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00:12 ♪♪♪ 00:36 Rod Thompson: Good morning, everyone. 00:37 Happy Sabbath. 00:40 Want to welcome you and thank you for joining us. 00:42 This is the Granite Bay Hilltop Church "Sabbath School Study 00:46 Hour," and we are continuing our study in the Sabbath school 00:50 lesson on "The Promise." 00:53 And today, we are going to be looking at lesson number ten, 00:56 "The New Covenant." 00:59 I want to point you to our free offering today. 01:01 It is a "Love That Transforms," and you can get that by calling 01:07 866-788-3966 and ask for 01:15 Offer No. 710 or you would prefer a digital download. 01:20 You can text the number 40544 and the code SH003. 01:29 Our teacher today is going to be Pastor Jean Ross, but before he 01:34 comes out, let's begin with a word of prayer. 01:38 "O loving Father, we thank you for the Sabbath Day. 01:43 And Lord, we thank you that you have provided a way for us to be 01:47 restored to you. 01:49 And as we look at our study today, we pray for wisdom, we 01:53 pray for understanding, and more importantly, Lord, we pray that 01:57 you would show us what you would have us do, and that you would 02:01 be with our speaker and our teacher, put your words in his 02:04 mouth, that you might speak through him to us, we pray in 02:08 Jesus' name, amen. 02:12 Jean Ross: So we're on lesson number ten in our Sabbath School 02:14 quarterly entitled "The Promise." 02:17 The New Covenant is our theme, and we have a memory verse. 02:20 It's one that I think most of us are familiar with. 02:23 Jeremiah chapter 31, verse 31 says, "Behold, the days are 02:26 coming, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with 02:29 the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah." 02:33 Now, you've probably heard about the new covenant. 02:36 You've also heard about the old covenant. 02:39 Today, we're going to be looking at what is the relationship 02:41 between the new covenant, the old covenant, and let me add an 02:44 additional covenant that I think is even more important than 02:46 both, and it's the everlasting covenant. 02:50 Really, the everlasting covenant existed before the old covenant 02:53 and was reaffirmed in the new covenant, and we'll see how that 02:56 comes together in our study today. 02:59 From our lesson quarterly, we have the following statements. 03:01 It says, "In the new covenant, the Lord will provide a new 03:04 heart to know that I am the Lord." 03:07 That's Jeremiah chapter 24 verse 7. 03:09 "He will take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them 03:11 a heart of flesh." 03:13 Ezekiel chapter 11, verse 19. 03:16 "And will give a new heart and a new spirit to them." 03:20 Ezekiel 36:26. 03:22 "He also says, 'I will put my spirit within you,' and this 03:26 work of God is the foundation of the new covenant." 03:30 Now, I want you to notice in the verses that we just looked at, 03:33 that God is the one that does a special work in the hearts and 03:36 the lives of those who place their faith in him. 03:40 Jeremiah 31:33 says, "But this is the covenant that I'll make 03:43 with the house of Israel; after those days, saith the Lord." 03:46 Notice the next part, "I will put my laws in their mind, and I 03:51 will write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and 03:54 they shall be my people." 03:56 The new covenant says that God's going to write his law, where? 04:00 In the heart. 04:02 And he says he's going to write it on the mind. 04:05 The Ten Commandments were written on tables of stone, but 04:07 that same law in the new covenant is written upon the 04:10 mind or upon the heart. 04:13 Now, there's something else interesting to note about this 04:14 new covenant promise, God writing his law on the mind in 04:17 the Bible, the forehead often represents the mind or the 04:22 heart, the thoughts. 04:25 We find in Revelation that there is another special marking that 04:28 occurs in the forehead of God's people. 04:32 Revelation chapter 7, verse 2, "Then I saw an angel flying or 04:34 ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. 04:39 And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it 04:41 was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, 'Do not 04:44 harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have,'" what? 04:47 "Sealed the servants of God," where? 04:51 "In their foreheads." 04:53 Now, where is the new covenant promise? 04:55 The law is written where? 04:57 In the mind. 04:59 It's interesting to note that the new covenant promise has a 05:01 fulfillment in the ceiling of God's people in the last days. 05:06 That's why the Bible tells us Revelation chapter 12, verse 17, 05:09 "And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make 05:12 war with the remnant of her offspring, who," do what? 05:16 "Keep the commandments of God and they have the testimony." 05:19 And later on in Revelation 14, it says, "The faith of Jesus." 05:23 So the new covenant promise, God's law written in the heart 05:25 or written on the mind, finds its fulfillment here in 05:29 Revelation chapter 7, also Revelation 14, Revelation 12. 05:33 It's found amongst those that surrender themselves to Christ. 05:37 They have the seal of God; his law is written in their minds. 05:41 They are entered into this new covenant promise or this new 05:45 covenant experience. 05:47 So is it important for us in the last days to understand the 05:49 importance of the new covenant? 05:51 Absolutely, especially when you compare that with what we find 05:54 in Revelation. 05:57 Now, of all the books in the New Testament, probably the one that 05:59 does the most in expanding the new covenant, is the Book 06:03 of Hebrews. 06:05 Now, this is actually from our lesson quarterly it says, "The 06:07 Book of Hebrews places a heavy emphasis on Jesus as our High 06:10 Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. 06:12 In fact, the clearest exposition of the new covenant in the New 06:15 Testament appears in the Book of Hebrews with its emphasis on 06:19 Christ as our high priest. 06:22 This is no coincidence. 06:24 Christ heavenly ministry is closely tied to the promise of 06:26 the new covenant." 06:29 So, we are going to give the bulk of our time today to take a 06:31 look, and the lesson does as well, to look at what the Book 06:34 of Hebrews tells us about the new covenant. 06:37 And the question we're going to be asking ourselves in the study 06:39 this morning, is how can we personally enter into that new 06:42 covenant experience? 06:45 Now, for some of us, we might already be in that new covenant 06:47 experience, and not quite understand. 06:50 Maybe we have not yet entered into that covenant experience 06:52 and we want to know how. 06:54 How can I have God's law written in my heart or written in 06:57 my mind? 06:59 How does that work? 07:01 Well, Paul tells us in Hebrews how this works. 07:03 And it centers in Jesus and his high priestly ministry. 07:06 So, let's take a look. 07:07 We're going to start in Hebrews chapter 8. 07:09 You'll find probably the most or at least the clearest 07:12 explanation of the new covenant in Hebrews, in Hebrews 07:14 chapter 8. 07:17 And it says in verse 1, "Now this is the main point of the 07:19 things that we are saying." 07:21 So Paul is going to zoom right in. 07:22 He's going to focus right in on the essence of the new covenant. 07:26 So if you want to know what it is, listen to what Paul says. 07:29 "We have such a High Priest." 07:31 So the focal point of the new covenant is Jesus, our High 07:34 Priest, who is able to save to the utmost, all of those that 07:38 come to God through him. 07:40 The focus of the new covenant is Jesus. 07:45 Sometimes, we are led to believe that the focus of the new 07:47 covenant is us, and our performance, and our works. 07:53 But in reality, the focus of the new covenant is Jesus, his 07:56 performance and his work. 08:00 Who's the one that writes the law in the heart of the believer 08:02 in the new covenant? 08:04 It's Jesus. 08:05 Thus Paul makes it clear that the focus of the new covenant, 08:08 the sum of these things is Jesus. 08:10 He is our High Priest; he's ministering in the 08:12 heavenly sanctuary. 08:14 It says of Christ, "He is seated at the right hand of the throne 08:16 of the Majesty in the heavens." 08:18 That, of course, is God the Father, to sit at the right hand 08:20 of the throne of God, testifies to the high honor, the glory and 08:23 the power that belongs to Christ. 08:25 Not only because he is God, he is the Creator, but he is also 08:29 the Redeemer. 08:31 He is our high priest. 08:33 He is our sacrifice. 08:35 He is the creator of a new heart, the one that puts a new 08:38 spirit within us. 08:40 Thus Jesus becomes front and center in the new 08:42 covenant experience. 08:44 Verse 2 says, speaking of Christ, "He's a Minister of the 08:46 sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord 08:49 erected, and not man." 08:52 Now, if you have a priesthood and you have a high priest, 08:54 there is a special work that the priest does and he does it in a 08:58 special place, and that place is called the sanctuary. 09:02 In the Levitical priesthood, the Levites, the priests would 09:04 minister in the tabernacle. 09:06 And we look at this a little bit. 09:09 "The true tabernacle is the heavenly sanctuary," of course, 09:11 "which the earthly was but a shadow or a type." 09:14 "Exodus chapter 25, verse 9, "According to all that I have 09:16 shown you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle of the pattern 09:19 of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it." 09:24 So during the 40 days that Moses was on Mount Sinai, God gave 09:27 some specific plans as to the building of the tabernacle. 09:32 And God emphasized that this was to be a miniature, a pattern of 09:36 the heavenly, because what the earthly taught was what Jesus is 09:40 doing in the heavenly. 09:43 So it had to be exact. 09:44 And they were very specific guidelines and rules established 09:48 dealing with the Levitical priesthood, dealing with the 09:50 sacrificial system, all of which was a shadow and a type of what 09:53 Jesus, the true Lamb of God as well as the priest is to do. 09:57 Now the earthly tabernacle of which, you know, it's a 10:00 miniature of the heavenly. 10:02 The earthly tabernacle was comprised of three parts. 10:06 You had the outer courtyard where you see the altar of 10:08 burnt sacrifice. 10:10 You had a basin, the laver where the priest would wash his hands 10:12 and feet before going into the first compartment. 10:16 And we call that first commandment the holy place. 10:18 It had three articles of furniture, table of showbread, 10:21 seven branch candlestick, the altar of incense. 10:23 Then there was a veil separating the holy from the most holy. 10:26 And in the most holy, you found the ark of the covenant, the 10:30 mercy seat. 10:32 Under the mercy seat, which was the lid of the ark, you find the 10:34 Ten Commandments. 10:37 Remember, central to the new covenant is Jesus writing 10:39 something on the hearts and the minds of his people. 10:44 What is it that Jesus writes? 10:46 He writes his law. 10:48 You see, the law defines what love is. 10:52 If we love God with all of our hearts, soul, and mind, we will 10:54 keep the first four of the Ten Commandments: have no other gods 10:58 before him, don't worship idols, don't take his name in vain, 11:01 remember the Sabbath to keep it holy. 11:03 And if we love our neighbor as we love ourselves, we will keep 11:07 the last six: we'll honor our parents, won't kill, won't 11:12 commit adultery, won't steal, won't bear false witness, 11:14 won't covet. 11:16 So really, the Ten Commandments defines for us the kind of love 11:19 relationship that God wants us to have with him, and the 11:22 relationship God wants us to have with our fellow man. 11:26 But the problem here is that the Ten Commandments were written on 11:29 stone, and they were placed in the ark in the tabernacle. 11:35 Where did God really want his law to be written? 11:39 Simply on tables of stone? 11:41 Was that the end? 11:43 Was that the accomplishment of the task? 11:45 No, God didn't just want the law written on stone. 11:48 He wanted the law written where? 11:50 In the minds and the hearts of his people. 11:54 The reason the old covenant failed is because the Israelites 11:58 were content with having the law written on stone, hidden in the 12:03 most holy place. 12:06 They liked the idea of having the law over there. 12:09 The problem is they didn't want the law over here. 12:13 You see, that was the problem. 12:15 And of course, Paul gets to this a little later in the study. 12:18 Now Psalm 77, verse 13, very important verse, "Your way, O 12:22 God, is in the sanctuary; who is so great as a God or so great a 12:27 God as our God?" 12:29 Now, often we think of the sanctuary, and we think of 12:31 steps, as to how we ought to approach God, and it's true. 12:34 We first come to Jesus. 12:36 He's our sacrifice. 12:38 He's the Lamb of God. 12:39 He died for our sins. 12:41 We're receiving, that's justification by faith. 12:43 We're then baptized, symbolizing the laver, and then we go into 12:45 the holy place, we feast on the living bread, the Word of God. 12:47 We share our faith. 12:49 We have the Holy Spirit, symbolized by the candlestick, 12:51 and the light and prayer, the altar of incense and so on. 12:53 And so, yes, you can almost see the journey of the believer 12:55 moving closer to God. 12:57 But this verse says, "that your way, O God is in the sanctuary," 13:01 not only our way, but more importantly, God's way. 13:04 You see, Jesus is the focus of the new covenant. 13:08 How is Jesus going to fulfil the promise of the new covenant? 13:12 The Bible says it's in the sanctuary. 13:15 If we want to know how God is going to write his law in the 13:17 heart and in the mind of the believers, look at 13:20 the sanctuary. 13:22 And if you look at the sanctuary, you can see it over a 13:24 long period of time, it's been playing a very important role in 13:27 the fulfillment of the new covenant. 13:29 The altar of sacrifice, there in the courtyard. 13:32 31 AD Jesus died on the cross. 13:35 He ascended to heaven. 13:37 Entered into the first compartment, AD 31, he began to 13:40 minister as our High Priest in that first compartment of 13:43 the sanctuary. 13:45 Of course, Revelation chapter 1, Revelation 2:3, 13:47 that makes it clear. 13:49 Even Revelation 4:5. 13:51 But then at the end of the 2300 day prophecy of Daniel 8:14, you 13:54 find Jesus moving from the holy place into the most holy place. 14:00 Not only Jesus, but God the Father. 14:02 According to Daniel chapter 7, it's actually God the Father who 14:04 moves first, with much pomp and fanfare with the angels. 14:09 God the Father moves. 14:12 His throne goes form the holy place into the most holy place. 14:14 And then Daniel says, "I saw one like the Son of Man, coming with 14:18 the clouds of heaven, coming with the angels, and he came in 14:20 before the Ancient of Days." 14:23 The court was seated, the books were opened. 14:26 So at the end of the 2300 days, 1844, Jesus enters into the most 14:29 holy place with the Father to do a special work connected with 14:34 the new covenant promise, that he's writing his law on the 14:39 hearts and the minds of his people. 14:43 And friends, we're living in that time, even now. 14:45 Verse 3 says, "For every high priest, he is appointed to offer 14:48 both gifts and sacrifices." 14:51 In order to be a priest, in the Old Testament, you had to come 14:54 from the people of Israel. 14:56 More specifically from the tribe of Levi. 14:59 One of the requirements was that you were to be subject to their 15:02 weaknesses, meaning you had to be a human. 15:05 An angel couldn't do the work of a priest. 15:08 It had to be somebody that understood the trials and 15:10 difficulties that people are going through so that he could 15:13 have compassion upon those to whom he ministers. 15:17 He had compassion for the people, and he ministered by 15:20 offering gifts and sacrifices, so likewise with Christ. 15:24 You know, for Jesus to be our High Priest, he had to lay aside 15:27 his kingly robe, the scepter of the universe, give it back to 15:30 his Father, and Jesus took upon himself humanity and was born 15:35 a man. 15:38 He's familiar with our trials and difficulties, 15:40 our human weakness. 15:42 He was there. 15:43 He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. 15:46 And he understands and he knows, and he offers himself as 15:49 our sacrifice. 15:52 And even now, he is our High Priest. 15:54 It is the Son of Man who stands before the Father representing 15:57 you and I, amen, our great High Priest in heaven. 16:02 "And therefore, was necessary that this one," speaking of 16:04 Christ, "also have something to offer." 16:07 The high priest was required to offer sacrifices for the people. 16:10 If Jesus, then, is to function as our High Priest, he must also 16:12 offer a sacrifice on our behalf. 16:15 The Bible makes it clear. 16:17 Jesus said, "For this is my blood of the new covenant, which 16:21 is shed for many for the remission of sins." 16:24 So the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary is a very important part 16:29 of the new covenant promise. 16:31 Christ's sacrifice brings forgiveness. 16:34 It brings justification. 16:37 Christ priestly work brings sanctification. 16:40 Both are equally important. 16:42 You can't have sanctification without justification. 16:44 And in some ways, that's what the religious leaders and the 16:46 Jews were trying to do in the time of Christ. 16:49 They were trying to somehow justify themselves, and they 16:52 rejected the sacrifice that could justify them and that 16:55 being Jesus. 16:57 But there are many Christians today who are eager to accept 16:59 Christ's justification on their behalf, but they end up 17:04 rejecting his sanctifying work that he wants to do in their 17:07 heart and in their life. 17:10 They, in one sense almost stuck under the old covenant. 17:13 They don't allow God to write his law on their heart and on 17:16 their mind. 17:18 And this is what Paul brings out. 17:20 Verse 4, "For if he were here on earth," speaking of Christ," "he 17:22 would not be a priest." 17:24 Only the those of the tribe of Levi were eligible to be 17:26 priests, and Christ belonged to the tribe of Judah. 17:29 His is an independent, heavily priesthood after the order 17:32 of Melchizedek. 17:35 Now who is Melchizedek? 17:37 You read in Genesis chapter 14, verse 18 to 19. 17:40 "Then Melchizedek, king of Salem brought out bread and wine and 17:43 he was priest of God Most High." 17:46 Very interesting character. 17:48 He is a priest. 17:50 He is also a king, and he brings out bread and wine and he gives 17:54 it to the great patriarch Abraham or Abram. 17:59 And Abram, in return gives him a tithe. 18:03 Now, can you think of any Old Testament Bible character other 18:06 than Melchizedek who was both a priest and a king? 18:12 You can have a prophet and a king. 18:16 You can have a priest and a prophet. 18:18 But you won't find a king and priest, except for Melchizedek. 18:25 Melchizedek is a type of Christ. 18:28 His priesthood is more distinct and higher than that of the 18:31 Levitical priesthood. 18:34 Now Psalm 110, verse 4, it says, "The Lord has sworn and will not 18:36 relent, 'You are a priest forever according to the order 18:39 of Melchizedek.'" 18:41 And that, is of course, talking to Jesus. 18:43 Jesus is a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. 18:45 In "Review and Herald," we have this published statement. 18:49 It says, "It was Christ that spoke through Melchizedek, the 18:52 priest of the Most High God. 18:53 Melchizedek was not Christ, but he was the voice of God in 18:57 the world." 18:59 We don't have much recorded about Melchizedek. 19:02 We don't know where he came from, we don't know when 19:03 he died. 19:05 The Bible doesn't tell us. 19:06 Just these few verses talking about him being priest. 19:08 Incidentally, where was he the king of? 19:11 A place called Salem. 19:13 Eventually became Jerusalem. 19:16 So you have the king of Jerusalem who is also a priest, 19:18 to whom Abram gives a tithe. 19:20 Last part of the verse says, "Since they are priests who 19:22 offer gifts according to the law." 19:25 In other words, when Jesus is on the earth, he wouldn't be a 19:27 priest in the Levitical system. 19:29 The rules of the Levitical priests were strictly enforced, 19:32 and if Christ were on the earth, he would not be able to qualify. 19:35 He was of the tribe of Judah. 19:38 Verse 5, "Who serve the copy and the shadow of the heavenly 19:40 things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to 19:43 make the tabernacle." 19:45 The Levitical priests and the sanctuary were but a reflection 19:47 of the heavenly, and the ministry in the work of Jesus. 19:51 Here's an interesting verse. 19:54 God speaking to Moses, "And let them make me a sanctuary that I 19:58 might," what? 20:00 "Dwell amongst them." 20:02 What is the purpose of the sanctuary according to 20:04 this verse? 20:06 So that God can dwell amongst his people. 20:08 The next question is, well if God wants to dwell amongst his 20:10 people, why does he need a sanctuary to do that? 20:13 After all, can't God just dwell wherever God chooses to dwell? 20:19 If God suddenly appeared in the camp of Israel, his glory 20:23 unshielded by the sanctuary, what would happen to 20:26 the Israelites? 20:28 Now, they would have been consumed. 20:30 So in order for God to dwell amongst his people, he dwelt in 20:33 the sanctuary. 20:35 And the purpose of the sanctuary is to take care of the sin 20:38 problem so that God's people can dwell in his presence. 20:44 The purpose of the sanctuary is to take care of the sin problem, 20:47 so that God can dwell with his people. 20:50 The purpose of the new covenant is to take care of the sin 20:54 problem so that we, by God's grace, can dwell in his presence 20:59 and see his face. 21:01 That's the goal of the new covenant. 21:03 Now if you look at the sanctuary, you'll notice just 21:05 that very thing, the sin problem was taken care of. 21:09 A person with sin, they would bring their sacrifice, the 21:11 sacrifice would be slain, a symbol of the Lamb. 21:14 The priest would take the blood into the first compartment 21:17 representing Jesus interceding for us. 21:20 On the day of Yom Kippur, the high priest would enter into the 21:23 most holy place and perform a special work of atonement, a 21:26 special work of cleansing. 21:28 And once that work was finished, then the high priest would 21:31 remove his priestly robes. 21:33 In the case of Christ, he removes his priestly robes, and 21:36 Jesus will put on his kingly robe and he will say, "He that 21:40 is holy, let him be holy still. 21:42 He that is filthy, let him be filthy still." 21:44 Probation will close and Jesus now, will come not as priest but 21:48 as King of kings and Lord of lords, three phases to Christ's 21:53 ministry on our behalf. 21:56 He is our sacrifice, he is our priest, and soon he will come as 21:59 our King. 22:01 King of kings of Lord of lords. 22:03 So the sanctuary takes care of that sin problem. 22:06 Now, how many different types of sanctuaries do we read about in 22:08 the Bible? 22:10 Those of you who have been attended Granite Bay for a 22:12 while, you should be able to answer this question, because I 22:14 think I've asked it many time before. 22:16 How many sanctuaries do we read about in the Bible? 22:20 Show me your fingers. 22:22 How many sanctuaries? 22:23 I've got three. 22:24 Any more? 22:26 Any more than there sanctuaries? 22:27 I see it. 22:29 Someone's been listening. 22:30 We had somebody hold up five fingers. 22:32 Five sanctuaries? 22:34 Does the Bible speak about five sanctuaries? 22:35 Well, let's think about it. 22:37 Number one, you've got the heavenly sanctuary, right? 22:39 That's clear. 22:40 The earthly was a shadow of the heavenly. 22:42 So the one is the heavenly, and then you have the second which 22:44 would be earthly one, the one that God told Moses to build. 22:46 Now, that one was eventually replaced by the one that Solomon 22:49 built in Jerusalem, and then that one was destroyed by the 22:53 Babylonians and rebuilt after the captivity, and that temple 22:57 was eventually destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans. 23:00 But we're going to call all of those to the earthly. 23:02 So we only have two so far. 23:04 We have the heavenly and we have the earthly, but there's 23:07 three more. 23:09 Can you think about what those three other sanctuaries or 23:11 temples might be? 23:13 What did Jesus say when he was in Jerusalem? 23:15 He said to the religious leaders, "Destroy this temple, 23:18 and in three days, I will raise it up again." 23:22 Was Jesus talking about the heavenly sanctuary? 23:24 Was Jesus talking about the earthly sanctuary? 23:27 What was Jesus talking about? 23:29 He was talking about himself. 23:31 So in the Bible, we find Jesus being referred to as a temple. 23:37 So that's number three. 23:39 But not only is Jesus referred to as a temple or a sanctuary, 23:42 the Bible tells you, "Do you not know that your body is," what? 23:46 "The temple of God," the temple of the Holy Spirit. 23:50 So there's number four, right? 23:53 What's number five? 23:55 It's all of us. 23:57 The Bible tells us, "that we are all living stones built together 24:00 on a firm cornerstone of Christ." 24:02 The church is a temple. 24:06 You have the heavenly, you got earthly, you've got Christ, 24:09 you've got the individual, and you got the church. 24:12 Now, what's the purpose of the sanctuary? 24:13 It's so that God can what? 24:16 Dwell amongst his people. 24:18 The earthly sanctuary was here so that God could dwell amongst 24:21 Israel, but in order for that to happen the sin problem had to be 24:24 taken care of. 24:26 Why did Jesus come to this earth? 24:28 Jesus came to this earth to take care of the sin problem, to die 24:31 a sacrifice for sin, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to 24:37 cleanse us so that we could dwell in the presence of God. 24:40 What is the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of 24:43 the believer? 24:45 To cleanse us from sin. 24:47 So that we can dwell in the presence of God. 24:50 What is the purpose of the church in the world today? 24:52 It is to preach the gospel, to take the great commission, to 24:57 preach the everlasting gospel to take care of the sin problem so 25:01 that we can dwell in the presence of God. 25:05 You see, the purpose is all the same, the purpose of the 25:08 sanctuary, the purpose of the new covenant is the same so that 25:11 we can dwell in the presence of God. 25:14 But in order for that to happen, the sin problem is taken care of 25:17 through Christ, through what Jesus has done for us, what 25:20 Jesus is doing, and what Jesus will do on our behalf, thus we 25:25 enter into that new covenant experience. 25:28 Last part of verse 5 says, "For he said, 'See that you make all 25:31 things according to the pattern that was shown you on 25:33 the mount.'" 25:35 Moses was given the plans of the sanctuary during the 40 days 25:37 he spent upon Mount Sinai. 25:40 Now, here's another interesting question, how many people in the 25:42 Bible went without food for 40 days? 25:49 Well, who's the one that comes to mind right away? 25:52 Jesus went without food for 40 days. 25:55 But there were two other important Bible characters that 25:57 also went without food for 40 days. 26:00 What was Moses eating for 40 days when he was on Mount Sinai 26:03 in the presence of God? 26:05 Nothing. 26:08 He was supernaturally sustained by the presence of God. 26:11 What happened to Elijah when he fled out into the wilderness? 26:13 He ate some special, heavenly food. 26:16 And the Bible tells us, "In the strength of that food, he went 26:18 40 days and 40 nights." 26:21 So you've got Moses, you've got Elijah, and you got Jesus. 26:24 Who appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration? 26:27 You had Jesus, you had Moses, you had Elijah. 26:31 Rather interesting that all of these three characters went 26:34 without food for 40 days, and of the three, Moses and Elijah, 26:39 they were supernaturally sustained. 26:43 Spiritually, we are supernaturally sustained by what 26:46 Jesus did for us. 26:49 But Jesus was not supernaturally sustained. 26:52 The Bible tells us the devil came to tempt him, and it says, 26:54 "He hungered." 26:56 He was not supernaturally sustained in the way that Moses 26:58 and Elijah were. 27:01 Verse 6, "But now he has obtained a more excellent 27:03 ministry," speaking of Christ. 27:05 With this verse, Paul now begins to discuss Christ as the 27:07 mediator of a better covenant established upon 27:09 better promises. 27:11 And as much as he's a mediator, Christ is the mediator between 27:13 God and man. 27:15 1 Timothy makes it clear, "For there is one God, and one 27:19 Mediator between God and men." 27:21 Notice the way he words it, "The Man Christ Jesus." 27:25 Why do you suppose Paul says, "The Man Christ Jesus?" 27:28 What was the requirement to be a priest? 27:31 You had to be taken from the people so that you could 27:34 sympathize with their weaknesses. 27:37 The phrase that Jesus liked to use more than any other with 27:40 reference to himself was the Son of Man. 27:43 And so, Paul recognizes this, and he says, "The Man 27:45 Christ Jesus." 27:47 It is the Man who is in heaven, interceding on our behalf. 27:51 Boy, that's comforting. 27:52 Verse 6 says, "Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be 27:55 testified in due time." 27:58 Now, what about this better covenant? 28:00 This is a better covenant because it produces holiness of 28:03 heart and a transformed character, not merely the 28:06 observances of external rites and ceremonies. 28:10 As mentioned before, the Israelites were content to have 28:12 the Ten Commandments hidden away in the sanctuary, in the ark. 28:18 But God wants the Ten Commandments in the heart and in 28:20 the mind of believers. 28:23 It says, "Which was established from better promises." 28:25 The promises of the old covenant look forward by faith. 28:27 The new covenant promises are ratified by the reality of the 28:30 sacrifice of Christ. 28:32 So, in the Bible, we find two different covenants. 28:35 Two covenant between God and man. 28:37 The one is everlasting and changeless, and this is called 28:41 the new covenant. 28:43 It's interesting to note, the new covenant existed before the 28:45 old covenant, because the old covenant came after the 28:48 everlasting covenant. 28:51 The everlasting covenant was made right after Adam and Eve 28:54 sinned in Genesis 3:15, "I'll put enmity between thee and the 28:57 woman, between thy seed and her seed." 29:01 That's the first reference of the everlasting covenant. 29:04 It's God writing his law on the hearts and the minds of those 29:07 who love him, who trust in him. 29:09 All right, the other was temporary and transitional, and 29:12 that, of course, is the old covenant. 29:14 The everlasting covenant or the new covenant was first made in 29:16 Eden as we mentioned and consisted of God putting enmity 29:19 or mutual hatred between the serpent and the woman. 29:22 And it resulted in three things: number one, a change of standing 29:26 that is freedom from condemnation. 29:30 "A lamb has been found to bear our sins and die in our place." 29:33 Secondly, a change of heart. 29:35 Jesus said, "Except you be born again, you cannot enter into the 29:37 kingdom of God." 29:39 And then a change of behavior, that is obedience to his law. 29:42 Jesus said, "If you love me," do what? 29:45 "Keep my commandments." 29:47 Only those who are in the new covenant relationship with Jesus 29:50 can keep his commandments. 29:53 "For the carnal mind is enmity towards the law of God. 29:57 It is not subject to it, neither indeed can be." 30:00 So if we're going to keep God's commandments, we have to seek 30:02 this new covenant experience that Paul is talking about. 30:06 Verse 7, "For if the first covenant had been faultless." 30:10 The first covenant included not only promises but also 30:12 ceremonial system, the Levitical priesthood which came to an end 30:16 when Jesus became High Priest according to the order of 30:18 Melchizedek, then no place would have been sought for a second. 30:22 That is the new covenant which contains better promises, a 30:24 better sacrifice, a high priestly ministry of Jesus. 30:29 So this everlasting or new covenant was ratified at the 30:32 death of Christ. 30:34 Prior to Christ, it was based upon the promise of a 30:36 coming Redeemer. 30:38 After Christ, it's based up on the reality that the Savior 30:40 did come. 30:42 When ratified by Christ, it is called new, in that it is now 30:44 based upon historical evidence instead of future promise, and 30:48 how grateful we are for that, otherwise we'd still be 30:50 sacrificing animals today. 30:54 We're glad that Jesus came. 30:56 Its purpose, however, remained the same, that our forgiveness 31:00 which results in a change of standing, justification; 31:03 restoration, that is a change of heart; sanctification which 31:08 results in obedience, a change of behavior, that then gives way 31:13 to glorification when Jesus comes. 31:16 So the purpose of the new covenant is the same 31:18 as everlasting. 31:20 And really, the goal of the old covenant was to do this very 31:22 thing: forgiveness, restoration leading to obedience. 31:27 Verse 8, "Because finding fault with them." 31:30 See the problem wasn't with God wanting to write his law in 31:32 their hearts. 31:34 The problem was that they were unwilling to receive 31:36 that law. 31:38 It says, "The weakness of the first covenant was not in the 31:40 covenant itself nor did the fault lie with God. 31:42 It was the people who were at fault." 31:44 How were the people at fault? 31:46 Deuteronomy chapter 5, verse 29. 31:48 The Book of Deuteronomy is really Moses's final sermon to 31:51 the children of Israel, and he's recounting their experience in 31:54 the wilderness. 31:56 And here, in particular, he's talking about when he went up 31:58 onto Mount Sinai, and God gave him the law. 32:00 And then he went down, and he spoke to the children of Israel. 32:03 "And the children of Israel said to Moses, 'We don't want God to 32:05 speak to us 'cause it's scary.'" 32:07 "But you go up and you speak to God, and then whatever God tells 32:10 you, you tell us, and we will do it." 32:13 So Moses went back, and he told God this. 32:15 He says, "God, the children of Israel have said, 'Whatever you 32:17 tell them, they will do.'" 32:19 And this is what God said. 32:20 Here's God speaking, "O that they were such a heart in them, 32:23 that they would fear me always, and keep all my commandments 32:26 that it might be well with them, and with their 32:28 children forever." 32:31 Why did the old covenant fail? 32:33 Because the children of Israel said, "We will do whatever you 32:35 want God, but we don't want to be close to you." 32:39 You see, the reality is we can never do what God asks us to do 32:41 if we don't draw very, very close to him. 32:44 They were content to have God at a distance. 32:48 They weren't willing to make God, King of their hearts and of 32:50 their lives. 32:53 The middle of the verse says, he says, "Behold the day is coming, 32:55 saith the Lord." 32:57 Ever since Sinai, God had been trying to lead the people to a 32:59 higher spiritual experience, but they were content with their 33:02 rituals and their ceremonies. 33:05 Last part says, "Then I will make a new covenant with the 33:08 house of Israel and with the house of Judah." 33:11 "When the Jews turned down their religious privilege, the kingdom 33:13 of God was eventually taken away from them and given to 33:16 another people. 33:18 The Christian church is the inheritor of the spiritual 33:20 privileges and responsibilities that once belonged to literal 33:24 Israel, and to them, the covenant promises are given." 33:27 Now, this is amazing thought. 33:30 Galatians chapter 3:29, "And if you are Christ's, then you 33:34 are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise." 33:38 You see, that promise that God gave Abraham, "that he would 33:41 write his law upon the hearts of those that serve and love him." 33:44 That promise repeated way back in Genesis, and then throughout 33:47 the Old Testament, for us that promise is given. 33:51 We are spiritually Abraham's seed. 33:55 Heirs according to the promise. 33:57 Verse 9, "Not according to the covenant that I made with them 33:59 and their fathers, when in the day, I took them by the hand and 34:03 led them out to Egypt." 34:05 Though the Israelites promised to do all that God had said, 34:07 because their hearts were not right, they broke the covenant. 34:10 "Because they did not continue in my covenant, and I 34:12 disregarded them, saith the Lord," this is the summary of 34:16 the history of the Israelites as recorded in the Old Testament. 34:20 Time and time again they would obey God for a little bit, and 34:23 then they would turn away from God, and then they'd fall, and 34:25 then an army would conquer them, and they'd go into captivity. 34:28 And finally, God would deliver them, and bring them back, and 34:30 they went back and forth continually. 34:33 Matthew chapter 21, verse 43, "Jesus said to the religious 34:37 leaders, 'Therefore, I say unto you, the kingdom of God will be 34:40 taken from you and given to a nation bearing its fruits.'" 34:46 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 9 and 10, "But you, speaking of 34:49 us, you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy 34:53 nation, his own special people, that you might proclaim the 34:57 praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his 35:00 marvelous light." 35:03 Have you experienced that marvelous light that Peter is 35:05 talking about? 35:08 Have you been called out of darkness? 35:11 As we have been called out of darkness into his marvelous 35:12 light, we want to share the good news with others, amen. 35:17 Verse 10 says, "For once you were not a people, but now you 35:21 are the people of God," would obtain mercy. 35:25 You didn't obtain mercy, but now you have obtained mercy. 35:28 Verse 10, "For this is the covenant that I'll make with the 35:31 house of Israel after those days saith the Lord. 35:33 I will put my laws in their mind, write them in 35:36 their hearts." 35:38 Under the new covenant men, do right, not by their own 35:40 strength but because their hearts have been changed. 35:46 The reason we do right is not to save ourselves, for we are saved 35:51 by the blood of Christ. 35:54 The reason we do right is because we are saved by the 35:57 blood of Christ. 35:59 Do you see the difference? 36:02 We seek after righteousness not because our righteousness 36:07 saves us. 36:09 We seek after righteousness because we have been given the 36:11 righteousness of Christ, full and free. 36:17 We will never truly understand sanctification until we come to 36:22 grasp justification in all its fullness and glory. 36:27 It then goes on, "I will put my laws in their mind, write them 36:30 in their hearts." 36:32 Only God can put his law in the hearts of his people. 36:35 Romans 13:10, "Love does no harm to its neighbor. 36:39 Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law." 36:43 Now, you cannot change your heart. 36:45 You cannot, of yourself, give to God its affections, but you can 36:50 choose him. 36:51 This is steps to Christ by the way. 36:53 You can choose him. 36:55 You can give him your will. 36:57 "He will then work in you both to will and to do according to 37:01 his good pleasure." 37:03 Too often, we try to somehow generate love for God in 37:10 our hearts. 37:13 But the Bible says, "We love him because," what? 37:15 He first loved us." 37:19 As we draw close to God, his love will fill our hearts. 37:24 You'll never love God if you don't spend time with God, if 37:29 you don't commune with God. 37:32 "Desire of Ages," page 668, "All true obedience comes from 37:35 the heart. 37:37 It was heart work with Christ. 37:39 And if we consent," this is one of my favorite quotes, "if we 37:41 consent, he, God, will so identify himself with our 37:45 thoughts and our aims, so blend our hearts and minds into 37:49 conformity to his will, that when obeying him, we shall be 37:52 but carrying out our own impulses." 37:57 What do you think of that? 37:59 First time I read that I thought, "Well, that can't 38:00 be true." 38:02 But it is. 38:04 What a wonderful promise. 38:06 "If we allow, God will so identify himself with our 38:08 thoughts, our feelings, that our impulses will lead 38:13 towards righteousness." 38:17 That's the experience of the new covenant. 38:18 Verse 11, "None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his 38:21 brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for all shall know Me, 38:24 from the least of them to the greatest of them." 38:27 "Under the new covenant, the believer is to have a personal 38:30 knowledge and relationship with God. 38:32 Through Christ, we are led by the Spirit and we are taught of 38:35 God, in order to be filled with all the fullness of God." 38:40 Now, that was one of my favorite statements from "Desire of 38:42 Ages," that I just read, and here is one of my favorite 38:44 statements from the Apostle Paul. 38:46 You ready for it? 38:48 Here it is, Ephesians chapter 2. 38:50 Notice this, "Now to him," that's God, "who is able to do 38:55 exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think, 38:59 according to the power," dunamis, "that works in us, to 39:03 him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations 39:08 forever and ever, amen." 39:11 God is not limited in what he can do in the heart and the life 39:14 of somebody who is surrendered to him. 39:16 The sky's the limit, so to speak. 39:19 After all, all things are possible with him. 39:22 Verse 12, "For I will be merciful to their 39:25 unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will 39:28 remember no more." 39:30 The Christian is promised forgiveness, full and free, 39:33 through the blood of Jesus. 39:35 God will no longer hold our sins against them or against us but 39:38 will cast them behind his back into the depths of the sea. 39:43 Sins is gone. 39:45 Verse 13, our last verse here, "In that he says, 'A new 39:48 covenant,' he has made the first obsolete. 39:50 Now that which is becoming obsolete is growing old, ready 39:53 to vanish away." 39:55 The ceremonial system was fulfilled when Jesus died on 39:58 the cross. 40:00 Yet it took time for the New Testament believers, especially 40:01 the Jews, to transition from the old covenant symbols and types 40:06 to a full realization of the new covenant and its promises. 40:12 That's why we find Ephesians chapter 2, verse 15 speaking of 40:14 Christ, "Having abolished in his flesh the enmity that is the law 40:16 of commandments, containing ordinances, so as to create in 40:21 himself one new man from the two, thus making peace." 40:25 So the old covenant comes to an end when Jesus died on 40:27 the cross. 40:29 The new covenant is reaffirmed, which is in essence, is the 40:32 everlasting covenant. 40:35 The everlasting covenant is the experience that God wants each 40:37 and every one of us to have. 40:39 The ultimate goal of the everlasting covenant is to be in 40:42 the presence of God. 40:43 That's what we want. 40:46 We want to see the face of God. 40:49 But in order for that to happen, there has to be a special work 40:51 of transformation. 40:53 There has to be a special work of forgiveness. 40:56 And that's the work that Jesus proposes to do, to write his law 40:59 in our hearts, and in our minds. 41:02 So, let's look at the contrast between the two covenants. 41:05 In the old covenant, you had the Levitical priesthood. 41:08 In the new covenant, you got the Melchizedek priesthood, where 41:11 Jesus is our High Priest. 41:13 In the old covenant, you had animal sacrifices, all of which 41:15 pointed forward to Jesus, the Lamb of God, the true sacrifice. 41:19 The old covenant you had an earthly sanctuary; in the new 41:23 covenant, our focus is in heaven, the heavenly sanctuary. 41:27 And here's one of the most important, the old covenant was 41:30 based upon man's promises, all that God has said we will do. 41:34 The new covenant is God writing his law in the hearts and the 41:37 lives of his people, those of us surrendered to him. 41:41 The old covenant was for literal Israel. 41:43 The new covenant, in a special sense is for spiritual Israel, 41:47 God's people. 41:49 Okay, a few practical steps then. 41:52 You can't talk about the new covenant experience without 41:53 trying to make it as simple as possible. 41:55 How can we enter into that new covenant experience? 41:59 And by the way, this is not a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 42:04 The Apostle Paul says, "I die," what? 42:07 "Daily." 42:09 The surrender of self is a day-by-day, 42:10 moment-by-moment experience. 42:13 So how can we make that practical? 42:16 Because we want to be parchment upon which Jesus can inscribe 42:19 his law, that our obedience comes from the hearts. 42:22 That's the goal. 42:24 All right, just some practical steps. 42:26 Number one, ask the Lord to awaken you in the morning. 42:29 Now, you might think that's kind of odd. 42:31 But I encourage you to do that. 42:33 One of the last things before you fall asleep at night, say 42:36 "Lord, please wake me up tomorrow morning." 42:40 It's funny how that works. 42:42 You have an alarm clock, and that's been many, like I've 42:44 doing this for years. 42:46 And three minutes before the alarm goes, sometimes 30 seconds 42:50 before the alarm go off, I suddenly wake up. 42:52 And you know what? 42:54 Guess what the first thought is that pops into my head when I'm 42:57 woken up? 42:58 I wake, I think, "Oh, the Lord woke me up." 43:01 And it reminds me to do something. 43:04 So what are we to do when God wakes us up in the morning? 43:07 Number one, you want to surrender your will to God. 43:11 Philippians chapter 2, verse 13 says, "It is God who works in 43:13 you both to will and to do for his good pleasure." 43:18 So you say, "Lord, here I am. 43:20 New day. 43:22 I'm going to start by surrendering my will to you." 43:24 Secondly, surrender your mind. 43:27 Philippians 2:5, "Let this mind be in you which was also in 43:30 Christ Jesus." 43:31 Notice the word "Let." 43:33 God does not force this upon us. 43:35 We have to ask for it. 43:37 We say, "Lord please, let your mind be in me today." 43:41 Surrender your heart, your feelings. 43:43 Proverbs chapter 23, verse 26, "My son, give me your heart and 43:47 let your eyes observe my ways." 43:50 Notice, in order for us to observe his ways, we must first 43:53 give him our heart. 43:56 That's our part. 43:57 Our part in the new covenant experience is to 43:59 surrender ourself. 44:01 Say, "Lord, here I am. 44:02 I give you my will, I give you my mind, I give you my heart." 44:05 What else do we need to give God? 44:08 Surrender your body. 44:09 You don't always think of that. 44:11 Sometimes, this is a bit of a challenge. 44:13 The Bible says, "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do 44:15 it to the glory of God." 44:17 And sometimes, we need God's special help to live to the 44:20 glory of God. 44:22 We can surrender our body to him. 44:24 Surrender your plans, your plans for the day, say, "Lord, here 44:27 are my plans, but you work them out according to your will. 44:30 I lay it all at your feet. 44:32 You direct." 44:33 It says, "In all your ways, acknowledge him and he shall 44:35 direct your paths." 44:36 Notice the statement from the book "The Upward Look" that 44:38 says, "Consecration is a very simple thing." 44:43 We always think this is complicated. 44:44 Enter into this new covenant, that must be hard. 44:46 No. 44:48 "When brought daily into our individual lives and practice, 44:50 we shall know far more by consecration and by trusting to 44:54 an experience. 44:56 Each day, each hour, let the heart go out to God and say, 45:00 'Here, I am. 45:02 I am, Lord, I am yours. 45:04 I'm your property. 45:06 Take me, use me today. 45:08 I lay all my plans at your feet. 45:10 I will have none of my own way in the matter. 45:12 My time is thine. 45:14 My whole life is thine.' 45:16 Let the heart be constantly going forth to God for strength, 45:19 for grace every moment." 45:23 And just as surely as we do this, every day, the promise is, 45:28 if we draw near to God, what will God do? 45:31 He will draw near to us. 45:33 And he'll be able to do a work within us that we cannot do 45:37 for ourselves. 45:39 After all, Jesus looked at the Jewish people, who for so many 45:44 years were trying to earn their own way, trying to generate 45:49 righteousness that they thought was enough to save them. 45:53 They were burdened down. 45:55 And Jesus looked at them with compassion and he said, "Come to 45:58 me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give 46:04 you rest." 46:07 The good news of the new covenant is that we can come 46:08 to Jesus. 46:10 Just the way that we are, we can come to Jesus. 46:14 Charlotte Elliott was born in England. 46:18 She grew up in the finest society that England had 46:20 to offer. 46:22 The family was wealthy. 46:24 She attended the best schools of the day. 46:26 But when she went to college, she became very sick. 46:29 It was a lung issue that she had, that made her very weak. 46:32 At times, she would end up spending weeks in bed, 46:35 very feeble. 46:37 And they tried different things back in the day, but nothing 46:39 seemed to help. 46:41 She kept getting weaker and weaker. 46:44 Finally, she had to quit school and just pretty much stay home. 46:49 She began to get really discouraged, and even a little 46:51 angry towards God. 46:53 Now, they were somewhat of a religious family but not 46:54 that religious. 46:56 I mean they claimed to be Christians. 46:58 Around this time, a evangelist was traveling through England, 46:59 preaching evangelistic meetings. 47:02 And Charlotte's parents went to the meeting. 47:05 And after, like good evangelists, after the meeting, 47:08 he went around and visited all of those who came. 47:10 And he came to the house, and he was visiting with the parents, 47:12 and Charlotte was there. 47:14 The preacher asked, he said, "Charlotte, have you come 47:16 to Jesus? 47:18 Have you given you heart to Jesus?" 47:20 And this made Charlotte think. 47:22 And finally, she responded and said, "Well to be honest, I 47:25 don't know how I ought to go to Jesus." 47:29 She says, "I'm not good enough to go to Jesus." 47:32 The evangelist smiled and he said, "Charlotte, you can come 47:35 to Jesus just the way that you are." 47:39 Later that night, she knelt beside her bed and said, "Lord 47:43 please, I want to come to you just the way that I am. 47:46 I can't clean myself up. 47:48 It has to be you." 47:50 Her life began to change. 47:52 What a peace entered her heart. 47:54 She had joy. 47:55 She had a purpose for living. 47:57 But unfortunately, her health didn't seem to get much better. 47:59 It actually kept getting worse, until finally, she had to move 48:01 to a different part of England, in the southern part, where the 48:04 winters weren't as severe. 48:06 But a few months after this, while she was thinking back of 48:08 that experience, she picked up a pen and paper and she began to 48:11 write these words, "Just as I am without one plea. 48:16 But that thou blood was shed for me. 48:19 And that thou bid'st me, come to Thee. 48:22 O Lamb of God, I come." 48:26 It has been said that no other song has led more people to 48:31 Jesus than Charlotte Elliott's song Just As I Am. 48:36 Sometimes friends, we can overcomplicate the simplicity of 48:39 the gospel. 48:41 Jesus says, "Come unto me and I will give you rest." 48:46 Let us pray, "Dear Father, we are indeed so grateful for that 48:49 wonderful gospel invitation. 48:51 An invitation that is for all of us, irrespective of our 48:55 backgrounds, our joys, our sorrows, our trials. 48:59 And Jesus, you can save to the uttermost, those who come to you 49:03 by faith. 49:05 Thank you for the new covenant promise. 49:07 Thank you for a special work that you want to do in our 49:09 hearts and lives. 49:11 Father, we choose you today, to commit ourselves in 49:12 your keeping. 49:14 We ask this in Jesus' name, amen." 49:19 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's life-changing, 49:21 free resource. 49:23 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, you can 49:25 download a digital copy straight to your computer or 49:27 mobile device. 49:29 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, simply text 49:32 the keyword on your screen to 40544 or visit the web address 49:36 shown on your screen. 49:38 And be sure to select the digital download option on the 49:41 request page. 49:42 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 49:45 "Amazing Facts," wherever and whenever you want. 49:48 And most important, to share it with others. 49:56 male announcer: "Amazing Facts: Changed Lives." 50:04 Christine VanOrder: I was born into a family of criminals. 50:07 When I got older and I started breaking the rules, no one ever 50:09 taught me about, "Thou shalt not steal, and thou shalt not lie, 50:13 though shalt not commit adultery" or anything like that. 50:16 When I became a runaway at 14, I was just a wild and lost child. 50:23 I had somebody tell me, "Hey, you want to earn some money by 50:26 cleaning this guy's kitchen?" 50:28 So I went to this house on a different side of town than I 50:30 was used to. 50:32 Someone kept giving me alcoholic drinks. 50:34 And being 115 pounds and 14 years old, it really didn't take 50:38 much time before I was so inebriated that I had no control 50:42 over what was going on around me. 50:45 He took me to another location, another town, and I was put 50:49 in isolation. 50:51 I would come out to be abused between three and eight times 50:53 a day. 50:54 I was degraded, I was humiliated, that I had no value 50:57 as a human being. 50:59 And I learned very quickly that what I felt, and what I thought, 51:02 and how this made me feel, did not matter to him at all. 51:06 If I even thought about not doing what he wanted me to do, I 51:12 would have a gun to my head, a knife to my throat. 51:17 There was one time in particular where he had been tormenting 51:22 me, psychologically. 51:25 And one day, he said, "Oh, you'll never kill yourself. 51:28 You'll never do it." 51:31 And almost defiantly, I was like, "Yes I will." 51:34 And he handed me a big, old handful of pills and I took 'em. 51:37 While I was overdosing, and I had been overdosing all night, I 51:40 cried out to a God that I didn't even believe in. 51:43 And at that very moment, in the most powerful way, God shone his 51:47 light on me, and he gave me peace of mind like I never had. 51:52 And he let me know, right then and there while I was on that 51:55 bathroom floor, that he was real, and that he was love, and 51:58 that I did not know how at that time, but he was going to 52:01 help me. 52:03 A little less than a year later, I became pregnant at 15. 52:07 I loved my son with my whole heart. 52:09 He also became something that my abuser could use against me in 52:12 order to pump more fear and coercion. 52:17 I had finally got away from my abuser, and I had finally built 52:21 up a support system to help me stay on the move and stay on 52:24 the run. 52:26 And I was at my grandmother's house, and on my son's third 52:29 birthday, he took my son. 52:36 And when I called the police, said, "My son's just 52:37 been kidnapped," they said, "He's the father. 52:39 We can't do anything about it." 52:42 After my son was gone, I lost my mind. 52:45 I started doing drugs, and within a month and a half, I 52:48 robbed a convenience store. 52:50 So I was sentenced to 70 months, five years, 10 months in prison, 52:55 and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. 53:00 I started attending the church services in prison, seven days 53:03 a week. 53:05 It blew my mind. 53:07 I was hooked. 53:08 And then we went through, it was "Millennium of Prophecy" and 53:12 "Net 99" that just solidified my faith in such a powerful way, 53:18 and I knew God, that God was leading me. 53:21 Even the guards there commented on how much I had changed. 53:26 And since I started doing the studies on "Amazing Facts," I 53:29 was so excited about what I was learning, that I was coming back 53:33 from there and trying to convert my hardened, criminal friends 53:38 with the Storacles of Prophecy. 53:40 Every question I ever had, every worry, everything that I ever 53:43 wondered about, the Bible answered everything, and it was 53:47 so clear and so easy to understand. 53:51 It's been 11 years since I've been out of prison. 53:54 I am married to an amazing, wonderful man. 53:57 My first non-abusive relationship in my whole 53:59 entire life. 54:01 Before we got married, we watched the "Millennium of 54:02 Prophecy" series together. 54:05 And it was just such a blessing to be able to see him learn and 54:10 see him grow. 54:12 And I feel like my life now is just a gift, that every single 54:16 thing that happened to me bad in the past is nothing compared to 54:19 the joy, and happiness, and stability that I have now, 54:25 My name is Christine VanOrder, and my life has been changed by 54:28 Jesus Christ, and "Amazing Facts." 54:32 ♪♪♪ 54:45 ♪♪♪ 54:48 Michael: I had the oldest at a young age. 54:50 That's where it really sank in. 54:52 I had to do something with my life. 54:54 And I was trying to provide for my family and working nights 54:57 and stuff. 54:58 I came home early one morning, and I caught my ex-wife and the 55:03 other guy that she was seeing at the time. 55:07 They were right there in the front room. 55:09 My daughter was sitting right there by the TV. 55:13 "Hi, Daddy, hi, Daddy." 55:14 She was excited to see me." 55:16 And I was full of different emotions at the time, but with a 55:19 softened heart. 55:20 And I remember setting my stuff down, I picked her up and I 55:24 hugged her, told her I loved her. 55:26 Told him, I said, "You need to leave." 55:30 At that point, I went to my room and grabbed my rifle. 55:35 As I walked--walking out of the room, when I fist moved there, 55:37 I put this picture right there in front of the door. 55:40 Every morning, I would go out that door, but I'd see 55:41 that picture. 55:43 It was all three of my kids. 55:45 And that given moment, when I seen that picture, rifle in 55:47 hand, I melted to my knees, gun in hand. 55:51 That's when I prayed to God, and I hadn't prayed to God in years. 55:54 I said, "I am so sorry. 55:57 You know what we're going through right now. 55:59 I'm trying to do what I thought was right. 56:01 But evidently, it's all blown up and I don't know what to do." 56:07 Got back up, and I went back out and I told her it was over. 56:11 I decided that I was going to go to California and start over. 56:15 That's my roots. 56:17 So while I was out in California, and I had a lot of 56:20 time on my hands, in between loads, while I was driving 56:23 truck, and my uncle, he gave me a little pamphlet from "Amazing 56:27 Facts," and I started reading that. 56:31 It got my attention, but then "Amazing Facts" had this series 56:35 of seminars, Tyler Long was the speaker at that time, at my 56:40 uncle's church, Modesto Central. 56:43 But I remember my folks, they kept inviting me over and over. 56:45 So did my uncle. 56:47 And I was like, "No, no, no. 56:48 I'd rather sit here and drink." 56:50 You know, I mean because I was hurting. 56:51 I was hurting internally from missing my kids and plus 56:55 the divorce. 56:56 Everything, it just like I had nothing. 56:58 I was empty. 56:59 I went ahead and went. 57:01 And I tell you, that seminar is like God was speaking 57:05 specifically to me. 57:08 I just like melted, collapsed right there into the pew. 57:11 Tears just started gushing. 57:14 The only thing I can say is that God spoke to me that day. 57:18 After attending these "Amazing Facts" seminars, I started going 57:22 through, you know, these "Amazing Facts" study guides and 57:25 I finished those. 57:27 I mean just all these truths were jumping out at me, and I 57:30 was so hungry, I couldn't put them down. 57:33 And after I finished the study guides, I made the decision to 57:38 follow Christ and to be baptized. 57:41 And my parents also made that decision as well to be baptized. 57:45 My name is Michael. 57:47 Thank you for changing my life. 57:49 ♪♪♪ 58:00 ♪♪♪ |
Revised 2021-05-27