Who's the, "you"? 12:11 The Gentiles, that's right. 12:13 Okay, and they were "grafted in among them." 12:15 Who is the, "them"? 12:17 The Jews. 12:18 Right, so the Gentiles are grafted in among the Jews. 12:22 With the Jews. 12:24 "...and became a partakers of the root 12:26 and the fatness of the olive tree..." 12:29 Who is, "the root and the fatness of the olive tree"? 12:34 Jesus, right. 12:35 God is the root; Jesus is the root and the 12:37 offspring of David, right? 12:38 The root of Jesse, comes from the root of Jesse, right? 12:40 He is the root. 12:42 He gives a parable, not about an olive tree, 12:43 but about a vine. 12:45 He is the vine, you are the branches, right? 12:46 So He is the source and we are the branches. 12:50 So in relation to replacement theology, 12:53 basically they cut down the tree. 12:55 They have the tree cut down to the root, and then the 12:57 wild olives branches are grafted into it. 13:00 They wouldn't explain it that way, but basically that's the 13:02 end result of that theology. 13:04 Dispensational theology says basically there's two trees. 13:08 And again, they wouldn't explain it that way, 13:09 but they have basically two different routes of salvation; 13:12 one for the Jews and one for the Gentiles. 13:14 But we see in the text itself, Romans 11:17, 13:17 that only some of the Jewish branches were broken off 13:21 and the Gentile branches were grafted in 13:24 among them and with them. 13:26 So we have one tree, one full tree, with Jesus as the root 13:31 and sustaining it all. 13:33 So Jews and Gentiles together. 13:35 Clear enough? 13:36 So both replacement theology and dispensational theology 13:40 are wrong. 13:41 Now they both have their Bible text and they both ignore the 13:45 Bible text of the other group. 13:47 And so there's a third option. 13:49 And it's neither one of those, dispensational 13:51 or replacement theology. 13:53 Even though the majority of Christianity 13:54 falls into either one of those two camps. 13:58 But from this text, and many others, it is blatantly wrong. 14:01 And many problems with it. 14:02 Dispensational theology lifts the Jews up on a pedestal, 14:06 replacement theology just throws them in the ditch. 14:08 And so neither one of those, as we see. 14:11 Let's look at an example here. 14:13 The Israel of God, or the covenant people of God. 14:16 We have Joshua, Aiken, and Rahab. 14:21 They all lived at the same time. 14:22 Their stories, their lives, overlap in the city of Jericho. 14:26 Joshua was the leader of the Israel nation right after Moses. 14:30 And he, by God's grace, takes us through the Jordon river, 14:33 brings us up to Jericho. 14:36 He is from the tribe of Ephraim. 14:38 And he's faithful to the Lord. 14:39 And the Bible records, at the end of the book of Joshua, 14:42 that he was faithful to the Lord all the days of his life, 14:47 and the people were faithful all the days that he reigned, 14:49 and all those that reigned along with him. 14:53 Aiken was of the tribe of Judah. 14:56 He was part of the Israel nation and part of the Israel army. 14:59 And he was involved in the attack on Jericho. 15:02 The walls of Jericho come tumbling down. 15:05 And God had said before they went into the battle that, 15:07 "This is the first city, so it's the tithe. 15:09 It all belongs to Me. 15:12 Everything is to be sacrificed. 15:15 Everything is to be killed. 15:16 And all the spoils go to Me. 15:19 It's the first city." 15:22 And Aiken didn't believe that, didn't agree with that. 15:25 And he decides, he sees some nice spoils; 15:27 some silver, some gold, and some nice clothing. 15:29 And he takes that and he buries it in his tent. 15:32 And God reveals to Joshua and the Israel nation 15:38 who was stealing and who was causing problems. 15:41 And it comes out and it turns out that it was Aiken. 15:45 And so Aiken is cut off and his family are cut off and killed 15:47 and executed from the nation. 15:50 Rahab was a person who lived in Jericho, 15:55 a Jerichoitess, a Canaanitess. 15:58 A prostitute living in the city of Jericho. 16:01 She had heard the stories of the parting of the Red Sea 16:03 that happened forty years prior. 16:05 She believed that, and she believed. 16:08 And she heard that Israel was coming, and she believed 16:10 in the Lord God of Israel. 16:12 And she believed that God was going to 16:14 work for them and with them. 16:15 And she protected two spies that came in. 16:18 And they tell her, "If you put this red cord out the window, 16:22 when we attack the city we will spare you and your family." 16:25 And she does; she believes them, and she does. 16:27 And she is spared. 16:28 And there is a Rahab in the genealogy of the Messiah. 16:31 Whether it's the same Rahab or not, I don't know. 16:33 But there is a Rahab mentioned there. 16:36 So which one of these, or which ones of these, either one, 16:40 are the covenant people of God, the Israel of God? 16:43 Joshua from the tribe of Ephraim. 16:48 Faithful commander. 16:49 Is he part of the Israel of God? 16:51 Amen? Okay? 16:53 How about Aiken? 16:54 From the tribe of Judah. 16:56 In the army. 16:57 Of the nation of Israel. 16:59 Is he part of the Israel of God? 17:04 No, he gets cut off. Right? He gets cut off. 17:07 How about Rahab? 17:09 A Canaanite, Jerichoitess. 17:12 Prostitute. 17:14 Is she a part of the Israel of God? 17:16 Yeah, she becomes grafted in, 17:18 becomes part of the nation of Israel. 17:19 She believes, and God accepts her in, right? 17:23 And so we have two; Joshua and Rahab, 17:28 a Jew and a Gentile, part of the Israel of God. 17:31 Part of the saved that will be in heaven. 17:33 And Aiken, born a Jew, who will be cut off. 17:37 So we have some, from that example right there, 17:39 we have some of the branches being broken off. 17:41 We have a wild olive branch being grafted in 17:44 among and with Joshua and the other branches 17:48 and connecting into the root. 17:51 Now when did this story take place? 17:53 Before or after the cross? 17:57 Before the cross. 17:58 Way before the cross. 18:00 Now both dispensational theology and replacement theology 18:04 teach that the covenant people of God 18:07 were the Jewish people before the cross. 18:10 But here we have a clear example 18:12 that it wasn't flat across the board that all 18:15 the Jewish people were the covenant people of God. 18:17 Aiken gets cut off. 18:19 And Rahab gets grafted in. 18:21 We have other stories; Ruth and the Gibeonites and 18:24 the mixed multitude that come out of Egypt. 18:25 So God's plan has never been; the Jewish people there, 18:30 and then someone else later on. 18:32 Like the replacement theology would teach. 18:33 Or Jewish people then, and continue Jewish people. 18:35 And some other route for the Gentile people. 18:37 But God's plan is and always has been 18:43 for Jews and Gentiles to be grafted in together 18:47 and among and with into the root of Jesus. 18:52 Always, from the very beginning. 18:55 So there's no pedestal, there's no lifting up of 18:57 one over the other. 18:58 There's no putting down of one over the other. 19:02 But all together equal in the sight of God. 19:05 The invitation has always been equal and open to all people 19:10 from the very beginning of time. 19:16 Now there was a little bit of a methodology shift 19:20 a little bit after the time of the cross. 19:23 Before the cross, God was using Jerusalem and the Sanctuary 19:29 there to draw people to teach them. 19:31 Like the Queen of Sheba. 19:32 She comes to Jerusalem, she learns about the sacrifices. 19:35 She learns about them pointing forward to the Messiah to come, 19:38 salvation through the blood. 19:40 After the cross, the temple is no longer needed, 19:44 the sacrifices are no longer needed. 19:46 And so the methodology shifts to where then they're sent out 19:49 to go and make disciples of all nations. 19:53 It's a little bit of a methodology shift, 19:56 but not a theology shift. 19:58 Nor an ethnic shift. 20:00 Theology shift like replacement theology would teach, 20:03 or an ethnic shift like replacement theology. 20:07 Dispensational would teach the theological shift. 20:11 And replacement theology, changing the different laws 20:14 in different ways. 20:15 And replacement theology would teach 20:17 an ethnic shift taking place. 20:20 It wasn't either of those. 20:21 Just a little bit of shifting in how to reach the world 20:25 is all that took place. 20:30 So let's look at the old covenant, new covenant. 20:34 Some will phrase that as old testament, new testament. 20:37 Because the word, "covenant," and, "testament," 20:39 are interchangeable words. 20:43 Which I don't think are good terms; 20:45 the Old Testament, calling the first part of the Bible, 20:48 Old Testament, and the second part of the Bible, 20:50 New Testament. 20:51 Because the Old Testament is not the old covenant, 20:56 as we'll see here as we look at some Bible text. 20:58 And so if we use those terms, Old Testament, 21:01 we are using it to denounce and put away 21:07 the teachings of the first part of the Bible. 21:11 Three-fourths of the Bible. 21:16 And again, replacement theology would use that, "Old Testament," 21:19 to say, "Well, the Jews have been done away with." 21:21 And the dispensational theologists would say, 21:23 "See, the Old Testament is old covenant. 21:27 And so the law has been done away." 21:29 And neither one is right. 21:31 The Jews haven't been done away with, 21:33 as far as being able to be grafted into God's root, 21:39 be covenanting with God. 21:40 And nor has the law been done away with. 21:42 So when we use those terms, Old Testament, New Testament, 21:44 we actually shoot ourselves in the foot 21:47 to be able to use the text in three-fourths of the Bible, 21:52 and a good portion of the New Testament, 21:54 or quotes from the first part of the Bible. 21:58 And so we'd have to really black line those out 22:00 if those are old and done away with. 22:03 So let's look at what the old covenant and new covenant is. 22:09 Deuteronomy chapter 4 verse 11, 22:11 "He declared to you His covenant." 22:15 I'm sorry. 22:17 Chapter 4 verse 11, "You stood at the foot of the mountain," 22:21 this is Mount Sinai, "and the mountain burned with fire 22:24 with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness. 22:27 And the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire." 22:30 This is before Moses went up on 22:32 Mount Sinai and received the Ten Commandments. 22:34 God speaking to the people. 22:37 And verse 13, "And He declared to you His covenant 22:42 which He commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments; 22:45 and He wrote them on two tablets of stone." 22:50 So He declared to you His covenant. 22:52 Who is the, "His"? 22:54 Who is, "His"? God. 22:56 It's God's covenant. 22:58 That's important right there. 22:59 "His covenant" is God's covenant. 23:02 And what, in the verse, is God's covenant? 23:04 "He declared to you His covenant, 23:05 which He commanded you to perform; the Ten Commandments." 23:10 So the Ten Commandments there are the covenant, 23:13 or His covenant. 23:15 God's covenant that He has given to us 23:18 is His Ten Commandments that He wrote on stone. 23:22 It's His gift to us. 23:24 Now another term for, "covenant," is, "testament." 23:27 What would be another term for covenant? 23:29 What are some synonymous terms for, "covenant"? 23:31 What is a covenant? 23:34 Agreement, right. 23:36 Promise, right. Promise, right. 23:38 Covenant; accord. That's right. 23:41 Some people covenant together; marriage covenant. 23:43 Making vows to each other, making promises to each other. 23:46 So the Ten Commandments could be looked at as 23:48 God's ten promises that He has promised to us. 23:54 He has promised us, "I will meet all your needs 23:57 according to My riches and glory. 23:58 You won't have to steal from anyone. 24:01 You won't covet from anyone else. 24:03 I will give you contentment. 24:06 I will give you love in your heart and remove hatred 24:09 out of your heart so that you won't murder anyone. 24:12 I promise you. 24:14 I promise you that I will be able to find you a job so that 24:17 you'll be able to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 24:21 I promise you I will give you so much love for your spouse 24:23 that you will not commit adultery against them. 24:28 I promise you that I will be such a wonderful God to you 24:32 that you will not need any other gods other than Me." 24:35 They are God's promises to us. 24:39 And so it's like a contract, it's like a warranty. 24:43 And so if it's not working right, you can go to God. 24:46 You can say, "God, You promised me 24:49 that You were going to provide for my needs. 24:50 You promised me that You were going to find me a job 24:52 so I can keep the Sabbath. 24:53 It's Your Sabbath and it's Your covenant, 24:55 so You've got to help me. 24:57 You've got to work for me. 24:59 You've got to do something here. 25:00 I am holding You to Your covenant. 25:02 I'm holding You to Your promise to me." 25:06 His covenant. 25:08 His Ten Commandments. 25:10 Oh, it's a whole lot more beautiful that way. 25:15 Now, the new covenant is actually older 25:23 than the old covenant. 25:25 As we'll see here in a minute. 25:27 Because the Ten Commandments, how far back do they go? 25:31 Back to the Garden of Eden, right? 25:33 Right, the Sabbath was there in the Garden of Eden, right? 25:35 Were they allowed to steal in the Garden of Eden? 25:37 No, that's what they got in trouble for, right? 25:39 They took something that wasn't theirs, right? 25:41 And coveting, that led to the stealing, right? 25:44 In a sense, they kind of murdered. 25:45 Right? Eve murdered Adam by giving him the deadly fruit. 25:50 They had other gods before them by listening to Satan 25:53 instead of listening to God. 25:54 So the Ten Commandments were there from the beginning. 25:56 And so God's covenant, His covenant, is older. 26:01 From the very beginning. 26:04 Now in the Exodus version of this, Exodus chapter 19 verse 8, 26:09 "All the people answered together, 26:12 'All that the Lord has spoken we will do.'" 26:18 So they are, what are they making to God? 26:20 They're making a promise. 26:23 "All that You say we will do." 26:28 So we're making a covenant to God. 26:31 And that's before Moses went up on the mountain. 26:34 So how long did that promise last? 26:37 Not even six weeks, right? 26:40 After Moses goes up on the mountain, 26:42 he comes back down, and in chapter 24 verse 7, 26:47 Moses took the Book of the Covenant. 26:51 So he went up there, God gave him His covenant. 26:55 According to the book, Moses brought it down. 26:57 "Moses took the Book of the Covenant 26:59 and read it in the hearing of the people. 27:01 And they said, 'All that the Lord has said 27:05 we will do, and be obedient.'" 27:07 So we added to it this time. 27:10 "Not only are we going to do it, we will be obedient. 27:13 We promise you." 27:15 How long did that last? 27:17 Not too long at all. 27:19 Now did God even ask them to promise Him anything? 27:24 "Moses took the Book of the Covenant 27:25 and read it in the hearing of the people." 27:28 It doesn't say, "What's your response?" 27:29 He didn't ask for a response. 27:31 He didn't ask, "Will you promise to obey it?" 27:33 He gave them His covenant. 27:35 "And they said, 'All that the Lord has said we will do.'" 27:40 This is the old covenant. 27:45 This is the old promises that need to be done away with. 27:51 These are the faulty promises that are built on 27:58 shifting sands. 28:00 Our promises to God are like trying to climb up a rope 28:03 made out of sand. 28:05 It just falls apart in our hands. 28:11 And then in verse 8, the same chapter, Exodus 24, 28:14 "Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people..." 28:18 How would you like that? 28:20 And amazingly they came back next week. 28:22 Huh? Would you do that if we strew some blood? 28:24 He took the blood of the goats and the rams, 28:26 and he sprinkled it on the people. 28:32 "...and said, 'This is the blood of the covenant 28:35 which the Lord has made with you...'" 28:39 Who made the covenant? 28:41 The Lord. 28:42 He doesn't even mention their promise. 28:44 He ignores it. 28:46 He doesn't say, "This is the blood of the covenant 28:47 of the promises we made to each other." 28:52 "This is the blood of the covenant 28:55 which the Lord has made with you 28:59 according to all of these words." 29:03 What words? 29:05 His Ten Commandments. 29:07 The words of His covenant written in the book, right? 29:12 Now the book of Hebrews says, "Jesus is the Mediator 29:17 of a better covenant, which was established on better promises." 29:23 There we see, "covenant," and, "promises," 29:24 are interchangeable words. 29:28 Better covenant, better promises. 29:30 Hebrews 8 verse 7, "For if that first covenant had been 29:35 faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second." 29:42 So he's saying that first covenant had faults with it. 29:45 Right? 29:47 God's Ten Commandments, is there any fault with 29:49 God's Ten Commandments? 29:51 No, so it's not God's Ten Commandments 29:53 that's the faulty one. 29:56 Is the rest of the Bible, the Old Testament, 29:59 or the first part of the Bible, 30:01 is there anything wrong with that? 30:03 No, the Bible says that all Scripture is given 30:05 for instruction and doctrine and for reproof, 30:10 written by holy men of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit. 30:14 Right? 30:15 So it's not the first part of the Bible. 30:20 It's not the Torah and the writings and the prophets 30:23 that had fault in them. 30:28 So that can't be what the old covenant is. 30:32 So what is the old covenant? 30:33 Well verse 8. 30:35 "...finding fault with them..." 30:37 Who is, "them"? 30:40 The ones who promised. Right. 30:42 That's where the fault is. 30:43 The fault is in their promise. 30:45 Because we don't have the power in ourselves 30:47 to keep our promises to God. 30:51 And then Paul quotes from Jeremiah 31 verse 31. 30:58 "'Behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord, 'when I will 31:02 make a new covenant with the house of Israel 31:04 and with the house of Judah." 31:06 It's interesting, it says His new covenant is with who? 31:10 Israel and Judah. 31:12 Not like replacement theology that says, 31:13 "Well, it's the Gentiles." 31:14 The new covenant is with Israel and with Judah. 31:17 The Israel of God, which would include Rahab and Ruth. 31:20 Again, the olive tree all grafted together. 31:25 Who's making the covenant in the new covenant? 31:29 "I..." Who's the, "I"? 31:31 God. 31:32 "I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel." 31:36 He doesn't say, "Make Me another promise. 31:39 You blew your old covenant promise, 31:41 you blew your old promise. 31:42 Make Me a new promise. 31:43 Be more determined this time. 31:45 Grit your teeth even harder this time. 31:47 Promise even on a bigger stack of Bibles this time." 31:52 He doesn't say, "Behold, we make a new covenant. 31:55 We wiped that other one out, we're going to re-draft it. 31:57 And we'll promise each other all over again." 32:00 He doesn't say that either. 32:01 He doesn't say, "Well, I'm going to wipe this out, 32:02 I'm going to wipe these people out. 32:04 I'm going to make a new promise with new people." 32:07 He says, "I will make a new covenant." 32:09 God makes the new covenant with us. 32:12 Just as He did when He spoke His covenant from Mount Sinai. 32:16 Just as He did when He spoke to Adam and Eve promising them. 32:21 God's covenant, God's everlasting covenant, 32:25 that does not fade away. 32:29 Verse 10 same chapter, Hebrews chapter 8, 32:31 "'This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel' 32:35 says the Lord, 'I will put My laws in their mind 32:39 and write them on their hearts; I will be their God, 32:42 and they shall be My people.'" 32:48 Who's doing all the work here? 32:50 God. 32:53 "I will put My laws in their mind and write them 32:57 on their hearts; I will be their God, 33:01 and they shall be My people." 33:03 We shall be His people why? Because we promise? 33:07 Because we try real hard? 33:09 Because we're very determined? 33:11 Because we're very good? 33:13 Because God writes His law in our hearts 33:18 and in our minds. 33:20 His covenant. 33:21 Again, that's His covenant, that's His desire, 33:24 from the very beginning. 33:25 God's work; God does His work in us. 33:31 And in verse 13, "In that He says, 'A new covenant,' 33:34 He has made the first obsolete. 33:37 And now what is becoming obsolete and growing old 33:40 is ready to vanish away." 33:44 Our old promises, our old trying, our old resolutions, 33:48 should vanish away and become obsolete; 33:52 and stop depending on our own promises and our own self will 33:56 and our own determination and our own trying, 34:02 and trust in God and let God work His work, 34:08 His covenant, in us. 34:12 Again, the obsolete growing old. 34:14 That can't be the Ten Commandments. 34:15 It can't be the Bible. 34:16 It can't be the first part of the Bible. 34:18 Because those aren't obsolete. 34:20 They aren't done away with. 34:23 And so if you ever hear anyone saying that 34:25 the first part of the Bible has been done away with 34:27 or the law has been done away with, 34:29 well again, tell them they can't quote then from 34:30 all the parts, you know, of the Psalms and of Isaiah, 34:34 and these wonderful promises. 34:35 "Oh, you can't quote those. 34:37 You said that's obsolete, that's done away with. 34:39 That's Old Testament, that's old covenant." 34:41 No, but they haven't grown old, have they. 34:43 Those promises are good and those text are just as 34:47 good today as they were when they were written 34:50 even thousands of years ago. 34:55 Then in chapter 9, Hebrews chapter 9 verse 14, 34:58 "...how much more shall the blood of Christ...cleanse your 35:01 conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" 35:08 When God gave His covenant the first time, 35:10 He sprinkled the people with the blood of the sacrifices. 35:14 Now with better promises, God's commitment, God's promises, 35:18 God's covenant, He now offers blood again. 35:23 This time, better blood as well. 35:26 And so certainly the blood part of the covenant is also 35:29 something that has vanished away, right? 35:30 We don't need to do the sacrifices anymore, do we? 35:33 Because He has become the sacrifice. 35:34 Messiah is the sacrifice. 35:36 Right? And so that part is definitely part of 35:39 the old covenant aspect. 35:42 Now the sacrifices themselves, as far as the shadow goes, 35:45 the Sanctuary itself as far as the shadow goes, 35:48 was their fault with that? 35:50 Was there anything faulty with it? 35:51 No. It was a perfect shadow. 35:53 But it wasn't the reality, was it. 35:55 It pointed forward, it perfectly did its job. 35:57 It perfectly pointed forward to the Messiah. 35:59 And the Messiah came just as prophesied. 36:03 So it fulfilled its purpose. But now its purpose is done. 36:06 It's good to read to help us understand 36:08 the cross even better. 36:10 But we don't need to sacrifice anymore. 36:13 So certainly the sacrifices are part of that, because we have 36:16 the blood of Christ that cleanses your conscience 36:21 from dead works. 36:26 Who is it that cleanses our conscience from dead works? 36:30 Christ; His blood. 36:32 He cleanses us. 36:35 Not just outwardly, but down into the conscience. 36:40 The blood of bulls and goats couldn't do that. 36:43 But the blood of Messiah has done that. 36:46 And when was the sacrifice made? 36:49 When did Jesus die for us? 36:55 2000 years ago? 36:56 The Bible says He's the Lamb slain from 36:59 the foundation of the world, right. 37:01 So as far as God's concerned, again, the everlasting covenant 37:03 is older, the new covenant is older than the old covenant. 37:07 It goes back to the very beginning even before the 37:09 foundation of the world, as far as God is concerned. 37:11 His blood was sacrificed; it was a done deal when 37:14 God made that decision that He was going to, 37:16 4000 years later, be that sacrifice for the world. 37:21 So His blood shed forth to cleanse us, to remove from us 37:28 the dead works, the dead promises, the dead attempts. 37:32 How good are our works? 37:34 How valuable are our works? 37:36 All our righteousness is filthy rags. 37:41 And He cleanses us of our filthy promises, our weak promises. 37:48 Even our best of promises, how strong can they be? 37:52 Without Christ, we can do nothing. 37:55 And so there's nothing. Nothing. 37:58 All our promises are nothing. 38:00 Worthless. 38:01 Done away with, obsolete. Throw them away. 38:04 Trust and hold God to His promises. 38:09 So let's look at some of these promises. 38:14 Philippians chapter 1, "He who has begun a good work in you 38:17 will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." 38:20 Who's doing all the work? 38:22 He is. 38:23 "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it." 38:29 He starts it, and He completes it. 38:33 He does the justifying, and He completes it. 38:36 He is the completer. 38:37 Him, not us. 38:39 I don't trust in Him for what He did on the cross 38:42 and then the rest is up to us. 38:44 He makes a promise to us, He did something for us, 38:46 and now we've got to do our part? 38:49 There is a part for us to do. 38:52 Get out of the way. 38:54 Surrender. 38:56 Let Him work in us. 39:00 He has begun the work; let Him complete it. 39:03 Let Him do it. 39:05 Stop trying to get in there. 39:07 You know, our prayers, when we pray, "God, help me," 39:12 who's the assistant in that prayer? 39:15 God's the assistant, right? 39:17 If God's your co-pilot, switch seats, right? 39:21 Don't ask Him to help you. 39:24 Say, "God, I can't do this. 39:26 I can do nothing. 39:29 Come inside me. 39:31 Begin Your work and complete Your work in me. 39:34 And do it for me, and do it through me." 39:40 Philippians chapter 2 verse 13, "It is God who works in you 39:44 both to will and to do of His good pleasure." 39:49 Who's doing all the work? 39:51 God. 39:52 It is God who works in you, both to will and to do. 39:58 What is, "to will"? 40:02 To choose. 40:03 Your will, right? Your will? 40:04 You choose what you want to go to who. 40:06 You want this to go to them, and this to go to them, 40:07 and nothing to go to them. 40:09 Right? You know, you make your choices. 40:10 Your will, right? 40:12 He helps us to choose. 40:13 We can't even choose on our own. 40:16 He gives us the power to choose. 40:19 To both will and to do. 40:22 He gives us the desire, gives us the power to choose, 40:25 and then He does it in us and through us. 40:29 That's His covenant. 40:30 That's His promise. 40:32 Not ours. 40:33 And He will do that through us. 40:36 His good works, not our good works. 40:38 Not our good pleasure. 40:40 He will do His good pleasure through us. 40:44 And that will make us the happiest. 40:48 Not our own filthy pleasures, but His pleasures. 40:51 Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ 40:58 who strengthens me." 40:59 Who's doing all the work? 41:01 God. Christ. 41:03 I can do all things because Christ is the one 41:05 who strengthens me. 41:06 Again, we can do nothing without Him. 41:08 We can do nothing. 41:10 But with Him, we can do all things 41:14 through Christ who strengthens me. 41:17 Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. 41:21 Now that's all, again, the second part of the Bible, right? 41:23 So well, maybe because the old promises are old 41:25 and done away with, right, and He didn't promise those 41:26 good promises then, they're only in the second part 41:28 after the cross, He started making great promises? 41:31 Well let's look at the book of Exodus chapter 31 verse 13. 41:36 "I am the Lord who sanctifies you." 41:39 Leviticus 20 verse 8, "I am the Lord who sanctifies you." 41:43 Leviticus 21 verse 8, "I am the Lord who sanctifies you." 41:47 Leviticus 22 verse 32, "I am the Lord who sanctifies you." 41:53 I didn't want to wear glasses, so I printed real large. 41:56 This is my notes, they look like this. 41:58 Maybe you can help out here. 42:01 Help me out here. 42:02 "I am the Lord... 42:07 ...who sanctifies... 42:10 ...you." 42:11 Who sanctifies you? 42:14 The Lord. 42:15 The Lord sanctifies you. 42:17 He began the good work, He justified us, 42:19 and He will complete it. 42:22 He is the Lord who sanctifies us. 42:25 Sanctification is the work of a lifetime. 42:27 But it's not our work of a lifetime, 42:29 it's His work of a lifetime. 42:31 He continues His work in us. 42:33 He continues to grow us, He continues to convict us. 42:35 He continues to show us where we're weak and faulty, 42:37 and continues to perfect us by His grace. 42:40 He does the work. 42:42 In the book of Leviticus and Exodus, 42:44 "I am the Lord who sanctifies you." 42:47 God's doing all the work, not us. 42:51 Leviticus 11:45, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." 42:59 Leviticus 19:2, "You shall be holy, 43:02 for I the Lord your God am holy." 43:05 Leviticus 20 verse 26, "You shall be holy to Me, 43:08 for I the Lord am holy." 43:10 What's the reason that we are holy? 43:13 Because of Him. 43:15 Not because of us. 43:16 Not because, "Oh, I've done better this year than last year. 43:18 I've tried harder and I've read more and I've prayed more." 43:21 We are holy because He is holy. 43:25 And then He wants to come and dwell in us and make us holy. 43:29 Not that it's us that's holy; it's Him that's holy. 43:32 Him living in us, because we are nothing. 43:36 Without Him we are nothing. 43:37 But it's Him, all Him in us and through us and for us. 43:43 Psalm 119, "I've hidden Your word in my heart 43:46 that I might not sin against You." 43:51 Him in the heart, His word in our heart. 43:53 He is the living word. 43:54 Him in us, that I might not sin against You. 44:01 Philippians chapter 2 verse 5, "Let this mind be in you 44:06 that was in Christ Jesus." 44:11 God wants to put His mind in us. 44:14 He wants to cleanse our conscience from the 44:16 dead works through His blood. 44:18 And He wants to put His mind in us. 44:22 Now what is the works that it says there 44:23 for us to do to get His mind? 44:29 Oh, I went too far there. 44:30 Where did it go? 44:33 Oh I'm sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself maybe. 44:38 Yeah okay, so let's back up. Sorry. 44:39 Colossians chapter 1 verse 27, 44:40 "...Christ in you, the hope of glory." 44:44 He wants to come in us. 44:45 That's the hope of glory; Christ in us. 44:47 Jude 24, "...to Him who is able to keep you from falling..." 44:52 Do you believe that He is able to keep you from falling? 44:55 Yes. 44:56 Who is able to keep you from falling? 44:59 God is able to keep us from falling. 45:03 Him sanctifying us, Him sustaining us. 45:07 Him keeping us from falling. 45:11 "...and present you faultless before the presence 45:18 of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior 45:21 be glory and majesty, dominion and power, 45:23 both now and forever more. 45:25 Amen." 45:32 1 John 2 verse 1, "I write to you so that you sin not." 45:38 Does John believe that God can give us the power not to sin? 45:42 Yes, he wrote, "I write to you. 45:44 That was the whole purpose I wrote to you. 45:46 I write to you so that you sin not. 45:48 He's able to keep you from falling. 45:51 Present you faultless before His throne of grace." 45:56 "But if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father; 46:03 Jesus Christ." 46:05 He doesn't say, "But when you sin, 46:08 don't worry, you've still got an Advocate with the Father." 46:11 It says, "I write to you so that you sin not. 46:14 But if you sin, you have an Advocate with the Father." 46:21 There is no sacrifice in the sacrificial system, 46:23 the temple system that God gave, there is no sacrifice 46:27 for known willful sin. 46:31 All the sacrifices are for unknown sins 46:34 that become known to us, that we then confess 46:39 and surrender over to God. 46:42 He is able to keep us from falling. 46:45 But if we unknowingly sin and it becomes revealed to us, 46:49 we have an Advocate with the Father who can cleanse us 46:53 and forgive us. 46:55 Galatians 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ; 46:59 nevertheless I live. 47:00 Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. 47:04 And the life that I now live, I live by faith in the 47:06 Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." 47:11 What is our job? 47:16 "I am crucified with Christ." 47:18 So what's our job? 47:20 To die. 47:22 That's it. 47:23 That's our job. 47:25 Surrender, die, be crucified with Him. 47:29 And if we're crucified with Him, when was He crucified? 47:34 From the foundation of the world. 47:35 Before we were even born. 47:37 We can accept our death in Him, and be dead in Him. 47:42 Our job is to die. 47:44 "I am crucified with Christ." 47:46 Nevertheless, I live. 47:47 You see me standing here. 47:49 But it's not I. 47:50 It's Christ that liveth in me. 47:55 I live by faith in the Son of God, 47:58 who loved me and gave Himself for me. 48:02 Glory to God, and only to God. 48:04 Now to that text in Philippians 2 verse 5. 48:07 "Let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus." 48:11 He wants to put His mind in us. 48:17 Jesus lived a faultless life, was able to keep from sinning. 48:23 He was tempted in all ways like as we are. 48:26 But He did not sin. 48:27 Now if we have the mind of Christ, does that mean 48:29 we'll never forget someone's name? 48:33 Does that mean we'll never get a splinter? 48:36 Some people think of this, you know, with Jesus sanctifying us 48:38 and perfecting us, and presenting us blameless 48:41 and faultless before His Father, they say, 48:42 "Oh, you can't make any mistake." 48:44 That's not what it's talking about. 48:46 It's talking about not sinning. 48:47 I mean, Jesus was a carpenter. 48:49 Do you think He ever got a splinter? 48:50 Ever think He cut a board too short? 48:54 Yeah. 48:56 He made mistakes. That's not sin. 49:00 He never chose to rebelliously disobey His Father. 49:05 I mean, He was a baby. You think He wet His pants? 49:07 I mean, you think He pooped in His diaper? 49:08 I mean, you know, He came in the flesh, right? 49:10 Those who say He did not come in the flesh are the antichrist, 49:13 the Bible says. 49:14 He came in the flesh. 49:16 But He did not sin. 49:18 He did not choose to disobey. 49:20 Did not rebelliously hold on to sin. 49:23 And neither do we. 49:26 By God's grace, we don't have to choose to sin. 49:30 Sin is knowing to do wrong, and doing it. 49:32 Knowing what's right, and not doing it. 49:35 We don't have to choose to sin. 49:37 By God's grace, Him sanctifying us, He gives us the power 49:40 to make the right choice. 49:42 And then by His grace, to will and to do. 49:46 Him doing it, not us. 49:48 Now we're not going to run around and say, 49:50 "Oh, I'm sanctified. I'm perfect. 49:51 I haven't sinned in three weeks, you know." 49:53 That would be our first sin. 49:55 You know. 49:56 Because we won't be looking at ourselves. 49:58 We'll be looking at Him. 50:00 Ah, what are we? 50:01 We are nothing. 50:03 We are dead. 50:05 We are crucified with Him. 50:07 So it's not us that's perfect. 50:09 It's Jesus in us. 50:11 "I'm crucified with Christ; nevertheless, I live. 50:13 Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." 50:15 This is the new covenant, this is the everlasting covenant. 50:18 This is the one that doesn't go away. 50:19 These are the powerful promises that we can hold on to. 50:24 1 Thessalonians 5:23, "May the God of peace 50:26 Himself sanctify you completely, 50:30 and preserve you blameless at the coming 50:34 of our Lord Jesus Christ." 50:36 He is able. 50:38 Okay, so then what still applies of the Bible? 50:45 If the Old Testament is not the old testament, 50:47 if it's not the old covenant, does it all then still apply? 50:52 I've got a little formula here that I think could apply to... 50:55 Although in Judaism they determined, Maimonides, 50:58 that there's 613 laws in the first part of the Bible. 51:02 So whatever, if there is exactly that, or whatever. 51:04 I think this rule can apply to all of them. 51:08 If the law was given to Adam and Eve before sin 51:13 entered this world, it is eternal. 51:16 It's before limited time. 51:18 Like we're in this age, you know. 51:19 This age is eventually going to end. 51:20 Right? We're in limited time. 51:22 Before the sin, they were in endless time. 51:25 Right? They had a weekly cycle, but an endless time. 51:27 They were suppose to live forever. 51:29 So it's eternal if it was given before this limited time. 51:32 It's eternal. 51:34 And it's universal. 51:35 It was given to Adam and Eve, the parents of mankind. 51:38 So it's universal to all mankind, to all people. 51:42 The Sabbath, was that there in the Garden of Eden? 51:45 Yes. So it's eternal and universal. 51:50 The circumcision, was circumcision there in 51:52 the Garden of Eden? 51:54 No, there's no mention of it there. 51:55 Not until Abraham 2000 years later, right? 51:57 So given to a specific person for a specific time. 52:00 Right? After sin had entered the world. 52:02 How about sacrificing? 52:03 Were there sacrifices in the Garden of Eden? 52:05 No. Outside the Garden of Eden, but not in the Garden of Eden. 52:08 Right? 52:10 We already talked about it; 52:12 no stealing and all those other things. 52:14 How about, did God say what they could eat and not eat 52:17 in the Garden of Eden? 52:19 Yes. 52:20 Yeah, He said you can't eat from that tree, right? 52:24 They weren't eating any hippopotamus' or anything, 52:27 you know, right? 52:28 He made some adjustments as we've gone along, 52:31 but He ruled over what we could eat and not eat. 52:34 The principles still apply. 52:36 How about the feasts? 52:38 Did they celebrate a Passover there in the Garden of Eden? 52:41 No. The Passover was not until 2500 years later, right? 52:45 Those are shadows. 52:46 Not that there's anything wrong with those things. 52:48 Right? It's wonderful to look at the shadow to better understand. 52:54 But it's not eternal and universal, 52:58 in that sense, like the others. 52:59 And I think, again, you can apply that to all of them. 53:01 And we can know which parts still apply, 53:03 universal and eternal, and which parts we're given for a time, 53:07 for a limited time, for a specific purpose, 53:09 as a shadow pointing to Jesus, 53:11 or for some other reason and purpose. 53:15 So the first part of the Bible is not the old covenant 53:20 or the old testament. 53:22 Again, I think we shoot ourselves, if not in the foot, 53:27 in the head, by using those terms. 53:30 Because it says those are obsolete, 53:32 being done away with, faulty. 53:34 And they're not. 53:36 It's one Bible. 53:37 We have one Bible. Several sections. 53:40 The Torah, the writings, prophets, gospels, Acts, 53:45 the epistles, Revelation. 53:47 So we've got sections. 53:50 But it's one Bible. 53:52 Filled with everlasting promises, 53:55 given to us by God, 53:58 that don't change, because God doesn't change. 54:01 Everlasting promises that we can rely on and we can hold fast to, 54:05 and we can trust upon and lean upon, 54:09 and trust in Him. 54:13 So I'd like to appeal to us today. 54:16 To put our trust totally in Him. 54:20 Not in New Year's resolutions, not in our promises. 54:25 If you've been making promises to God, 54:27 "I'm going to do better this year, God. 54:29 I'm going to read more in the Bible. 54:31 I'm going to attend services more regularly. 54:33 I'm going to get involved in that outreach. 54:35 God, I promise You, this year I'm going to do better." 54:38 Stop promising, 54:41 and ask God, live Your life in me. 54:43 Work in me. 54:45 And do in me what You would have me to do. 54:48 And fulfill Your purpose in me. 54:51 Lead me in prayer. 54:52 Lord, pray through me. 54:55 Lord, help me to understand Your Word. 54:56 Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. 55:00 Give me the ability to understand what I read. 55:02 Give me a love for Your Word so I want to read it, 55:05 that I desire to read it. 55:07 That I love your law as my desire all day long. 55:12 Give me that love, come inside me, give me Your mind. 55:15 Live Your life in me. 55:17 Write Your laws in my mind, in my heart. 55:20 If you put a CD into a CD player, 55:22 what's going to come out of the speakers? 55:26 If it's rap music, what's going to come out of the speakers? 55:29 Rap music. 55:31 You put beautiful gospel music in, what's going to come out? 55:34 Beautiful music, right? Beautiful music. 55:38 Let Him, let His mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus. 55:42 Jesus, place Your mind in me. 55:44 If you've been promising to God, I want you to 55:45 surrender that to Him today. 55:47 If you've believe in dispensational belief 55:49 or replacement theology belief, 55:51 you see now that both of those are wrong, 55:53 and you want to surrender that to Jesus, 55:54 "Jesus, I'm sorry for putting Jews on pedestals or 55:58 putting them in the gutter. 56:00 I'm sorry for thinking the first part of the Bible was old, 56:04 and referring to it that way. 56:07 Jesus, put Your words in my mouth, 56:08 put Your theology in my mind. 56:11 Speak through me. 56:12 Live through me. 56:14 Give me Your thoughts, Your attitude." 56:18 And if there's some sin in your life, 56:20 something you've been struggling with. 56:23 Some habit, some desire, some action. 56:29 Maybe you've been trying to give it up. 56:31 You've determined to give it up. 56:34 You've strove to give it up. 56:36 But you haven't given it up. 56:39 Give up, and let God. 56:44 Let Jesus work in you. 56:46 Surrender it to Him. 56:47 Confess it to Him. 56:49 Let Him remove it out of you. 56:51 It is His blood that cleanses your conscience from dead works. 56:57 Let His mind be in you. 56:59 Let Him give you the desire for the right to will and to do 57:04 of His good pleasure. 57:06 Let Him work in you and through you and for you, 57:10 and empowering you with His everlasting promise. 57:13 And stop living under the old covenant 57:16 of our own weak promises. 57:19 If any of those areas apply to you, 57:20 or anything else, as we pray together. 57:23 Our Lord and our God, Ruler of the universe, 57:25 we praise Your holy name and thank You 57:27 for Your great promises to us. 57:29 Live in us, through us. 57:32 Crucify us. 57:34 Live Your life out of us. 57:38 Perfect Your will, and sustain us and hold us 57:43 until your appearing. 57:45 And shine through us to the world 57:47 for Your honor and glory. 57:49 In Jesus' name, amen. |
Revised 2015-10-28