Spring Camp Meeting

Before Mt. Sinai

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants:

Home

Series Code: SCM

Program Code: SCM190004A


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.


Home

Revised 2019-08-19