Participants:
Series Code: SCM
Program Code: SCM190004A
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00:39 Previously on Law of Love & Liberty:
00:43 We are standing 00:47 in His presence 00:52 on holy ground. 00:56 He's going to write in our hearts His law of love. 00:59 That's what we see taking place here. 01:01 This is the promise that we see taking place here. 01:05 I'd rather have Jesus 01:10 than silver or gold... 01:14 If God can cause the Red Sea to open up 01:17 and let His people cross that thing on dry land, 01:19 then God can move in your life. 01:21 He's not only Sovereign over the winds and the waves. 01:24 He's Sovereign over what's going on in your life, too. 01:27 Oh yes He is! Sovereign! Super! 01:31 He is the Supreme Ruler... that's what God is! 01:39 AMEN! Welcome to Spring Camp Meeting 2019. 01:43 Boy, that previously on... That's inspiring too, isn't it? 01:46 YES! Anyway, we welcome you 01:49 as you're joining us maybe through the radio, 01:50 through the Internet, through the TV air waves. 01:53 Thank you for joining us for Spring Camp Meeting. 01:55 Our local audience that's here...many have 01:57 traveled from many states here in the United States. 02:00 Outside of the United States we have Russia, Australia. 02:04 Am I missing another country? 02:06 England? Wow! Fantastic! 02:09 We thank you for coming here to 3ABN Camp Meeting. 02:12 What a blessing it is to spend time together! 02:14 Isn't it? To me it's a foretaste of heaven. 02:18 And I tell you: I look forward to heaven! 02:20 That should be the prayer on each one of our hearts 02:22 is be prepared, right? For Christ's soon return. 02:24 And HE IS COMING SOON! You know, some of the things 02:27 that we really enjoy about Spring Camp Meeting 02:29 is meeting you here. And I met a dear couple... 02:33 The Penney's - right? from Georgia 02:35 came into the truth because of you, because of 3ABN. 02:41 And what a blessing! These stories are the ones 02:43 that inspire our hearts and should inspire you as well. 02:47 Because the money that you give - the donations - 02:49 the prayers that you put forward for 3ABN 02:53 is making a difference. 02:54 And that's what's really special to each one of us. 02:57 Here in the Midwest we've had a lot of rain. 03:00 You may have heard all about the rain 03:02 and the flooding. And usually these fields 03:04 around here have corn that's already growing 03:07 and it's not even planted. 03:09 The other night I was talking about preparing... 03:13 We... I had my neighbor... he tilled my garden 03:16 for those of you that like to garden. 03:17 And I like to plant sweet potatoes. 03:20 And they tilled the garden; the soil was nice and soft 03:24 but I knew this rain was coming. 03:25 You know, last night we got a lot of rain, right? 03:27 A lot of rain. 03:29 For those that were tenting in tents they said they were 03:31 wet. We'd better pray that it dries out for them. 03:33 But anyway, we knew the rain was coming 03:35 so I wanted to plant my sweet potatoes before my garden 03:37 became a muddy mess. 03:39 So in case some of you saw me, I was planting 03:43 sweet potatoes at 10:30 at night 03:47 with a flashlight! 03:49 So if you go look at my garden and my rows are 03:51 a little crooked please don't judge me. 03:54 But talking about preparing, we knew the rain was coming 03:57 so I wanted to get them in the soil. 03:58 So we need to... we know Christ is coming soon. 04:01 So Camp Meeting is about renewing our walk with Christ. 04:05 But it's not about just taking what we have here at Camp 04:07 Meeting and saying "That was wonderful. " 04:08 It's about taking it back to our local churches, 04:10 our local communities, and doing something about it. 04:13 And in our own lives, recommit- ting our lives to Jesus Christ. 04:16 This morning we're going to be blessed with a powerful 04:19 message by Pastor David Shin. 04:21 He's a dear friend of the ministry of 3ABN 04:23 and of Jill and myself. 04:25 We've known him... Boy, this may age us... 04:28 but we were in college together over 20-some years ago. 04:31 So he's a dear friend. 04:33 He has a wonderful wife and a little son. 04:36 But before he comes and breaks the Word of God to us 04:38 we have another dear friend in Tim Parton. 04:42 He's the general manager of the 3ABN Praise Him! network. 04:45 But he's a dear friend to Jill and myself. 04:47 And he's going to be blessing us with a song this morning 04:49 entitled I Will Cherish The Cross. 05:03 I remember the day mercy saved me. 05:08 Trembling I knelt down and prayed. 05:13 There at the cross love forgave me 05:17 exchanging my sin for His grace. 05:22 I will never forget 05:24 the burden He lifted 05:27 and the peace that flooded my soul. 05:30 I will cherish the cross. 05:33 So precious to me: the place of my pardon 05:38 where I was redeemed. 05:40 No more a sinner... 05:42 I'm a child of God. 05:45 I'm free and forgiven! 05:47 And that's why I cherish the cross. 05:59 Wherever the journey may lead me, 06:04 and whatever road I may walk 06:09 my heart will always be clinging 06:13 to the treasure I have in the cross. 06:17 It is foolish to those who don't choose to believe 06:22 but to me it's the power of God. 06:26 I will cherish the cross. 06:28 So precious to me: 06:31 the place of my pardon where I was redeemed. 06:35 No more a sinner... 06:38 I'm a child of God. 06:40 I'm free and forgiven! 06:43 And that's why I cherish the cross. 06:49 I will cherish the cross 06:52 till my trophies at last I lay down. 06:58 Oh, I will cherish the cross 07:01 till I trade it some day for a crown! 07:06 I'm going to cherish the cross. 07:09 So precious to me: 07:12 the place of my pardon where I was redeemed. 07:16 No more a sinner... I'm a child of God. 07:21 I'm free and forgiven! 07:24 And that's why I cherish the cross... 07:42 That's why I cherish 07:44 the cross. 07:56 Amen! Amen! I will cherish the cross. 08:00 Thank you so much for that beautiful special music. 08:03 Good morning everyone. Good morning. 08:05 Good morning. I almost said: "Happy Sabbath" 08:07 but it's different being up here on a Thursday morning. 08:12 Are you enjoying Camp Meeting thus far? 08:14 Amen! Praise the Lord 08:16 for this opportunity to share together about the law of God. 08:21 I was in the back and Greg mentioned that 08:23 he, Jill, and I were in college over 20 years ago. 08:29 Hard to believe... of course we started when we were 10 08:32 and so that's why... But don't let this baby face 08:36 fool you actually. And I don't know what I'm eating or drinking 08:40 but it's slowed down the aging process, praise the Lord. 08:46 Well, let's spend some time in God's Word. 08:49 And before we do that let's bow our heads as we pray 08:53 this morning. Father in heaven, we thank you 08:56 so much for this opportunity to reflect 08:59 on the law of God: the law of love and liberty. 09:05 And we pray this morning that as we open Your Holy Word 09:09 that the Holy Spirit, the divine teacher, would 09:13 guide our thoughts and minds this morning. 09:16 Hide me behind the cross. 09:18 May Jesus be uplifted and Christ be seen. 09:21 For we ask these things in His precious name, Amen. 09:25 Our topic today is The Law Before Sinai. 09:30 And it can actually be framed as a question: 09:34 Did the law exist prior to Mt. Sinai? 09:39 Or: Was it invented at Mt. Sinai? 09:42 And before we do that we want to 09:45 go into a study and ask ourselves the question: 09:49 Why is it in the New Testament that there seems to be 09:53 a contradiction between a set of verses on one side 09:57 that say that the law has been done away with 10:00 and another set of verses on the other side 10:03 that the law is still binding? And many people 10:06 don't understand that in the Bible 10:09 that there's actually two laws in Scripture. 10:13 There were actually two laws that were given by God 10:16 to Moses on Mt. Sinai, 10:19 and I want to do a brief study this morning. 10:22 Do you have your Bibles? As we open the Word of God 10:24 and I want to put on the screen a set of verses here. 10:27 The first one I want to invite you to go to is 10:29 James chapter 2 and verse 10. 10:32 And this verse indicates that the law has been established 10:38 and is still binding upon all of us. 10:40 James chapter 2 and verse 10. 10:44 And we can see from the context here that this is 10:46 actually talking about the moral law. 10:49 James 2:10: "For whoever shall keep the whole law 10:53 and yet stumble in one point 10:56 he is guilty of... " How much? All. "He is guilty of all. " 11:00 The Bible indicates that the law is so immutable, 11:05 so unchangeable, 11:06 that if you break one you break them all. 11:11 Some individuals will say: "Look, some laws 11:14 or some aspects of the Ten Commandments 11:17 are not of as high a priority as the other ones. " 11:20 They say you can get a 10% dis- count on the Ten Commandments. 11:24 But the Bible indicates even if you break one 11:27 you break them all. In verse 11 the Bible says: 11:31 "For He who said: 'Do not commit adultery' 11:34 also said "Do not murder. ' 11:36 Now if you do not commit adultery 11:38 but you do murder you have become a transgressor 11:42 of the law. " This is clearly talking about 11:44 the Ten Commandments and the moral law. 11:47 Let's go to our second verse here. 11:49 Let's go to Colossians chapter 2 and verse 14. 11:53 Every time I give a study on the Sabbath 11:56 I know that Colossians 2:14 is coming up 12:00 as an objection many times. 12:02 And here is the text, Colossians 2:14: 12:06 "Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements 12:11 that was against us 12:13 which was contrary to us 12:16 He has taken it out of the way 12:18 having nailed it to the cross. " 12:21 Every time I give a study on the Sabbath 12:23 this text is quoted 90% of the time. 12:28 They say: "The law has been done away with. " 12:30 "See the Bible says that the law has been nailed to the cross. 12:34 We're no longer under the law we're under grace. " 12:38 Now you'll notice here it says: 12:40 "Having wiped out the hand- writing of requirements. " 12:44 Some of the translations actually say 12:47 ordinances. We'll come back to that in a moment. 12:50 And then in verse 15: "Having disarmed principalities 12:53 and powers He made a public spectacle of them 12:56 triumphing over them. So let no one judge you 12:59 in food or drink or festival or new moon or Sabbaths. " 13:04 Now we'll come back to that text in a moment. 13:06 But here's another text that indicates that the law 13:09 is done away with. That after the cross we don't 13:11 have to keep the law any more. 13:13 Which seems to contradict the passage that we just read 13:16 in James chapter 2 verse 10 13:18 that indicates if you break one you break them all. 13:22 Now let's go to our next passage very quickly. 13:24 Let's go to the words of Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount. 13:28 Matthew chapter 5 verse 17-19. 13:32 Here Jesus gave the greatest sermon ever preached. 13:35 Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7: the Sermon on the Mount. 13:38 And here He talks about the law. 13:40 Matthew chapter 5 verse 17: 13:42 "Do not think that I have come to destroy the law 13:46 or the prophets. 13:48 I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. " 13:52 Now some of our evangelical friends will say that 13:55 that word fulfill means to do away with the law. 14:00 Now let's put that in there; it doesn't make any sense. 14:02 I did not come to destroy the law but to do away with the law. 14:07 The word BUT indicates a contrast. 14:10 Here He's actually saying: "Look, I did not come 14:13 to destroy the law. I came to magnify the law. " 14:17 And we can see that in the Beatitudes. 14:19 He said: "You have heard it said you shall not commit adultery. 14:22 But I say unto you if you look at a woman to lust after her 14:26 you have committed adultery in your heart. " 14:29 In other words, He expands the law 14:31 from the actions to the thoughts. 14:34 "You've heard it said you shall not kill 14:36 but if you hate your brother you have committed murder 14:40 in your heart. " Here Jesus says: 14:42 "Look, I have not come to destroy the law 14:44 but to magnify or to fulfill the law. " 14:47 Now let's go to another text that seems to contradict this. 14:50 Let's go to Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 15. 14:52 Here the Apostle Paul seems to allude to this notion 14:56 to some evangelicals that the law is no longer binding. 15:00 Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 15 15:04 he's talking about a new cove- nant relationship with Christ 15:07 after the cross. Ephesians 2:15. 15:14 The Bible says: "Having abolished 15:18 in His - Christ's - flesh the enmity that is the law 15:23 of commandments contained in ordinances 15:26 so as to create in Himself a new Man 15:29 from the two thus making peace. " 15:33 Notice the Bible says that "He abolished in His flesh. " 15:36 In other words, when Jesus died on the cross 15:38 He abolished the law contained in ordinances. 15:42 Now we'll come back to this idea of ordinances 15:45 in a minute, but many times this text 15:48 is used to say that after we become a Christian, 15:52 after the cross, we no longer have to keep the law 15:56 any more because when Jesus died 15:58 the law died with Him. 16:01 Let's go to the last book in the Bible very quickly. 16:04 Revelation chapter 14 and verse 12. 16:06 Here is another text that seems to indicate 16:09 that the law is still binding, that the law is eternal. 16:11 The last book of the Bible Revelation chapter 14 verse 12. 16:15 This is a great eschatological prophecy indicating that there 16:18 will be and end-time people who will keep the commandments 16:22 of God and have the faith of Jesus. 16:24 Revelation chapter 14 verse 12: 16:25 "Here is the patience of the saints; 16:29 here are those who keep the commandments of God 16:32 and have the faith of Jesus. " 16:35 Notice that there is an inter-dependence 16:38 implied between keeping the commandments of God 16:41 and the faith of Jesus. In other words, 16:43 if you are in a relationship with Christ 16:47 righteousness by faith and keeping the law 16:52 are not mutually exclusive. 16:55 They are inter-related. 16:57 And the Bible indicates that before Jesus comes a second time 17:00 there will be a people that keep all 10 of God's commandments 17:06 Amen! AND have the faith of Jesus, righteousness by faith. 17:11 We have this notion that's put up today 17:13 that righteousness by faith and being in a loving, 17:18 law-keeping relationship with Christ 17:21 are mutually exclusive. 17:22 In other words, having a relationship with Christ 17:25 is on one hand and you don't have to keep the law any more. 17:28 But the Bible indicates that if you are abiding in Christ 17:31 you will have fruit. That's right... that's right! 17:34 Jesus will work in you both too will and to do 17:37 of His good pleasure. 17:40 Let's go to Romans chapter 6 and verse 14, 17:44 our next passage that seems to indicate that the law 17:48 is no longer binding. And this one is quoted many times 17:51 as well when the Sabbath study is given. 17:54 "For sin shall have no dominion over you 17:57 for you are not under the law but under grace. " 18:02 They say: "Look, once you accept Christ 18:05 as your Savior you're no longer under the law. " 18:10 But the Bible also presents this principle 18:13 that when you accept Jesus as Savior 18:16 you're also accepting Him as Lord of your life. 18:20 That's not a popular teaching today by the way. 18:22 Everyone wants Jesus as Savior 18:25 but after that you want to say: "My Lord and my God. " 18:30 You want to have Him Lord of your life. 18:33 Let's go to our next passage here: I John chapter 3... 18:36 I John chapter 2 verses 3-4. 18:41 I John is near to the end of the Bible 18:43 close to the book of Revelation. 18:45 I John chapter 2 verses 3 and 4. 18:49 Here John makes it very clear 18:51 about the nature of God's Ten Commandments. 18:55 "Now by this we know that we know Him... " 19:00 How many people today say that they know Jesus? 19:03 John says: "Here is the litmus test. " 19:07 "Here's the visible mani- festation of knowing Jesus. " 19:12 "And by this we know that we know Him 19:14 if we keep His commandments. " 19:17 In other words, the visible manifestation 19:20 of an individual that knows Jesus 19:23 is keeping God's commandments. 19:27 Verse 4: "For he who says 'I know Him' 19:30 and does not keep His commandments 19:33 is a liar and the truth is not in him. " 19:38 The Bible makes it very clear. 19:39 Now this is not talking about ignorant sins 19:42 because the Bible says: "For him that knoweth to do good 19:44 and doeth it not it is not sin. " 19:46 This is talking about a willful transgression of God's law. 19:51 Let's go to our last passage here: Galatians chapter 3 19:54 verses 23 through 25. 19:57 The law in Galatians. 20:00 And here Paul establishes that the law is like a tutor 20:05 or a schoolmaster to bring us 20:09 to Jesus Christ. Galatians chapter 3 20:13 verses 23 through 25. 20:19 The Bible says: "But before faith came 20:24 we were kept under the law. 20:27 Kept for faith which would afterward be revealed. 20:32 Therefore, the law was our tutor 20:34 to bring us to Christ 20:36 that we might be justified by faith. 20:38 But after faith has come 20:41 we are no longer under the tutor. " 20:45 People use this text to indicate that: "Look, 20:47 the law brings us to Jesus Christ but after 20:50 Jesus Christ we have no use for the law 20:53 in a relationship with Christ" 20:55 which is a twisting of what Paul actually said. 20:59 Now how do we deal with this contraction 21:02 that seems to appear in Scripture? 21:05 By the way, this is an important hermeneutical rule 21:07 that we need to follow: when you are studying the Bible 21:11 and you come across a contraction 21:14 or an apparent or seemingly contraction, 21:17 we need to take the posture 21:20 of not immediately jumping to the conclusion 21:22 of saying: "Look, the Bible is contradicting itself... 21:24 it must be wrong. " 21:27 When we study Scripture we need to take our shoes 21:30 off our feet in humility 21:33 recognizing that we are in a divine engagement 21:37 with Holy Scripture. Amen? Amen! 21:40 So we can't take that posture. We need to take the posture that 21:43 when we approach Scripture and we come across something 21:46 that seems to contradict itself 21:48 not to just say: "Oh, the Bible's contradictory. " 21:50 But say: "Look, the issue is my understanding of Scripture... 21:56 not Scripture. " You know there's some things I read 21:58 in Scripture or I should say many things I read in Scripture 22:01 that I simply cannot understand because this is a divine book. 22:05 I can read this book multiple times 22:07 and not have a complete under- standing. And that's OK. 22:12 And here is one of those cases 22:14 where it is our understanding of Scripture. 22:17 Here we have two sets of texts, one on one side 22:20 that says that the law is eternal, immutable, and cannot 22:23 be changed, and on the other side the Bible indicates 22:26 that after the cross we are no longer under the law. 22:30 Now which is it? 22:32 It's both! 22:35 The solution for this contradiction is actually 22:38 that there are two laws. 22:41 You see, when Moses... and praise the Lord for this 22:45 beautiful set by the way... Amen? 22:47 When Moses went up on Mt. Sinai 22:50 to commune with God 22:53 He did not only come down with tablets of stone. 22:59 But... you know... Moses was a genius. 23:02 He also got the sanctuary blueprint which he wrote down 23:07 but in addition to that after that engagement 23:10 with God on Mt. Sinai he also came down 23:14 with another law: the ceremonial law. 23:18 So there were two things that were given to Moses by God: 23:22 the Ten Commandments and the ceremonial law. 23:26 And I want to go through the characteristics of each 23:29 so that we do not confuse one for the other. 23:31 Let's go to Exodus chapter 31 verse 18. 23:34 This is on Mt. Sinai. 23:36 Exodus chapter 31 verse 18. 23:41 "And when He had made an end of speaking with him 23:45 on Mt. Sinai He gave Moses 23:47 two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, 23:52 written with the finger of God. " 23:57 So here's the first characteristic 23:59 of God's Ten Commandments. It was written by whom? 24:03 God. It was written by God. 24:05 Now I want us to think about the implications of this. 24:10 The majority of Scripture God did not directly write. 24:16 Now I'm not saying that it's not inspired. 24:20 But the Bible tells us that holy men of God 24:24 spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. " 24:26 In other words, the way that God chose 24:29 to give us the Bible was by inspiring the person. 24:33 And then as the person was writing what he was inspired 24:37 with the Holy Spirit also guided that process as well. 24:43 But this divine revelation 24:47 was so important 24:50 that God said: "You know what Moses? 24:52 The rest of the Bible - the rest of the Pentateuch, 24:56 the first five books of the Bible - 24:58 I'm going to inspire you and you write it. 25:01 But this one is so important 25:06 that I'm going to write it Myself. " 25:10 Now there are certain times 25:13 that I have someone else write a document for me. 25:17 I'm privileged to have a secretary at my church. 25:21 Praise God! Happens to be my wife. Praise the Lord! 25:24 Yeah. I don't know how that worked out. OK... 25:28 And sometimes I say: "Honey, can you respond 25:32 to this person for me on my behalf? " 25:36 Now, does that response have merit? Absolutely. 25:42 OK... she's speaking on my behalf. 25:44 But there are certain times 25:47 that I have to write the person myself. That's right. 25:51 And this is one of those instances. 25:54 The Ten Commandments were so preeminent, 26:00 so important, that God said: "Look, Moses, 26:04 I'm going to write this Myself. " 26:07 And notice the material that God used. 26:10 The material itself indicates the importance of this. 26:15 He didn't write it in sand. 26:18 He did write in sand by the way. 26:20 Wrote our sins in sand. 26:22 Praise God He didn't write it in stone. Amen? 26:24 OK? Wrote the Pharisees' sins in the sand. 26:29 He didn't write it in stone but this one He said: 26:31 "I'm going to take an object. " He didn't write it on parchment. 26:34 He said: "I'm going to write it in stone. " 26:37 The material that God chose to write the Ten Commandments 26:41 not only did He write it with His own finger 26:44 indicating that He's not going to dictate this to Moses... 26:47 He didn't say: "Moses, get out your pen and paper. 26:49 I'm about to give you the Ten Commandments. 26:50 By the way, this is very important, Moses. " 26:52 "I've got a pen... OK... " No, it wasn't dictated. 26:55 God said: "This is so important. " 26:57 He didn't delegate it to an angel 27:00 like the book of Revelation or the book of Daniel. 27:05 God wrote it Himself! 27:08 I'd have to do a study on this but I believe that 27:10 the Ten Commandments are the only part of the Scriptures 27:15 that God said: "I'm going to write Myself. " 27:19 And He wrote it in STONE 27:22 to indicate its permanence! 27:26 It's immutability... that it does not change. 27:30 So when Moses came down from the mountain 27:33 he had in his hands two tablets of stone 27:38 that were written by God with His own finger. 27:42 It must have been emblazened with fire 27:44 as he was coming down from that mountain. 27:48 Now why would God go through all of that trouble 27:53 if the Ten Commandments were temporary? 27:58 It doesn't make any sense. 28:00 I mean, have you heard of common sense? 28:03 I mean, you don't have to go into Hebrew to understand this. 28:06 Written by God, and it was written in stone. 28:10 Now I want to go to Deuteronomy chapter 10 verse 5 28:15 because this Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses 28:21 on Mt. Sinai 28:23 were placed in a very unique location. 28:27 Deuteronomy chapter 10 verse 5: 28:30 "And I turned and came down from the mountain 28:33 and put the tablets in the ark 28:38 which I had made, and they are there 28:41 just as the Lord commanded me. " 28:43 So Moses gets the Ten Command- ments from God on Mt. Sinai 28:47 and he comes down and he places it in a particular place. 28:50 In the sanctuary you have the courtyard, 28:53 the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place. 28:54 The Most Holy Place by the name is the most sacred room. 29:00 Now he doesn't just place it in the room. 29:03 But here you have the Ark of the Covenant. 29:06 Now the Ark of the Covenant was a replica of the throne of God. 29:11 You see that in Isaiah where you see the throne room of God. 29:14 These angels are hovering over the Shekinah glory 29:17 saying "Holy, holy, holy. " 29:19 So it's a replica of the throne of God. 29:21 And the Ten Commandments were placed inside of the ark. 29:26 The Ark of the Covenant is like a chest - OK? 29:29 representing the throne room of God. 29:31 Think about the implications of this, all right? 29:33 So here's the throne, and he places it inside of the ark. 29:38 Think about that: the throne of God. 29:41 The foundation of that by the symbolism here 29:46 is the Ten Commandments. Amen! 29:49 The throne of God... placed inside of the ark. 29:54 Now notice that Moses did not come and place it 30:00 in the courtyard or outside of the sanctuary. 30:05 He didn't place it in the Holy Place. 30:08 He didn't just place it in the Most Holy Place 30:10 but the most sacred entity - the Ark of the Covenant - 30:13 he placed it inside. 30:17 Isaiah chapter 42 verse 21 says that: 30:23 So here is the Ten Commandments. 30:26 It was written by God. 30:28 It was written on stone and it was deposited by Moses 30:33 inside of the ark. And Christ was to magnify the law 30:36 and make is honorable. By the way, Ellen White indicates 30:39 that at the siege of Jerusalem 30:43 or just prior to the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar 30:45 holy men of God took the Ark of the Covenant 30:49 and hid it in caves. 30:51 And she says that it is "hidden till this day. " 30:54 And she indicates that before the close of probation 30:58 which I believe is very soon 31:00 that the Ark of the Covenant will be rediscovered 31:05 and the Ten Commandments will emerge from within 31:09 the Ark of the Covenant, and highlighted will be 31:14 the fourth commandment. 31:20 So God's Ten Commandments, written by God, 31:22 written in stone and was deposited by Moses 31:25 inside of the ark. Christ was to magnify the law 31:28 and make it honorable. 31:30 Now let's go to the ceremonial law very quickly here 31:33 in Exodus chapter 24 verse 4. 31:36 Exodus chapter 24 verse 4, and this is in contrast to the 31:40 moral law of God. Exodus 24:4: 31:44 "And Moses wrote all of the words of the Lord. 31:47 And he rose early in the morning and built an altar 31:51 at the foot of the mountain and 12 tribes of Israel. " 31:55 Verse 7: "Then he took the Book of the Covenant 31:59 and read it in the hearing of the people. 32:01 And they said: 'All that the Lord has said 32:04 we will do. ' " In other words, 32:07 this was given to Moses by God 32:10 but He did not write it Himself. 32:12 He had Moses write it, and it was written in a book. 32:17 So contrast this to the Ten Commandments. 32:20 The Ten Commandments are written by God. 32:23 Moses' law was written by Moses 32:27 and it was placed in a book. 32:30 And notice the location of this book... this law of Moses. 32:35 Go to Deuteronomy chapter 31 and verse 26. 32:39 Deuteronomy chapter 31 and verse 26. 32:42 Moses took the book of the law and he placed it in a different 32:46 location than the Ten Commandments. 32:49 Deuteronomy 31:26: "Take this book of the law 32:52 and put it beside the Ark of the Covenant. " 32:57 Where were the Ten Commandments placed? 32:59 Inside of the ark. 33:01 But the book of the law was placed beside the ark. 33:06 Now just by location 33:10 which one by implication has precedence? 33:15 The one inside the ark 33:17 or the one outside of the ark on the side? 33:20 The one inside! The one inside! 33:23 The Ten Commandments were placed inside; the book of Moses 33:26 was placed at the outside. 33:27 And notice what the Bible says at the end of this verse. 33:30 "Take this book of the law and put it beside the Ark 33:33 of the Covenant of the Lord your God 33:34 that it may be there as a witness... " 33:37 And what are the last two words there? 33:39 "against you. " 33:40 Very interesting! The book of Moses 33:42 was placed at the side of the ark, and the Bible uses 33:45 uses the phrase that it was to be "against the people. " 33:49 The book of Moses was known as the law of blessings 33:54 and cursings. The book of Deuteronomy says 33:57 "Look, if you follow God all of these blessings will 34:00 follow you. If you do not follow Him, 34:03 all of these curses will follow you. 34:06 You'll be taken off into capti- vity and all these other things 34:09 will come into play. " 34:11 "It will be there as a witness against you. " 34:15 Now I want to have you go back to Colossians chapter 2 34:19 and verse 14 because, friends, 34:24 every time I give the study on the Sabbath 34:27 this text is quoted 34:30 to say that the moral law, the Ten Commandments, 34:33 were nailed to the cross. 34:35 But it is clearly not in the text, and I'll show you why. 34:39 Verse 14: "Having wiped out the handwriting... " 34:44 Now which one had handwriting? 34:46 Moses' law or the Ten Commandments? 34:49 Moses' law. 34:50 OK... and notice the word "of requirements. " 34:53 If you look it up in the Strong's Concordance 34:55 it literally says "the laws of Moses, 34:59 the ordinances of Moses. " 35:02 Now the one that does it for me: in verse 14 it says: 35:05 "Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements 35:08 that was... " And what does the Bible say? 35:11 "Against us. " 35:12 That is a direct quote of Deuteronomy 31:26. 35:18 Moses' law was placed by the side of the ark 35:22 and it was to be there as a witness against the people. 35:25 And here Paul in Colossians chapter 2 verse 14 35:28 says: "Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements 35:31 that was against us, that was contrary to us, 35:34 having taken it away, having nailed it to the cross. " 35:37 In other words, after the cross the law of Moses 35:41 is no longer binding. That's right! 35:44 The law of Moses that was against the people 35:46 was nailed to the cross. 35:49 What did the law of Moses have to do with? 35:53 It had to do with the Passover. 35:55 It had to do with the festivals and feasts. 35:58 And when Jesus died on the cross 36:00 the temple veil was rent from top to bottom 36:04 indicating a new and living way. 36:08 Jesus, THE Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world 36:12 had died. And friends, this is an important principle 36:18 that we need to follow. We need to let the Bible 36:21 interpret itself. This is the law 36:25 that Colossians 2:14 is talking about. 36:28 It's talking about the law of Moses. 36:33 Now I want to give a quotation here from Billy Graham. 36:37 I believe we have this quotation here on the screen. 36:39 A question was asked of Billy Graham. 36:52 So Billy Graham was asked this question: 36:54 "You know, the Ten Commandments? Some people say we are no longer 36:57 under the law, we don't have to keep the law anymore. " 37:00 And this is Billy Graham's answer: 37:13 "It certainly does not mean they are free from the obligations 37:16 of the moral law and are at liberty to sin. " 37:41 "But the New Testament does also speak of a moral law 37:45 which is of a permanent unchanging character 37:49 and is summarized in the Ten Commandments. " 38:04 I agree with him. 38:06 I absolutely agree with him. 38:09 The purpose of Moses' law 38:13 was to point forward to Jesus. 38:16 It served a purpose. 38:19 But after Jesus came and died 38:22 we no longer have to bring a lamb to a sanctuary. 38:25 Praise God! Praise the Lord! We no longer have to travel 38:28 to Jerusalem for these festivals and feasts. 38:32 Praise His name! Because Jesus came to fulfill 38:37 the ceremonial law. 38:41 Now very quickly here I want to go through some aspects 38:45 where the Bible indicates that all of the attributes of God's 38:49 character are also attributed to God's Ten Commandment law. 38:56 Amen! I want to read these through for you very quickly. 38:59 They're here on the screen. 39:46 In other words, the law of God 39:50 is a transcript of God's character. 39:55 All of the attributes and the essence of who God is 40:00 is in the law. That's why you can find all of the attributes 40:04 of God and who He is are attributed to the law of God. 40:10 God is love; His law is love. 40:16 How do we know that the law - God's Ten Commandments - 40:19 preceded Mt. Sinai? 40:22 Because the law is a transcript of God's character 40:27 and God is eternal. 40:29 You see, the moral law of God - the Ten Commandments - 40:34 was not something that God fabricated 40:37 or invented on Mt. Sinai. 40:41 It's not as though prior to Moses 40:43 there was no Ten Commandments even in heaven. 40:47 That the principle of love and the attributes of God's 40:51 character as defined in the Ten Commandments did not 40:53 pre-exist Moses. 40:56 They were there from eternity 40:58 because of who God is! 41:01 Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Now I want to invite you 41:04 to go to Numbers chapter 4 verses 5 and 6 41:07 as we look at the Ark of the Covenant. 41:09 The Ark of the Covenant was transported in a particular way. 41:15 The first tabernacle that was built 41:17 under the instruction given to Moses by God 41:22 was a portable sanctuary. 41:25 It was to be set up and taken down 41:29 as the children of Israel traveled from Egypt to Canaan. 41:32 Numbers chapter 4 verses 5 and 6 41:35 indicate that when the Ark of the Covenant 41:38 was being transported from one place to another 41:43 that there was a particular way that it was to be transported. 41:48 Numbers 4:5-6: 41:52 "When the camp prepares to journey, Aaron and his sons 41:55 shall come and they shall take down the covering veil 41:59 and cover the Ark of the Testimony with it. " 42:03 You know, the children of Israel... they never saw 42:06 inside of the ark. 42:09 It was always covered. 42:11 So as the Levites would carry the Ark of the Covenant 42:16 from Egypt to Canaan 42:18 between camps it was always covered. 42:22 But there was a particular way 42:24 that the Ark of the Covenant was covered. 42:27 Verse 5: "When the camp prepares to journey... " 42:34 Verse 6: "They shall put on it 42:36 a covering of badger's skins 42:39 and spread over that a cloth entirely of... " What? 42:44 "of blue and they shall insert its poles. " 42:48 So the Levites would take badger's skins 42:52 and cover the Ark of the Covenant 42:54 but over the badger's skins they would take a what color cloth? 42:59 Blue! They would take a blue cloth 43:02 and cover it. So as the children of Israel 43:04 would see the Ark of the Covenant that was being 43:06 transported they would see the color blue. 43:10 That was the color that they saw. 43:12 They were never able to see inside the ark 43:15 but the covering was blue. Now what is the significance 43:18 of the color blue? Go over to Numbers chapter 15 43:21 verses 38 and 39. The children of Israel 43:24 were even given instructions as to what they were to 43:28 construct their clothes of. Numbers 15:38-39. 43:33 It says that they were to use a particular type of thread 43:38 in their garments. Number 15:38-39: 43:43 "Speak to the children of Israel. Tell them to make 43:45 tassels on the corners of their garments throughout 43:47 their generations and put a blue thread 43:51 in the tassels of the corners. " 43:53 So the children of Israel were to have tassels 43:55 on the edge of their garments and within the tassels 43:58 they were to use a blue cloth. 44:02 And notice what the Bible says: 44:05 "And you shall have the tassels that you may look upon it 44:10 and remember all the commandments of the Lord 44:14 and do them. " 44:16 So what did the color blue represent to the children 44:19 of Israel? The Bible says that as they saw the tassels 44:22 and they saw the blue thread within the cloth 44:25 they were to look at it and to remember 44:28 to keep God's Ten Commandments. 44:32 Very interesting. 44:33 The color blue according to the Scripture 44:36 represents God's moral law. 44:40 The covering of the ark - the blue - 44:44 represents God's moral law. 44:46 So the Ark of the Covenant was covered in blue 44:50 but also the law of God was a part of the Israelites' robe. 44:55 It was to go with them wherever they went 44:59 so as they looked at the tassels it reminded them to keep 45:02 the law of God. 45:05 There's another place where the color blue comes up. 45:09 Go over to Exodus chapter 24 verses 9 through 12. 45:13 Exodus chapter 24 45:17 verses 9 through 12. This is at Mt. Sinai. 45:22 Exodus 24:9-12: 45:26 "Then Moses went up and also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu 45:32 and 70 elders of Israel. 45:35 And they saw the God of Israel 45:38 and there were under His feet as it were 45:41 a paved work of sapphire stone 45:44 and it was like the very heavens in clarity. " 45:49 Here Moses and a group of elders go up to Mt. Sinai 45:52 and they see God, and He's standing there. 45:55 And notice what He's standing on. 45:57 God is standing there; they see God 46:00 and He's standing on a stone. 46:02 Do you see that according to the text? 46:05 What color is that stone? 46:07 Blue. It's sapphire. 46:10 What color is sapphire? It's blue. 46:13 So picture this in your mind. 46:14 The elders of Israel, Moses, Aaron are there 46:18 and they see God and He's standing on the very foundation 46:22 of who God is. He's standing on a blue stone. 46:27 He's standing on a blue stone. 46:31 Now let's read on. 46:33 "But against the nobles of the children of Israel 46:35 God did not lay His hand. 46:36 So they saw God and ate and drank. " 46:38 Verse 12: "Then the Lord said to Moses: 'Come up to Me 46:42 on the mountain and be there and I will give you 46:44 tablets of stone and the law and the commandments 46:48 which I have written that you may teach them. " 46:50 So they see this scene where God is standing 46:53 on a blue stone. And God says to Moses: 46:57 "Come up to Me and I will give you tables 47:01 of stone. " Now you can't pick this up in the English 47:05 but in the Hebrew when God says: "Look, I'm going to give you 47:09 tablets of stone" in the Hebrew it literally says 47:13 "tablets of THE stone. " 47:17 Are you following me? 47:19 Tablets of THE stone. 47:22 In other words, where did God get the material 47:28 for the Ten Commandments? 47:32 I mean, where did He get it? According to the Hebrew 47:36 it indicates "tablets of THE stone. " 47:39 In other words, in God's mind God says: "Look, 47:42 I want to give the Ten Commandments to Moses 47:45 but I want to give it on something that is so meaningful 47:48 that will establish the immut- ability and the eternal nature 47:52 of the Ten Commandments. 47:54 I'm not going to get just any old rock 47:56 for the Ten Commandments on which to write. 48:00 I'm going to get the sapphire stone. " 48:05 "I'm going to get the very stone that is the very foundation 48:10 of who I am. " 48:11 Praise the Lord! So God gets the sapphire stone 48:16 which is from His foundation that He's standing on. 48:20 You notice in the flyer 48:26 The Ten Commandments for this weekend 48:30 it's on a blue stone. Richard Davidson, Old Testament 48:33 scholar at Andrews Theological Seminary 48:36 establishes this idea of the blue stone 48:40 and that the very foundation of who God is and the government 48:45 of God. God took the Ten Commandments 48:48 from the sapphire stone that He was standing on. 48:53 And this idea, this notion, 48:57 that the Ten Commandments are no longer binding 49:00 is actually a lie from Lucifer himself. 49:07 Because Lucifer in heaven caused an insurrection 49:11 to attack the very government of God. 49:14 And he says: "Look, I'm going to strike at the very heart, 49:17 the very foundation of who God is. 49:20 I'm going to attack the law of God 49:23 because it is a transcript of His character. " 49:28 Tablets of THE stone. 49:31 Now I want to invite you to go to Ezekiel 10:1 49:34 because the sapphire stone arises again in the book of 49:37 Ezekiel. And this is not on Mt. Sinai. 49:41 This is a vision in heaven. Ezekiel chapter 10 and verse 1. 49:48 Ezekiel sees a vision of heaven 49:53 and he sees cherubim. Ezekiel 10:1: 49:57 "And I looked and there was in the firmament 49:59 above the head of the cherubim... " Now where have you 50:02 seem cherubim before? 50:03 They are replicated in the Ark of the Covenant. 50:08 But here he's not looking at the Ark of the Covenant. 50:10 He's seeing a vision of heaven. 50:12 Ezekiel 10:1: "And I looked in the firmament. 50:15 There was above the head of the cherubim and there appeared 50:18 something like... " What does the Bible say? 50:20 "like a sapphire stone 50:22 having the appearance of the likeness of a throne. " 50:26 So this is the real thing! 50:28 This is the real thing. 50:29 This is not talking about the Ark of the Covenant. 50:31 This is the scene that Ezekiel is seeing in heaven. 50:36 Actual cherubim and he sees the sapphire stone. 50:41 The sapphire stone! Now go to verse 26, 50:45 Ezekiel 10:26, because the sapphire stone arises again. 50:52 Ezekiel chapter 10 and verse 26: 50:57 Oh... there's no 26. 50:59 Oh-oh... I'm in trouble now. 51:02 Well, it's in the book of Ezekiel. I'll read it to you 51:06 'cause I have the reference here wrong. 51:07 "And above the firmament over its head 51:10 there was the likeness of a throne 51:12 the appearance of a sapphire, and seated above 51:16 the likeness of a throne as it were of human form. " 51:21 In other words, this is a scene of the throne room of God. 51:26 And the throne of God is made of sapphire stone. 51:34 Now look at the Ark of the Covenant. 51:36 The Ark of the Covenant is a replica of the real thing 51:39 in heaven. You have cherubim and the Ten Commandments 51:42 which was taken from the very foundation of what God was 51:46 standing on was placed inside of the ark 51:50 indicating that the Ark of the Covenant 51:55 is a replica of the very throne room of God. 51:58 And the Ten Commandments is the foundation of God's government. 52:04 Amen! 52:05 The essence of who God is. Amen! 52:11 Indicating that God's Ten Commandments 52:17 is eternal. 52:20 Is God's throne eternal? Amen! 52:24 Absolutely! And this idea and this notion 52:29 that the Ten Commandments were done away with, 52:32 that we get a 10% discount on the Ten Commandments, 52:37 is a lie, friends. 52:39 The Ten Commandments pre-existed Sinai 52:43 from the times of eternity. 52:45 It is the very foundation of God's government and who He is. 52:52 In Romans chapter 13 verses 8 through 13 52:54 the Bible says: "Therefore love is the fulfillment 52:57 of the law. " God is love; His law is love. 53:03 In other words, if you love God, you're going to keep 53:05 the Bible Sabbath. Amen? Amen. 53:08 If you love God, you're not going to have any other idols 53:11 before Him. If you love your neighbor, 53:13 you're not going to kill him. 53:15 Amen. You're not going to steal from him. 53:18 You're not going to take his wife. 53:20 In other words, love is the motivation of the law. 53:23 Amen! And the Ten Commandments many time are postured 53:26 in a negative sense: "Thou shall not... " 53:28 but in actuality it is "you will not. " 53:32 You will not! 53:34 If you love your neighbor, you will not. 53:37 If you love God, you will not. 53:41 Now I want to put a diagram very quickly on the screen 53:44 on the sanctuary. This is a bird's-eye view 53:47 of the Mosaic sanctuary. 53:49 And there are three different compartments in the sanctuary. 53:51 You have the courtyard, you have the Holy Place, 53:53 and you have the Most Holy Place. 53:55 And the whole idea is movement. 53:58 And notice the Ark of the Covenant with God's moral law 54:00 is in the Most Holy Place. 54:02 Adam and Eve, back in Edenic perfection, 54:05 before sin were located in the Most Holy Place. 54:09 They had open communion with God. 54:12 Face-to-face communion with God. 54:14 Now the question is: where was the moral law 54:18 prior to sin in the Garden of Eden? 54:20 Was there a tablet that was there that Adam and Eve 54:23 had to get up every morning and go to the tablet and say: 54:25 "Oh, I've gotta look at this; I've gotta remember, 54:27 Eve, you know I can't steal. " 54:30 "I can't cheat. " You know, all these things. 54:32 Did they have to go to a moral law 54:33 and say: "Oh, you know, I've got to keep all these things 54:36 and requirements. " Where was the moral law written 54:38 prior to Eden? It was written in their hearts. 54:45 They naturally were loving people. 54:49 It was their character. 54:53 After sin the entire human race 54:56 when you look at the sanctuary were placed outside 55:00 of the sanctuary. 55:03 But the sanctuary by implication indicates movement 55:08 through the three openings. 55:09 In other words, God wants to bring you back. 55:13 In other words, Eden was lost 55:17 but God wants to restore Eden. 55:19 I mean, that's the whole story of the Bible. 55:20 Genesis = Eden lost; Revelation = Eden restored. 55:25 And God wants to bring us back! 55:29 That's the movement of the sanctuary. 55:31 He wants to bring us back into the courtyard - justification. 55:35 Into the Holy Place - sanctification. 55:37 And into the Most Holy Place - glorification. 55:41 He wants to bring us back. And notice what the Bible says 55:44 in the book of Hebrews: "And this is the covenant 55:46 that I will make with God's people after those days. 55:49 I will write the law in their hearts. " 55:53 In other words, God wants to bring us back to Eden. 55:57 To that relationship that Adam and Eve had had prior to 56:01 the fall. He wants to write His character of love 56:05 on our hearts. That is the message of the sanctuary. 56:08 And notice where the law of God is. 56:11 It's in the Most Holy Place. 56:14 He wants to bring us all the way back 56:16 to restore in us the image of God. 56:22 I want to invite you to go to the last book in the Bible 56:24 Revelation chapter 22 verse 5. 56:26 This is when Eden is restored. 56:29 And notice what the Bible says. 56:32 Eden is restored. 56:35 Revelation chapter 22 verse 5. In the preceding verses 56:38 the Bible indicates that the Tree of Life is there... 56:41 just like Eden. Verse 2: 56:44 "The Tree of Life is there, yielding 12 fruit. " 56:47 And in verse 4 the Bible says: 56:49 "And they shall see His face 56:53 and His name shall be on their foreheads. " 56:57 In other words, when God restores man back to Eden 57:01 the Bible says that we will "see His face. " 57:04 We'll be able to have that face-to-face relationship 57:07 with God, and the Bible say: "And His name - 57:11 His character - shall be on their foreheads. " 57:14 The prefrontal cortex indi- cating that God will bring us 57:19 all the way back. 57:22 How many of you want to say today: "Lord, 57:24 bring me back. " Amen? Let's be faithful to Him 57:27 and to His Word. Let us pray... 57:30 let us pray: Father in heaven, 57:32 thank you so much for the law of God. |
Revised 2019-08-19