Participants:
Series Code: ASIC
Program Code: ASIC000011A
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00:19 Good morning and happy Sabbath, ASI family.
00:22 It's good to have you here this morning with us 00:24 in Houston in 2017 ASI. 00:28 I brought just a few people on stage with me this morning, 00:31 and they represent someone, 00:34 they represent our international attendees. 00:37 This morning, I just want to get a feel 00:39 for how many other 00:41 international attendees we have. 00:42 You can see, we have Mongolia represented here this morning. 00:45 Welcome from Mongolia. 00:47 And we have Australia represented. 00:49 They said they didn't come in 00:51 their national dress this morning, 00:52 but you can see that 00:54 we have guests from all over the world here. 00:56 I would like to ask those in the audience 00:59 who are from somewhere else in the world 01:01 besides the North American division 01:04 to please stand. 01:05 If you're from some other country 01:07 attending ASI, 01:08 you're not from the North American division... 01:11 Amen, hallelujah. 01:13 What a blessing! 01:15 Thank you so much for coming to ASI. 01:18 Thank you for joining us here. 01:20 And we're praying for God's blessing 01:22 upon the work in Mongolia, and upon the work in Australia, 01:25 and everywhere around the world 01:27 where God is reaching out, doing amazing things 01:30 to help finish the work of spreading the gospel 01:33 to the entire world. 01:34 Thank you for coming to ASI here 01:36 in North American division. 01:52 Wonderful, merciful Savior 01:58 Precious redeemer and friend 02:04 Who would have thought that a Lamb could 02:10 Rescue the souls of men 02:15 Oh, You rescue the souls of men 02:26 Counselor, comforter, keeper 02:32 Spirit we long to embrace 02:38 You offer hope when our hearts have 02:44 Hopelessly lost our way 02:48 Oh, hopelessly lost our way 02:56 You are the one that we praise 03:02 You are the one we adore 03:08 You give the healing and grace 03:12 Our hearts always hunger for 03:18 Oh, our hearts always hunger for 03:25 You are the one that we praise 03:31 You are the one we adore 03:37 You give the healing and grace 03:41 Our hearts always hunger for 03:47 Oh, our hearts always 03:50 Hunger for 03:58 Almighty, infinite Father 04:03 Faithfully loving Your own 04:09 Here in our weakness You find us 04:15 Falling before Your throne 04:19 Oh, we're falling before Your throne 04:27 You are the one that we praise 04:33 You are the one we adore 04:38 You give the healing and grace 04:43 Our hearts always hunger for 04:49 Oh, our hearts always hunger for 04:56 You are the one that we praise 05:02 You are the one we adore 05:08 You give the healing and grace 05:12 Our hearts always hunger for 05:17 Oh, our hearts always hunger for 05:35 Amen. 05:37 Good morning, ASI. 05:40 Happy Sabbath, and welcome to Sabbath School. 05:43 As we get started this morning with Sabbath School, 05:46 I'd like us to bow our heads for prayer. 05:49 Father in heaven indeed as the words of the song 05:51 we just heard, 05:53 You are the one that we adore, our hearts hunger for You. 05:58 And this morning at this time of study, 06:01 Father, I just ask that Your Holy Spirit 06:04 who was already present with us 06:07 will be with us now as we open Your word 06:10 for this very important study. 06:12 Guide us, direct our hearts towards You. 06:16 And, Father, may we discover something strange and new 06:20 that will transform us into Your image 06:23 and hasten Your coming. 06:25 Be with each of the panelists, I pray for Jesus' sake, amen. 06:31 Well, it's a great privilege to be here 06:36 as the moderator of this panel today, 06:39 not because I'm an expert 06:41 but because we certainly all love the gospel 06:44 and want to share it together. 06:47 As often it's the case with panel, 06:49 sometimes we could exclude the audience, 06:51 but we want to include you today. 06:53 And so I like you to listen, and actively listen. 06:59 I am Lyndi Schwartz, 07:01 and I'm the moderator of the panel, 07:02 and I'm from Ohio. 07:03 And to my far left, I have Bob Hunsaker, 07:09 he does happen to be a relative, 07:10 he is my brother-in-law. 07:12 And then we have Elias Baquero, and he is from California. 07:19 And then to my immediate right, we have Justin Kim, 07:24 who is no stranger to our audience. 07:26 And then also James Rafferty, my far right, 07:29 and again, he's certainly no stranger to us. 07:33 We're going to open the Word this morning, 07:34 and if you have your Bibles, 07:37 I'd like you to turn 07:40 to the Book of Galatians 07:44 from where the study is today. 07:49 The Book of Galatians, 07:51 I'll be reading the entirety of the passage 07:54 which is Galatians 3:15 to 19, 08:00 and then we'll have a panel discussion. 08:03 The title of the lesson today is the Priority of the Promise. 08:09 And inherent in the title, 08:12 we recognize that somehow the promise has priority. 08:16 So let's read together. Galatians 3:15 to 19. 08:22 "Brethren, I speak in the manner of men. 08:26 Though it is only in a man's covenant, 08:29 yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. 08:35 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. 08:40 He does not say, 'And to seeds,' as of many, 08:44 but as of one, 'And to your Seed,' 08:47 who is Christ. 08:50 And this I say, that the law, which was 430 years later, 08:55 cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed 08:59 before God in Christ, 09:02 that it should make the promise of no effect. 09:06 For if the inheritance is of the law, 09:09 it is no longer of promise, 09:11 but God gave it to Abraham by promise. 09:15 What purpose then does the law serve? 09:18 It was added because of transgressions, 09:21 till the seed should come to whom the promise was made, 09:25 and it was appointed through angels 09:28 by the hand of a mediator." 09:34 So today, we want to have a robust discussion 09:37 about this passage. 09:39 And I want to ask the first question 09:41 to our panelists. 09:43 In the interest of time, I believe that 09:45 several commentators agree that covenant and promise 09:50 are essentially the same thing. 09:52 Some may disagree, and that's okay, 09:53 and I can be challenged on that as I make that statement. 09:57 In verse 16, however, let me read that again. 09:59 In verse 16, the text says, 10:03 "Now to Abraham and his seed 10:06 were the promises made. 10:08 He does not say, 'And to seeds,' 10:11 as of many, but as of one, 10:14 'And to your Seed,' who is Christ.' 10:17 " So the question then is, 10:19 why was the promise not made just to Abraham or seeds, 10:24 but to his seed, singular? 10:27 And who was the main recipient anyway of this promise? 10:33 Inherent in this question, 10:35 I'd like you to also discuss the concept 10:38 that there is something crucial, central, 10:41 and core to the gospel in this text, and what is it? 10:47 Andy, it's so... I mean, Lyndi. Whoo, it's so exciting. 10:50 You told me not to do that, huh? 10:52 He just called me Andy, that's my wonderful twin sister 10:54 who I adore. 10:56 I will forgive you James. 10:57 I think it's so exiting that we're studying Galatians, 10:59 and I'm hoping, this time, we get it right. 11:02 It seems like from our discussion previously 11:04 and even from the quarterly which I think 11:06 is been really super. 11:08 I've really enjoyed it that we are on track this time 11:11 to understand that the focus of the Book of Galatians 11:14 is the seed being Jesus Christ, 11:16 that the promises were made to Jesus 11:19 not primarily to us or even to Abraham's descendants 11:21 but to Him as a descendant of Abraham. 11:24 Primarily because He's the only one 11:26 that could actually fulfill the covenant promises 11:29 that He is the focus of the covenant, 11:32 and He is the covenant keeper. 11:33 So I love this whole idea that the seed 11:36 is singled out by Abraham... 11:38 I mean, by Paul himself in Galatians. 11:41 He says, he emphasizes not seeds but to the seed, 11:45 speaking of Jesus Christ. 11:46 Yes, okay. 11:48 Yeah, I think, just following upon what you're saying there, 11:49 James, I think it's really neat to appreciate all the promises 11:53 God has for us. 11:54 But we don't commonly think about all those promises 11:57 relating that Jesus read those promises, 11:59 "Hey, that's in there for me." 12:01 You know, when He saw that promise to Abraham, it said, 12:04 "In you shall all the nations be blessed," He said, 12:06 "You know, that's speaking to me." 12:08 So he read those Old Testament stories 12:11 and as He was growing in wisdom, and stature, 12:13 and favor with God and man, He said, 12:15 "These promises in the Old Testament 12:16 are for me to experience." 12:18 And that, I think, brings up the point 12:19 that just like we have the privilege 12:22 of having faith and God's promises. 12:23 Jesus experienced faith and God's promises to Him. 12:28 Amen. 12:31 Okay. 12:34 So also, I just wanted to look at something here 12:36 that I think is really interesting 12:37 in the quarterly, and that is, 12:40 we misunderstand sometimes the idea of a covenant. 12:43 And I don't know, in my mind, it's been a little bit blurry, 12:48 and I thought this was really... 12:50 I just want to read this. 12:51 This is right on the first day, 12:52 actually it's Sunday's lesson, July 30, 12:57 so it's right as the quarterly begins 13:00 to enter into the discussion. 13:02 And I read this, I started, I emphasized, 13:07 I just thought, "Wow! 13:08 This is really powerful, this can really impact people." 13:10 So it impacted me. 13:12 "So a covenant," it says, 13:13 "and a will are generally different." 13:15 A covenant and a will are generally different. 13:18 A covenant is typically a mutual agreement 13:21 between two or more people, 13:22 often called a contract or a treaty. 13:26 In a contract... 13:27 In contrast, excuse me, a will is the declaration 13:29 of a single person. 13:31 And you get that so far, right. 13:33 A covenant is like an agreement between two parties 13:35 but a will is like a declaration 13:36 of a single person. 13:37 This is my will and testament, okay? 13:40 Now, I've always read the word covenant, 13:42 and I've understood automatically, 13:43 it's an agreement between two people. 13:46 As the quarterly describes, as it goes on to say 13:48 it this way, it says that 13:50 the Greek translation of the Old Testament, 13:54 the Septuagint, 13:56 that's the Greek translation of the Old Testament, 13:57 the Septuagint never translates God's covenant with Abraham 14:03 with the Greek word used for mutual agreements 14:06 or contracts, okay? 14:09 Instead, it uses the word for a testament or a will, why? 14:14 Probably because the translators recognize that 14:17 God's covenant with Abraham was not a treaty 14:19 between two individuals 14:21 where mutually binding promises are made, 14:24 on the contrary God's covenant was based on nothing 14:27 other than His own will. 14:30 No strings, no if's, and's, or but's was attached. 14:33 Abraham was simply to take God at His word. 14:36 I love that. Okay, very good. 14:40 What's great about that is that, you know, 14:42 it shows that if it's a will, we then become heirs. 14:46 And it's not something that we work towards... 14:49 We just happen to have such a loving God 14:52 that He gave us this inheritance 14:54 and we by faith appropriate it. 14:56 And so it's great that it's something that shows that, 14:59 it's not something that we can do in our own strength. 15:01 Okay. 15:03 Yeah, I was just gonna say the point 15:04 you bring out there, James. 15:06 It, sort of, is in the context really, 15:07 even though the word is covenant, it says, 15:09 "No one can annul or add to it." 15:12 So in a two-party system, either one can annul it, 15:15 but in a one-party system, only the one 15:16 who makes the will can annul it. 15:18 So it's bringing that out through that, 15:19 there's nothing we can do to annul God's promise to us, 15:22 He is always gonna be faithful even if we're faithless. 15:24 Okay. 15:26 Now, this is an awesome point you're both making. 15:30 But we've gotten a little ahead of ourselves. 15:33 I want to bring us back a little bit 15:35 because we're going to come and discuss this point, 15:37 that's a very vital point 15:39 that James, and Elias, and Bob have all made, 15:43 but I want to drill that a little further on this text 15:46 that we have just read in verse 16. 15:49 There are many items there. 15:50 And certainly the promise and the covenant 15:52 is also in there, we'll come back to that. 15:54 But I want to read an interesting text, 15:56 Romans 4:13. 15:59 If we could look over there, Romans 4:13, 16:03 this is an interesting passage. 16:06 It says that, "For the promise 16:08 that he would be the heir of the world 16:10 was not to Abraham or his seed through the law, 16:15 but through the righteousness of faith." 16:18 Now how would you apply that text to the seed, 16:23 Jesus Christ. 16:25 Was Jesus Christ righteous by faith? 16:30 If He was righteous by faith, how could that be? 16:33 After all, He was the divine Son of God. 16:37 I think, we know and Paul mentions 16:39 seed versus seeds. 16:41 He's making a distinction 16:42 between the singular and the plural. 16:44 If it was seeds, if a plural, it will be up to us, 16:47 it will be up to human beings, 16:48 it will be up to our performance, 16:51 our fulfilling of the law. 16:53 But he mentions seed, a singularity, 16:56 there's gonna be almost an anomaly with the seed. 17:01 I don't want to emphasize too much to divinity 17:03 or too much to humanity of Christ. 17:04 Christ is Christ, but He comes, 17:07 and He fulfills that component of which Israel has failed 17:11 with its throughout entire history. 17:13 Jesus becomes the new Israel. 17:16 And where Israel failed in the lack of faith, 17:18 Jesus comes, and His faith replaces all their failures. 17:22 Okay. Yeah. 17:25 I think, to me, I remember when someone talk to me 17:28 about Jesus having faith, a few years ago, 17:31 that was a new thought to me. 17:32 And it's been really encouraging to me 17:35 over the years to appreciate that 17:37 just as I need to walk by faith and trusting in the Father, 17:40 Jesus understands that by experience. 17:43 He didn't have, you know, He wasn't born 17:47 with a logo software in His brain. 17:49 He had to grow in wisdom, He had to grow in His faith. 17:52 He wasn't ready for Calvary at two years old 17:54 or at ten years old. 17:55 His faith had to grow and mature as He believed 17:57 and trusted in God's promises. 17:59 And that's an encouragement to us I think. 18:02 Yeah, I love what you just said. 18:03 Faith is not some abstraction, 18:05 it's not something that that's objective and you get, 18:08 it's based on a relationship with Jesus. 18:10 I love this because it transformed my experience. 18:15 Faith is based on two elements, according to Hebrews 11, 18:20 the goodness of God 18:21 and the power, the ability of God. 18:24 And whenever we're in a crisis of faith, 18:26 those two things are questioned. 18:28 I love my grandmother, she's a million years old. 18:31 I know, I without a doubt, she loves me. 18:34 But when I went into a dark alley, 18:37 I know she is not able, 18:39 she's not powerful enough to defend me 18:42 against any enemies that may come about. 18:44 Now there's Arnold Schwarzenegger. 18:47 Well, I don't know about now, but back ago, 18:49 he had the muscle tissue to protect me. 18:51 I know he has the power to do so. 18:53 But I have no relationship. 18:54 I know he doesn't have a good character, 18:55 he will not defend me in a situation. 18:59 So in a crisis of faith, I always have to ask myself, 19:02 "God, are you good enough to save me in this situation? 19:07 Well, of course you're good. Of course, you'll love me. 19:10 But are you strong enough?" 19:11 And this is where doubt comes in. 19:13 And these are, I believe, the struggles 19:15 that Jesus had to develop during His lifetime 19:18 and through the promises of God 19:20 that He's developed in His faith. 19:21 And that's the faith that He transfers to all of us 19:24 through sanctification. 19:26 To me, the other aspect of Jesus' faith in us, 19:29 it's analogous too when you as a parent, 19:33 or a teacher, or whatever, 19:35 even though you see in the student or the child 19:37 an inability to do what they need to do, 19:40 you speak to them encouragement, 19:42 and you speak to them that they're better than they are, 19:45 and investing in them that faith, 19:47 it causes them to experience the things 19:49 that they wouldn't be able to experience 19:50 if you hadn't spoken of them 19:52 or, if you want to use the word accounted them 19:54 better than they were. 19:56 So that's what God is essentially doing towards us. 19:58 He's saying, "Listen, you're not where you could be 20:01 where I want you to be, but I believe in you, 20:04 I have confidence in you. 20:06 If you trust in me, 20:07 I will bring you to this point." 20:08 It's His faith in us 20:10 that can produce a responsive faith. 20:11 It's His confidence in us that can produce 20:12 a responsive faith in us to Him. 20:14 You know, I really see that taking place on Calvary, 20:16 the whole life of Christ was a preparation for Calvary, 20:20 and we know that that was something He exercised. 20:24 As Justin said, He had to trust in 20:27 not only God's goodness but also His power 20:29 to deliver Him. 20:31 It was dark. 20:32 But also, think about this, when Christ comes to Calvary, 20:36 everyone has forsaken Him, everyone is gone. 20:40 "The whole human race," Satan is whispering in His ear, 20:42 "looks like they're not going to respond 20:44 to this gift of love." 20:46 And it becomes very dark for Christ. 20:49 At that point, I want to read this statement. 20:50 It's found in Faith in Works, page 72, it says, 20:54 "It is faith that works by love 20:57 that is witnessed by Jesus Christ 20:59 on the cross of Calvary. 21:02 It is the love that He has for my soul. 21:04 Christ has died for me. 21:06 He has purchased me at an infinite cost, 21:09 and He has atoned for everything 21:11 that is offensive to Him." 21:13 He is dying by faith in us that we will respond. 21:18 Even though everything around Him tells Him, 21:21 "We're not gonna respond, He's gonna do it by faith." 21:24 I love that picture, that beautiful picture 21:26 of God's heart. 21:27 And, James, I agree with you. 21:29 Jesus Christ was dying having faith in us 21:31 that someone may respond. 21:33 He was also dying by having faith in His Father. 21:38 Ellen White speaks of how He was victorious by faith. 21:43 I just, as we close out this particular section, 21:45 I want to read an interesting quote 21:47 to think about. 21:49 And that Jesus Christ's entire life was one of faith. 21:56 One of the first instances of Ellen White's writing 21:58 was in the Desire of Ages, page 336, paragraph 1. 22:03 And when I came across this, I was surprised 22:05 but this is just to close this section, 22:07 just to nail down the point that, 22:10 by faith, Jesus Christ was righteous. 22:13 "When Jesus was awakened," 22:16 this is when the storm came up and disciples were upset. 22:19 "When Jesus was awakened to meet the storm, 22:22 He was in perfect peace. 22:25 There was no trace of fear in word or look, 22:29 for no fear was in His heart. 22:32 But He rested not in the possession 22:35 of almighty power. 22:38 It was not as the 22:39 "Master of earth, and sea, and sky" 22:42 that He reposed in quiet. 22:44 That power He laid down, and He says, 22:48 "I can of Mine own self do nothing." 22:50 He trusted in His Father's might. 22:53 It was in faith, faith in God's love and care, 22:57 that Jesus rested, and the power of that word 23:01 which stilled the storm was the power of God." 23:05 And I think this is the wonderful quote, 23:07 letting us recognize that in this promise, 23:11 we see here the faith of Jesus. 23:15 It would take faith to accomplish the promise, 23:19 and that's life for us. 23:21 Okay, now let's just move to the next question here. 23:26 And James began to hit on the question already, 23:29 and he already read the section. 23:31 I want to get a little bit more into this concept of covenants 23:34 because I think that not only are other Christians 23:39 a little bit confused about 23:40 what the covenants are all about, 23:42 but sometimes, even in our church 23:44 we can confused about 23:46 what the covenants are really about. 23:48 And so, James, you already read that 23:49 from the quarterly. 23:51 Let me just reiterate again. 23:52 Part of it, there's another section of it. 23:53 Yes, okay, there's more to it. 23:55 And let's do that. 23:56 So, again, the Greek translation 23:58 of the Old Testament, 24:00 the Septuagint never translates God's covenant with Abraham 24:04 with the Greek word used for mutual agreements 24:06 or contracts, syntheke. 24:09 Instead, it uses the word 24:11 for testament or will, diatheke. 24:13 Why does Paul use that word, 24:18 and what are the implications inherent 24:21 in the use of mutual agreements versus will? 24:26 Well, in the context of Galatians, 24:28 we're talking about circumcision 24:29 and where the role of the works takes place. 24:31 And in a contrast that I need to do something, 24:34 and the other person needs to do something, 24:36 and if I follow through what I do, 24:38 I'll get what I agreed upon what the... 24:43 I just got confused, 24:45 but you all know what I'm saying. 24:46 And in a uni-lateral agreement, I can do nothing. 24:49 I just gonna sit there, and I wait for the will 24:54 to carry on the power that it has to do. 24:57 And this is the model of 25:00 which the biblical covenants come from. 25:02 We can do nothing, circumcision and we have our modern day 25:06 circumcision manifestations today, 25:09 but we can do nothing. 25:11 To add to that, that righteousness component. 25:13 Okay, all right. 25:15 He's going a little bit further than that. 25:17 Also in the second paragraph, 25:18 I'll just read it, here it says, 25:20 "Paul picks up on this double meaning of a will 25:23 and covenant in order to highlight specific features 25:25 of God's covenant with Abraham. 25:28 As with a human will, 25:30 God's promises concerns a specific 25:36 beneficiary," excuse me. 25:40 Beneficiary, excuse me, I'm... 25:44 Beneficiary. Beneficiary, yes, thank you. 25:46 "Abraham in his offspring. It also involves inheritance. 25:50 Most important to Paul is the unchanging nature 25:53 of God's promise. 25:55 In the same way that a person's will 25:57 cannot be changed once it is been put into force, 26:01 so the giving of the law through Moses 26:04 cannot simply nullify God's previous covenant 26:06 with Abraham. 26:08 God's covenant is a promise. 26:09 And by no means is God a promise breaker?" 26:11 So here's the point. 26:13 Justin started on it, 26:15 he began it with mentioning circumcision, 26:17 and definitely, that was a fire, 26:20 a point of contention with the Jews. 26:23 But as we come down to our time, in 1888, 26:28 we come into another controversy. 26:30 It's okay for us as Adventists to say, 26:32 "Oh, yes, circumcision, 26:33 that's wasn't part of the covenant. 26:34 We don't need to be circumcised, etc." 26:36 But now, we see a broader perspective 26:39 of the law in Galatians including the moral law. 26:42 And basically, Galatians is speaking 26:45 not only the ceremonial law but also of the moral law. 26:48 And what God is saying here is, "Hey, God made a promise 26:51 based on what He was going to accomplish 26:53 without the moral law. 26:55 You do not complete God's covenant 26:58 by obeying the moral law." 26:59 The moral law was added later, 27:02 it can't delete, it can't undermine, 27:04 it can't nullify the covenant promise 27:06 that God made which is a will. 27:09 And He is going to accomplish that 27:11 where we're gonna inherit that will, 27:13 that salvation promise that God has given us 27:15 without the law. 27:17 It's not through obedience to the moral law 27:19 that we inherit that promise. 27:20 And even from the beginning, you know, 27:22 speaking of circumcision, 27:23 if you read Deuteronomy 30:6, it says, 27:28 "And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart 27:31 and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord 27:33 thy God with all thine heart and with all thine soul 27:36 that thou mayest live." 27:37 And from the beginning, 27:39 it's always been God working in us. 27:41 It's Him, He's the one giving the promise, 27:46 fulfilling the promise, and we're just receiving it. 27:49 Okay. Yes, Bob. 27:50 It's interesting, 27:52 Ellen White makes this interesting statement 27:53 in Steps to Christ that the spirit of Phariseeism 27:55 is the spirit of human nature. 27:57 And we have this natural bias and bent towards legalism. 28:03 And we can even turn righteousness by faith 28:06 into a legalistic mindset. 28:07 Ellen White says that there's danger 28:09 of placing merit on faith. 28:11 So sometimes what we'll do is... 28:13 Well, it's a two part system. 28:14 God's part is all that He does, 28:16 and then He in response to my faith, 28:18 He's obligated to me, and He owes me, 28:20 and my part is faith. 28:22 Therefore, we are both 28:23 contributing to the salvation process 28:26 rather than appreciating that my faith is merely 28:28 appropriating all that He's already done. 28:31 It's appreciating a preexisting reality 28:34 rather than creating a reality that did not previously exist. 28:37 Yes. 28:39 Which makes our faith important. 28:41 But it doesn't allow it to be meritorious. 28:43 Yeah, our faith becomes 28:45 God's accommodating our free will 28:48 rather than in another work that we need to do 28:50 to earn God's favor towards us. 28:52 We don't earn God's favor by being faithful. 28:54 We respond to His favor towards us by being faithful. 28:58 Okay. 29:00 So, Bob, since you mentioned that, 29:01 let me ask you a question. 29:03 I want to make sure we're all in agreement. 29:04 First of all, before we do that, 29:07 I believe that it seems that He wanted to make us sure 29:13 that this is not a contractual agreement. 29:18 Do you agree with that? 29:20 What does not entering into a contractual agreement 29:24 as opposed to will do to us. 29:26 How does that make us feel 29:29 to not enter into contractual agreement? 29:35 I think when you're in a contractual agreement, 29:37 to one degree or another, you're gonna do your part 29:40 under a sense of obligation merely. 29:42 And God is not wanting us to relate to Him 29:45 in a sense of obligation merely 29:47 because we're required to do so. 29:49 He wants us to relate to Him 29:50 because we see something in Him to appreciate. 29:52 We see something in Him 29:54 that's beautiful and attractive, 29:55 and we respond from our heart, 29:57 not because we're obligated to you 29:59 to get my slice of the pie, 30:00 we're responding because, you know, 30:02 He's so beautiful, He's so attractive, 30:03 He's related to me so faithful and so well, 30:06 how can I do anything else but say, "Thank you, Lord. 30:08 I want to be part of Your kingdom." 30:09 In addition to that, a contract, an agreement, 30:14 an obligation would put us in a situation 30:17 where we are lost 30:19 because we have nothing to contribute, 30:21 we can't contribute anything that actually is meritorious, 30:24 so when you look at it from the perspective of that, 30:28 God is actually recognizing our lostness. 30:31 Now we don't always recognize that, 30:33 so when God initiated the covenant with Abraham, 30:37 with Moses, excuse me, in Sinai, 30:39 when God told them about this covenant, 30:42 they said, all the Lord has said, what? 30:44 We will do and be obedient. 30:46 And this is what I think Paul is talking about 30:48 in Galatians when he said the law was added. 30:50 It was added to help us see that 30:53 all the Lord has said we can't be obedient to, 30:56 because 40 days later, they weren't obedient. 30:58 So the law actually brings us to realization of our lostness 31:02 and the impossibility of us actually contributing 31:04 to this covenant. 31:06 It shows us how lost and sinful we are. 31:09 It continually reflects to us, like in a mirror, 31:11 our sinfulness and leads us 31:13 to put our trust 100% in Jesus Christ. 31:16 Okay, so the important thing about the covenant 31:18 has to do with, and what I'm hearing 31:20 you all saying is that God wants us to recognize 31:24 that we cannot do anything. 31:26 In fact, as I like to say, 31:29 this is not a potluck, is that right? 31:32 This is dinner, He's providing the dinner. 31:34 Now let me ask you a question, Bob, 31:36 keying of what you just said. 31:37 This is a simple question. Did the promise... 31:40 That's the kind I need, thank you. 31:41 What? That's the kind I need. 31:43 Yeah. 31:45 So did the promise precede 31:47 or follow Abraham's obedience? 31:52 Preceded. Okay. Next question. 31:55 Next question, but he was hesitant. 31:56 Next question. 31:57 Did the promise precede 31:59 or follow Abraham's faith? 32:05 Preceded. It preceded. 32:06 That is a significant point, 32:08 because sometimes faith, even faith can become a work. 32:13 Is that right? 32:14 And so we have to be very careful about that. 32:16 Yeah, it's in how we process faith. 32:19 You can process faith as my obligatory response to God, 32:23 or you can process faith 32:24 as my heart appreciation of what He has already done. 32:27 And those are two different mindsets, 32:29 two different mindsets. 32:31 One is an old covenant mindset. 32:32 I'm following God out of sense of obligation 32:34 because I'm required to do so. 32:36 Ellen White says, 32:37 "If we obey out of a sense of obligation merely 32:39 because we're required to do so, we do not obey." 32:41 Okay, all right. 32:44 And, James, you've already taken us there a little bit, 32:46 but let us continue and read a few more verses, 32:49 and then we'll come to the crucial question 32:50 you just mentioned about the law. 32:52 And just to summarize again with this section, 32:56 it is clear that God wants to remove 33:00 every confidence we have in the flesh, right. 33:04 In fact, that's why Abraham was circumcised. 33:07 Circumcision for Abraham was not a work, 33:10 it was, "Abraham, 33:12 I want you to remove every confidence in the flesh." 33:16 All right, now let's read this, and then we'll come to the law. 33:20 So in Galatians, I need to get there myself. 33:23 Galatians, back to Galatians 3:17, 33:27 "And this I say, that the law, which was 430 years later, 33:32 cannot annul the covenant 33:34 that was confirmed by God in Christ, 33:38 that it should make the promise of no effect. 33:41 For if the inheritance was of the law, 33:44 it is no longer of promise, 33:46 but God gave it to Abraham by promise. 33:49 What purpose then does the law serve?" 33:52 My question to you is, why then the law? 33:55 Also in Romans, Paul says, why then the law? 33:58 What purpose does it serve? 34:00 And then the question then that says, 34:02 "It was added because of transgressions, 34:06 till the seed should come to whom the promise was made." 34:11 So let's discuss that. Why then the law? 34:13 What purpose was it added, and why was it added? 34:18 What does the seed coming have to do with the law 34:21 or even transgression? 34:24 Yeah, I find the answer in verse 24. 34:26 I have a weird translation Bible. 34:28 Verse 24 says, "The law then was our guardian unto Christ 34:33 so that we could be justified by faith." 34:35 It seems that the law was this temporary school teacher, 34:39 a tutor in some translations. 34:42 Back then, these rich families would have a slave 34:45 come and be a teacher to the heirs of the family. 34:48 And this school teacher would hit, 34:51 would totally discipline this child 34:54 totally underneath the authority of the master 34:57 but a little bit above the child. 34:59 And until the appropriate age came, 35:02 when the child became an adult, 35:03 then the school teacher just reverted back to a slave. 35:06 And the law kind of functions in that capacity 35:09 until Jesus was to come, 35:10 until the right time of adulthood, 35:12 if you will, the fullness of time, 35:15 this school teacher, the law is to discipline us, 35:18 is to teach us that we are sinners, 35:20 that whatever you do, you, 35:23 and it drives us to the foot of the cross, 35:25 drives us to a deeper hope for the faith. 35:28 That's the function of the law according to this verse. 35:30 Okay. All right, all right. 35:31 I just want to read a quote that goes along with that. 35:35 This is from Faith and Works, page 103. 35:37 It says, "As the penitent sinner, 35:40 contrite before God, 35:41 discerns Christ's atonement in his behalf 35:44 and accepts this atonement as his only hope in this life 35:48 and the future life, his sins are pardoned. 35:51 This is justification by faith." 35:54 And so as we see that we can't fulfill the law, 35:57 but Jesus has. 35:58 He's our only hope in this life and the future. 36:02 And we rest in that promise, that's justification by faith. 36:05 Lyndi, a really good quote also from Romans 5 36:09 where Paul is dealing with the subject, in verse 20, 36:12 just a quick snippet, he says, 36:13 "Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. 36:18 But where sin abounded 36:20 and grace did much more abound." 36:21 So the law came in to show us how sinful we are. 36:24 And therefore, the law is never nullified, 36:26 it never ends. 36:29 It's never done away with because we need 36:31 a continual reminder of how sinful we are. 36:34 The law is not just a code of moral do's and don'ts, 36:37 the law is a revelation of a character of God. 36:41 It's the heart of God, 36:42 it's the heart of unselfish love. 36:44 And so the more we see 36:45 the principles of God's government 36:46 and we see who He is through His law, 36:48 the more we realize how selfish and self-centered we are, 36:52 and the more we see our need of Jesus. 36:54 Okay. 36:55 It's been helpful for me to think 36:57 why didn't God gave the Ten Commandments 36:58 on stone to Abraham. 37:01 He was a different, more mature relationship. 37:04 God was actually condescending 37:06 to sort of meet the Israelites where they are... 37:08 They needed those ten laws posted right in front of them 37:11 to see their true condition, whereas Abraham, 37:13 out of more mature experience than they did. 37:15 There's this fascinating quote, 37:16 I'm sure we're all familiar with, 37:17 from Patriarchs and Prophets, 364, 37:19 but just listen to what she's saying 37:21 about how God is related to us because we needed too. 37:24 "If man had kept the law of God, 37:26 as given to Adam after his fall, 37:28 preserved by Noah, and observed by Abraham, 37:31 there would have been no necessity 37:33 for the ordinance of circumcision." 37:35 No need for circumcision. 37:37 "And if the descendants of Abraham 37:38 had kept the covenant, 37:40 of which circumcision was a sign, 37:41 they would never have been seduced into idolatry, 37:44 nor would it have been necessary for them 37:46 to suffer a life of bondage in Egypt, 37:48 they would have kept God's law in mind, 37:51 and there would have been no necessity 37:54 for the proclaiming of the law from Sinai, 37:56 engraved on tables of stone. 37:59 And had the people practiced the principles 38:02 of the Ten Commandments, there would have been no need 38:05 of the additional instructions given to Moses." 38:08 So God is progressively meeting us 38:10 where we are at in our levels of immaturity, 38:13 that doesn't mean the law has always been there, 38:17 but He had to express it in a more direct revelatory way 38:20 because of our immaturity. 38:22 Okay. 38:24 I want to move to the next question, 38:26 but I was anticipating that one of you 38:30 would discuss something related to Romans 7 38:33 where Paul says that the law is holy, 38:37 it's just, and it's good. 38:39 And Paul is saying, "But how am I gonna fulfill it?" 38:41 In other words, it has to be fulfilled, right? 38:43 And then later on in Romans 8... 38:46 Let's just turn over there very quickly 38:48 because the law is not going anywhere. 38:51 It is here to stay. It must be obeyed. 38:55 In fact, it is a transcript of God's character, 38:59 and the ultimate idea of the covenant 39:02 is to bring us back in harmony reconciled to God 39:07 and fulfilling all He wants us to do. 39:09 So Romans 8 as we close and go to another very important 39:14 and practical question. 39:16 Romans 8:3 and 4, 39:20 "For what the law could not do 39:23 in that it was weak through the flesh, 39:26 God did by sending His own Son 39:29 in the likeness of sinful flesh, 39:31 on account of sin, He condemned sin in the flesh." 39:33 By the way, as He is experiencing this as us, 39:37 this is also our hope, "that the righteous requirements 39:41 of the law might be fulfilled in us." 39:44 By faith, we grasp hold of what He did by faith 39:48 and make it our own. 39:50 "So the righteous requirement of the law 39:52 might be fulfilled in us 39:53 who do not walk according to the flesh 39:55 but according to the Spirit." 39:57 We have a very few minutes for this next question 40:00 because we just have a very few minutes left. 40:03 Lyndi, you're so organized 40:05 but we can't always follow the organization. 40:07 Yes, that's true. 40:08 I just want to illustrate this a little bit. 40:10 When I wash and wax my car, and it's perfectly clean, 40:14 I have an extra measure of desire to keep it clean. 40:18 When my car is dirty, I don't care. 40:20 And so when the gospel says to us, Jesus says to us, 40:23 "I give you My righteousness. 40:25 We have a perfectly clean waxed, polished car, 40:27 it's perfect. 40:28 And the illustration fails 40:31 a little bit of course, or maybe a lot. 40:33 But we are motivated by the love of God 40:36 because of the righteousness gift 40:38 we received from Christ 40:40 to keep clean, to stay clean, if you know what I'm saying. 40:43 But when we're dirty, when we're guilty, 40:45 that just drives us to not care, 40:47 if you understand what I'm saying. 40:49 Yes, I do. 40:50 And, James, my organization is not natural to me, 40:53 it's dictated by that clock down there. 40:57 In one minute, let me ask this question 40:59 because I do want to mix some summary remarks. 41:02 Seventh-day Adventists have something unique to say. 41:06 In fact, I believe that we were not meant to be here 41:08 as a regular denomination 41:10 because we are a prophetic movement 41:13 with the prophetic voice. 41:15 A prophet has something unique to say. 41:17 And as we don't have something unique to say, 41:19 we should not exist. 41:21 No prophet, no message, we shouldn't exist. 41:25 So what are the implications on what we've studied here 41:28 for the preaching of the gospel in the context 41:31 of the third angel's message, the one that says, you know, 41:34 "Here is the patience of the saints. 41:36 Here are they who keep the commandments of God 41:40 and the faith of Jesus. 41:42 One minute, you got it. 41:43 Just quickly, you know, Ellen White says 41:45 it justification by faith, 41:46 everything we've been talking about 41:48 is the third angel's message in verity. 41:50 And you know, I just... 41:52 When we have this devotion to Christ 41:54 and we're living this, you can't help but share it. 41:56 And this quote from Steps to Christ really touches me. 41:59 It says, "When the love of Christ 42:00 is enshrined in the heart, 42:02 like sweet fragrance it cannot be hidden. 42:04 Its holy influence will be felt 42:06 by all with whom we come in contact. 42:07 The Spirit of Christ in the heart 42:09 is like a spring in the desert, flowing to refresh all 42:12 and making those who are ready to perish, 42:14 eager to drink of the water of life. 42:16 Love to Jesus will be manifested 42:18 in a desire to work as He worked 42:20 for the blessing and uplifting of humanity. 42:23 It will lead to love, tenderness, and sympathy 42:25 toward all the creatures of our heavenly Father." 42:27 And so if we see, for example, in 2 Peter 3 that 42:32 the reason Jesus hasn't come is because of us. 42:37 It's because we haven't appropriated that faith 42:40 of Jesus, the love of God. 42:42 And so we haven't actually had that true desire 42:44 to go out and share it. 42:46 And just to backup what you just said, 42:47 there's a quote. 42:48 She said we haven't entered in because of unbelief. 42:51 That's right, okay. 42:52 I'm just looking at righteous by faith, 42:53 there are so many counterfeits 42:55 when it comes to righteous by faith. 42:56 You have righteous by works by which 42:59 the majority of the world 43:00 has religions based around that. 43:02 You also have unrighteousness by faith. 43:05 You have people, Christian denominations 43:07 who believe in double predestination 43:09 and that God has preordained and etc, etc. 43:13 And you have righteous by presumption, 43:15 that, yeah, you just kind of wing it. 43:18 Could it be that Seventh-day Adventists 43:19 have been called for this time to really preach 43:22 a biblical righteousness by faith? 43:24 Amen. Praise God. Let's do it. 43:27 I want to wrap up in the few minutes we have left 43:32 recognizing a very important thought. 43:37 And that is, that the giver of the promise, 43:40 when the promise was made to Abraham, 43:43 it was made by, it says, Yahweh, 43:45 that is the self existent God, 43:48 that promise was given to Jesus Christ, 43:51 God gave God the promise. Isn't that very unusual? 43:54 And so as we look at the initiator of the covenant 43:58 and the recipient of the covenant, 44:00 we see a very unique relationship 44:03 there in the Godhead 44:04 that's very salvific for us. 44:08 And I wanted to conclude our concept today 44:12 by looking at Genesis 15 very, very quickly 44:16 'cause we don't have much time. 44:18 Genesis 15, this is the last text 44:20 that the quarterly actually gave us 44:22 and it just says there that Abraham was having 44:26 a difficult time, a struggle with faith. 44:28 And he said, "Lord, how do I know that 44:31 somebody in my home, 44:33 from my loins will be the heir." 44:36 And Jesus told him to count this... 44:38 God told him to count the stars and so forth. 44:39 And He says, "But I need more than that." 44:42 And so God asked Abraham 44:46 to bring Him a three-year-old heifer, 44:49 a female goat, and a ram, and then two birds. 44:52 Abraham then cut those animals in half 44:57 and separate the pieces. 44:59 And then, although the text doesn't say it, 45:01 Ellen White said he walked between them. 45:05 Mysteriously, maybe not so mysteriously, a deep, 45:11 supernatural sleep came upon him 45:14 as the sun was going down. 45:16 Now what's going on in this text? 45:18 There's an ancient treaty where a superior person 45:23 and an inferior person would have a contract. 45:27 And in that contract, several things were laid out, 45:31 there were stipulations and the stipulations were 45:34 blessings if you obeyed, curses if you disobeyed. 45:38 And as a ratification of that covenant, 45:42 that both of them were to walk 45:45 between the pieces that was severed signifying, 45:49 "If we disobey with this contract, 45:52 so happen to us as happened to these animals." 45:56 I want to draw your attention, 45:59 in Genesis 15:17, 46:04 "And it came to pass, when the sun went down 46:07 and it was dark, that behold, there was a smoking oven 46:11 and a burning torch that passed between those pieces." 46:14 Ellen White says that this represents the Godhead, 46:17 this is divine, this is the God the Son, 46:20 God the Father. 46:22 The text does not say that Abraham and these two 46:25 walk between the pieces but just what was happening 46:27 in the Ancient Near Eastern treaties, 46:30 this was God the Father saying, "I've got this." 46:34 May God be ripped from God if we're not faithful 46:38 to deliver and our promise to make you righteous, 46:42 to sanctify you, to justify you, 46:45 and to give you a work to do. 46:47 And I think the beauty 46:48 of what we have been discussing here today, 46:51 that promise from the initiator, Yahweh, 46:53 God the Father, and Jesus Christ the Seed, 46:56 God the Son, by faith, the seed fulfilled the mission. 47:01 And when Jesus cried on the cross, 47:02 "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me." 47:06 That was a fulfillment of walking 47:08 between those pieces, God being ripped from God. 47:12 I want to thank James, and Justin, and Elias, and Bob, 47:16 and all of you for participating. 47:18 And I'd like to have prayer as we close. 47:22 Let's bow our heads. 47:23 Father in heaven, what a gracious, 47:26 and wonderful, beautiful God you are. |
Revised 2018-02-22