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Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH022126S
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00:11 ♪♪♪ 00:21 ♪♪♪ 00:35 Shawn Brummund: Hello, friends, and welcome to another edition 00:37 of the "Sabbath School Study Hour," right here in the 00:40 sanctuary of our new facilities here in the Granite Bay Hilltop 00:45 Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Greater Sacramento 00:47 area of California. 00:48 We are just so glad that you have decided to join us and 00:51 invest the next hour into studying God's Word as we look 00:55 at today's last subject in this particular quarter of the year. 01:00 And so for many of you who have been studying with us, 01:03 you're familiar with this. 01:04 For those of you who are joining us for the first time, we're 01:07 going to be studying from a quarterly guide entitled 01:09 "The Promise: God's Everlasting Covenant." 01:12 And so we've been looking at God's great covenant theme, 01:16 right from Adam and Eve, all the way through to Jesus Christ, 01:19 of course, the ultimate covenant that He has sealed 01:21 with His own blood on the cross. 01:23 So today we're going to be looking at the last lesson, 01:25 which is Lesson Number 13, "A New Covenant Life," 01:27 and our pastor that is teaching today is Pastor Carlos, 01:30 and so we're glad to have him here with us here today as well. 01:35 Now, I don't have a copy of next quarter's study, 01:39 but I do know the title. 01:40 It's called "Rest in Christ," and so if you haven't got a copy 01:44 of that, make sure that you try to get a copy if you're at your 01:46 local church sometime today or throughout the week, and if not, 01:51 make sure that you go to the Amazing Facts website, 01:53 and you can simply go to the search bar and find a digital 01:57 copy there as well. 01:59 So make sure that you go ahead and get a copy of that so that 02:01 you can study throughout this next week and be prepared for 02:04 our study as we get together for that. 02:07 Just a little bit of a trivia that I shared last time we came 02:10 together as well is that the next quarterly actually has a 02:13 family connection to our administrative pastor, 02:15 Pastor Jean Ross. 02:17 Pastor Jean Ross's sister and brother-in-law are the authors 02:21 of the next quarterly study, so make sure that you take that in. 02:26 I know that you will be blessed. 02:28 Don't forget to take advantage of today's free offer, 02:32 which is "Is It Possible to Live Without Sinning?" 02:35 And it's written by Joe Crews, the founder 02:37 of Amazing Facts Ministries. 02:39 So please take advantage of that. 02:41 All you have to do is dial in 1-866-788-3966. 02:45 That's 1-866-Study-More, and ask for free Offer Number 187. 02:53 Now, that's if you're in the continental America, 02:56 and if you're also interested in a download, a digital free 03:01 download, you can also text that and receive the link. 03:04 All you have to do is text to the number 40544. 03:12 That's 40544, and text the message "SH040," and you can see 03:19 that on your screen as well. 03:20 So please take advantage of that as we continue to study and look 03:24 at God's power in our life to be able to find victory over sin. 03:29 So before we invite our speaker and teacher out today, we're 03:33 going to be blessed in music as we have some young people 03:36 that are going to be blessing us in worship through music. 03:42 ♪♪♪ 03:58 ♪ My faithful Father ♪ 04:05 ♪ enduring friend ♪ 04:09 ♪ Your tender mercy's like a river with no end ♪ 04:18 ♪ It overwhelms me, covers my sin ♪ 04:28 ♪ Each time I come into Your presence ♪ 04:34 ♪ I stand in wonder once again ♪ 04:41 ♪ Your grace still amazes me ♪ 04:47 ♪ Your love is still a mystery ♪ 04:54 ♪ Each day I fall on my knees ♪ 05:02 ♪ because Your grace still amazes me ♪ 05:09 ♪ Your grace still amazes me ♪ 05:15 ♪♪♪ 05:30 ♪ Oh, patient Savior ♪ 05:36 ♪ You make me whole ♪ 05:41 ♪ You are the author and the healer of my soul ♪ 05:50 ♪ What can I give You? ♪ 05:55 ♪ Lord, what can I say? ♪ 06:00 ♪ I know there's no way to repay You ♪ 06:06 ♪ only to offer You my praise ♪ 06:13 ♪ Your grace still amazes me ♪ 06:20 ♪ Your love is still a mystery ♪ 06:26 ♪ Each day I fall on my knees ♪ 06:34 ♪ Your grace still amazes me ♪ 06:41 ♪ Your grace still amazes me ♪ 06:47 ♪ It's deeper. It's wider ♪ 06:53 ♪ It's stronger. It's higher ♪ 06:59 ♪ It's deeper. It's wider ♪ 07:06 ♪ It's stronger ♪ 07:09 ♪ It's higher than anything my eyes can see ♪ 07:18 ♪ Your grace still amazes me ♪ 07:24 ♪ Your love is still a mystery ♪ 07:30 ♪ Each day I fall on my knees ♪ 07:39 ♪ Your grace still amazes me ♪ 07:46 ♪ Your grace still amazes me ♪♪ 07:58 ♪♪♪ 08:17 Carlos Munoz: Maranatha. 08:19 Ooh, come on, where are the saints? 08:25 Christ is coming, amen? 08:27 Maranatha. 08:29 Happy Sabbath, everybody. 08:30 Welcome to Granite Bay Hilltop SDA Church, 08:34 to our "Sabbath School Study Hour." 08:35 I am so excited because I get to close this wonderful topic, 08:41 amen? 08:42 This, as I mentioned before when I did the lesson 08:44 I think a few weeks back, this is the core. 08:48 This is the core of the Gospel. 08:50 If we don't understand the covenant, we will not understand 08:53 the Gospel, and if we don't understand the Gospel, and the 08:56 covenant, we will not understand the plan of salvation, and so 08:58 I'm excited to put a close, to put an end to this lesson, 09:02 and it seems to be something habitual, right? 09:05 Like the previous lesson, I closed it also, 09:07 the previous one also, so I'm excited, right? 09:09 And the lesson for this week is called "The New Covenant Life." 09:14 I put a slash there. 09:16 I like to, you know, I like to always put a little juice into 09:19 it, "The New/Everlasting Covenant Life," because the 09:22 Everlasting Covenant is the New Covenant, amen? 09:25 It is the same covenant. 09:27 It's just given a different name because of how it is being 09:29 applied when Christ comes along. 09:31 But before we get started, let's have a word of prayer. 09:34 Heavenly Father, we thank You for this opportunity to come 09:36 together again to spend time in Your Word, and we just ask 09:38 that Your Spirit guide us, direct us, so that we can have a 09:41 greater understanding, a deeper understanding and that not only 09:44 to understand this in an intellectual way, but it may be 09:47 an experience in our lives. 09:49 Thank You, Father for this opportunity. 09:51 Thank You for this blessing, Father, and we ask and beg 09:53 these things in Jesus's name, amen, amen. 09:56 And so the new, the Everlasting Covenant life, as we close, 10:01 the memory verse for this lesson is John chapter 10: 10:05 "I come that they might have life," 10:07 and that they might have it how? 10:09 More abundantly. 10:11 In other words, what Jesus is saying, "There is life," right? 10:14 We're all alive. 10:16 We're all physically alive, but there is something beyond 10:19 physical life that God is trying to offer to us that is much more 10:22 abundant than just physical life, and it is that abundant, 10:25 spiritual life, amen? 10:27 We may be alive physically, you may be breathing, you may eat, 10:31 you may be listening to me, you may be watching me, 10:34 but you might be spiritually dead, in other words. 10:37 That's what Jesus is saying. 10:38 Life is not just enough, not this physical life, but there's 10:41 a spiritual life that God wants to inject into us 10:44 so that life is lived abundantly, joyfully, amen? 10:48 That's why I love this verse in Romans chapter 8, verse 11: 10:51 "If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus--" 10:54 that means the Spirit of the Father who raised Jesus Christ 10:56 from the what? 10:58 From the dead. 10:59 Now, this is not talking about just physical death, although 11:01 Jesus was literally raised up from the physical death. 11:04 He says that same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead 11:06 will also give you what? 11:09 Life, amen? 11:10 That's not just talking about a physical life. 11:13 This is talking about everlasting life, eternal life, 11:16 amen? 11:17 "And give us life to these immortal bodies 11:19 through His Spirit," who dwells where? 11:22 In us. 11:23 You see, it's before-- without the Spirit of God, 11:24 we have no life. 11:26 We're living, we're physically here, but we're not alive. 11:29 I'll give you an example. 11:30 In Puerto Rico, there's a lot of promotion of, you know, 11:34 beer and alcohol all over the place, and it always presents, 11:38 "Oh, this is the life." 11:39 So I used to think, when I was young, "Oh, the life is partying 11:42 and drinking and traveling, and I thought that was living life, 11:46 and that's what those people think: "Oh, you're living life 11:48 if you're doing this." 11:50 That's a complete lie. 11:51 That's an aberration to the Gospel because the Gospel says 11:54 that it's only when we have the Spirit in us that we truly 11:57 understand what it means to live, amen, that we truly 12:00 understand what it means to fulfill the purpose and the 12:03 mission which was God has brought you forth. 12:05 Remember, God did not create us to condemn us. 12:09 God created us so that we can give Him glory, amen, so that we 12:14 can show the world the goodness of God, the righteousness of 12:17 God, that we can see that God deserves all the praise, 12:21 all the honor, all the glory, all the worship. 12:23 He deserves everything that we have. 12:26 And so that's the life that God is trying to give us. 12:28 He's trying to reveal it to us through who? 12:31 Through Jesus Christ in the Spirit, amen? 12:34 And that's what I call "The New/Everlasting Covenant Life." 12:39 Who says amen to that? 12:41 Now, the lesson presents this life in a very interesting way. 12:46 It presents five experiences, five primary experiences in the 12:51 Everlasting Covenant, or five covenant promises 12:54 that we can experience today. 12:57 And what I did is, when I looked at this lesson, I thought this 12:59 was very interesting because this is kind of a barometer. 13:03 This is kind of a measuring stick to see, am I truly living 13:07 in the New Covenant life? 13:10 Am I truly living in the New Covenant experience, 13:12 or am I living in the Old Covenant? 13:15 Hmm, we'll talk about that in a second. 13:17 How do I know that my life is genuinely aligned with the will 13:23 of God, with the purpose of God, with the mission of God, 13:25 with the mind of Christ? 13:26 How do I know that? 13:28 Well, that's what--the way that I took this lesson, and I 13:30 tried--I'm going to explain it and share it with you in this 13:33 context of the aspect of this experience and these barometers, 13:40 these tests, that show where we truly are. 13:44 And so the first one that is presented is what? 13:46 Everlasting? 13:48 Everlasting joy, amen? 13:50 Everlasting joy. 13:52 Are you joyful? Do you have joy? 13:54 Did you wake up this morning and said, 13:56 "I can't wait to get to church"? 13:58 "I can't wait to come to church and spend time with my brothers 14:01 and my sisters in the faith, come listen to the Word of God, 14:03 listen to beautiful Gospel music. 14:06 I am excited about being here." 14:08 Are you excited, or do you just have the mask on, right? 14:12 Or do you just have that mask where you say, 14:15 "Happy Sabbath," right? 14:17 You put a big smile, but inside, you're not joyful. 14:20 Go with me, please, to 1 John. 14:22 It's the verse that they give us in the lesson that I thought was 14:24 very, very good because I love how John explains it here. 14:27 Go with me, please, to the book of 1 John chapter 1. 14:32 1 John chapter 1. 14:34 1 John chapter 1. 14:36 When you're there, say amen. 14:38 Look at what it says here in 1 John chapter 1. 14:41 We're going to read verses 1 through 4. 14:44 The experiencing the Everlasting Covenant promises today has 14:47 to do with everlasting joy, amen? 14:50 Look at what it says. 14:52 John says, "That which was from the beginning, which we have 14:55 heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have 14:58 looked upon and our hands have handled," concerning what? 15:02 The Word of Life. 15:04 John is not speaking from a technical, a theoretical aspect 15:08 or perspective of the Gospel. 15:10 John is saying, "I saw it, I lived it, I embraced it." 15:15 Isn't that what God says in the New Covenant when He says, 15:18 "Nobody will have to teach you about Me. 15:21 Nobody will have to sit you down and show you something 15:23 because I will be your personal teacher."? 15:27 It's talking about this intimate relationship that God wants to 15:30 have with us, amen? 15:31 That's the New Covenant experience where nobody's 15:33 telling you about God because you have experiences, those 15:36 promises and those blessings on your own. 15:38 You don't need to hear other people's testimony to get 15:40 excited about what God is doing because God is doing it in your 15:42 life right now, that fresh manna that is coming 15:45 out of that oven, amen? 15:47 Huh? Ooh. 15:50 Hear what it says in verse 2: "The life was manifested," 15:54 the life of the Word, "and we have seen it. 15:57 We bear witness to it, and we declare to you the eternal life, 16:01 which was with the Father and was manifested to us, 16:04 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you," 16:08 that you also may have what? 16:10 Fellowship with us. 16:12 Would you want to have fellowship with somebody that's 16:13 as joyful and full of-- like that, as John? 16:16 Of course, you do. 16:18 Wow, really, because you can't deny it that joy is manifested. 16:23 You can't hide it. You can't masquerade it. 16:25 You can't make believe you're joyful. 16:27 Either you are, or you don't, and if you're trying to do it 16:29 and you think you're fooling people, you're not fooling 16:31 anybody because you can tell right away when somebody's being 16:34 genuine and honest and when they're not. 16:38 "That which you have also fellowship with us, and truly 16:40 our fellowship is with the Father 16:42 and with His Son Jesus Christ." 16:43 And here's verse 4, "And these things we write to you," 16:46 that your joy may be what? 16:49 Full. This is not a partial joy. 16:51 This is not joy just on when Friday comes around 16:53 and you don't have to work. 16:55 This is not a joy when you have a holiday off or you have 16:57 Memorial Day off. 16:59 This is not a joy when you go on vacation. 17:00 This is a daily, eternal, everlasting joy from what? 17:05 From just knowing that you are accepted in God 17:07 through Jesus Christ, amen? 17:09 That can't be fixed. 17:11 That can't be masqueraded. You can't. 17:14 It's just in you. It shows out. 17:15 People see the genuineness, amen? 17:18 They see what exactly it's talking about. 17:20 And look at what it says here in 1 John chapter 4, verse 10. 17:23 What is the foundation of this joy? 17:25 "This is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us." 17:30 And what did He do? 17:31 How did He manifest, God, that He loves us? 17:34 By sending His Son to be what? 17:37 A propitiation, or the word is an atonement for our sins, amen? 17:42 That word atonement is a fascinating word, 17:44 which I love how it explains "reconciliation," amen, 17:47 through Christ, because despite our sins, 17:51 we are reconciled with God. 17:53 We are reconciled with divinity, amen? 17:55 And so that brings us peace to know that we have been accepted 17:58 in Christ and that, through Christ, through Christ, 18:03 we have peace with God, amen? 18:05 That brings joy. 18:07 That brings happiness. 18:08 Look at what it says in 1 John chapter 1, verse 9, the same 18:11 book: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just--" 18:16 let's stop there. 18:17 Faithful and just to what? 18:19 To His covenant promises, amen? 18:21 "He is faithful and just to His covenant promises--" 18:23 and what are those covenant promises? 18:25 Number one, to forgive us of our sins and number two, to what? 18:30 To cleanse us from some unrighteousness. 18:33 Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see that correctly, 18:35 all unrighteousness, amen? 18:37 See, many, many Christians believe that, 18:39 "Oh, yeah, God will cleanse you but only partially. 18:41 Just the outer works. 18:43 He won't go deep down into the core, you know, 18:45 take out those tendencies, those sinful habits." 18:47 No, no, no, no, no, no, God is not just 18:50 a superficial cleansing. 18:51 That's not what the Bible says. 18:53 It is a complete and total cleansing, amen? 18:57 It's the righteousness of God manifested in us, 19:00 in human flesh. 19:01 As it was in Him, so the promises shall it be seen 19:03 in you and me. 19:05 Hoo-hoo-hoo! 19:06 I know, it blows our mind because we can't-- 19:09 yes, that's the promise of the Gospel. 19:11 That's the promise of the Everlasting Covenant, amen? 19:13 And God is going to forgive us of our sins-- 19:15 we can say justification-- and cleanse us from our sins. 19:18 We can say sanctification. 19:20 We'll talk about that in a second, too, because there is 19:22 a lot of misconceptions in Christianity in regards to these 19:25 two terms also, which I thought the lesson did not explicitly 19:29 say it, but it's implicit, and I thought it would be a great time 19:32 to share with all of you. 19:33 The second aspect, the experience of the Everlasting 19:36 Covenant, is the promise, or the promises for today is what? 19:41 Everlasting guilt-free. 19:43 Now, of course, I know it doesn't sound right. 19:44 I just wanted to put everlasting in front of every concept that 19:46 was being touched in the lesson. 19:48 But it's everlasting guilt-free, or we can say what? 19:51 Justification, right? 19:54 What does it mean? 19:55 Why are we guilt-free? 19:56 How is it that we can be with no guilt? 19:58 You know how many people I know are still burdened 19:59 with the guilts of their past? 20:01 And I'll tell you the truth. 20:02 It creeps up on me every once in a while, too, right? 20:06 That's why I say, when the Bible says, "God will not-- 20:08 He will forget our sins," amen? 20:11 If God is going to forget them, how about us? 20:13 You think I'm going to be carrying around this burden? 20:15 No, we're going to be free from that, complete, 20:17 total freedom from guilt, from sin. 20:20 Who says amen to that? 20:21 And so we see that. 20:23 That's where we gave the verse on Romans chapter 8, verse 1: 20:25 "There is therefore now no condemnation to them 20:29 which are in Jesus Christ--" 20:31 who says amen to that? 20:32 Why is there no condemnation for those that are in Jesus Christ? 20:35 Because Jesus Christ carried our condemnation, and so because 20:38 He carried our condemnation to the cross, we are free. 20:42 We are guilt-free. 20:44 The one that had no sin took our sins, and that gives us what? 20:48 That makes us free in Him. 20:49 Adam and Eve, in the very moment that they sinned, what happened? 20:53 God said, "The day that you eat of that tree, 20:54 you shall surely die." 20:55 Death sentence. 20:57 Woop, that's it right there at that moment. 20:58 Why didn't it happen? 21:00 Because the lamb took their place, amen? 21:03 The lamb took the responsibility, the burden 21:06 of sin on His shoulders. 21:08 And please notice this, and I think this is very important 21:10 because sometimes we forget about the next part, 21:12 "who are those that walk not after the flesh, 21:14 but after the Spirit," amen? 21:17 Pastor Doug's going to be talking about that today in the 21:18 next--in the sermon, so I'm excited about that. 21:20 That's always a great topic, but it's--notice--is that-- 21:23 I have a question. 21:25 Is this state of no condemnation, is it just 21:28 declarative in the past, once and for all, and that's it? 21:31 Or is it ongoing? 21:33 It's ongoing because you're walking, amen? 21:35 You're in this relationship with God. 21:37 You're not living in the flesh. 21:39 You're living what? 21:40 You're learning to live in the spirit. 21:42 That's the New Covenant everlasting experience that God 21:44 wants us to experience as Abraham had to learn 21:47 through his own experience, amen? 21:50 Who says amen to that? 21:52 And so this is this understanding, 21:53 this concept of justification. 21:55 Look at what it says in Romans chapter 5, verse 1: 21:58 therefore being what? 21:59 Justified by faith, what do we have? 22:02 We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 22:07 Who says amen? 22:08 So notice, my loved ones, that guiltlessness that we are 22:12 experienced is because of Christ because we have been reconciled. 22:17 We have made--been at peace with God the Father," through who? 22:21 Through Christ, justified by faith. 22:24 Another way of saying this is to call it 22:26 imputed righteousness, right? 22:29 Is that it's not our own righteousness. 22:30 Don't get me wrong. It's not our own merits. 22:33 It's the one of Jesus Christ. He is the one, amen? 22:36 He is the one that is covering our sins. 22:38 He is the one. It's all His work. 22:40 All we can do is what? 22:42 Is accept it. All we can do. 22:45 And really what we're doing in most cases is we're either 22:47 rejecting it, too, because if you resist the call 22:49 of the Holy Spirit, then you're condemning yourself. 22:52 God is not condemning us. 22:53 We're condemning ourselves when we reject, when we deny, 22:56 when we say no thank You, God, 22:57 to the gift that He has given us 22:59 of peace in Jesus Christ, which is what? 23:02 Which is justification, amen? 23:05 And so this peace between the Father and the Son--and I think 23:07 I mentioned it in one of the previous lessons, 23:10 the covenant-- remember this, please-- 23:12 the Everlasting Covenant 23:14 is not a covenant between God and us. 23:17 It is a covenant that was made between the Father and the Son, 23:22 all right? 23:23 We are just invited into the covenant. 23:25 We are inserted into the covenant through faith 23:28 and accepting this covenant. 23:29 The covenant is between the Father and the Son, 23:32 because if it was based on us, then the covenant would 23:34 be completely and totally invalidated consistently. 23:38 This is not what the Bible explains, and this is not 23:40 what the Bible teaches. 23:42 Look at what it says here, "Desire of Ages": 23:44 "Before the foundations of the earth were laid, the Father 23:47 and the Son had united," in what? 23:50 In a covenant to redeem us. 23:56 Who was around when this happened? 23:58 None of us. 24:00 Everlasting before any of us. 24:02 The Father and the Son said, "We are coming together, 24:05 that if the humans should be overcome by sin--" 24:08 they had clasped their hands in a solemn pledge that Christ 24:12 should become the what? 24:14 The surety, or the guarantee. 24:16 Who says amen? 24:18 For the human race. 24:20 Notice, our salvation is not based on any of us. 24:22 It's based on the guarantee in Jesus Christ. 24:24 He is the guarantee. 24:26 He is the promise. 24:28 He is the covenant, and God is offering us the covenant when He 24:33 offers us His Son Jesus Christ. 24:34 He's offering us this second chance, 24:36 this second opportunity, amen? 24:39 And so I'll show you another verse that proves that this 24:41 covenant was from the very beginning, way before we did. 24:44 Go with me to the book of Ephesians, please, 24:46 Ephesians chapter 1. 24:48 Ephesians chapter 1 explains it. 24:51 Ephesians chapter 1. 24:53 When you're there, say amen. 24:55 Look at this, verse 3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our 25:01 Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with spiritual 25:04 blessings in the heavenly places in Christ, 25:07 just as He chose us in Him," before what? 25:12 Before the foundation of the world. 25:13 This is talking about the Everlasting Covenant. 25:15 The Father said, "Son, through Your sacrifice, 25:18 through Your humiliation, through Your giving Yourself," 25:21 for humankind what? 25:23 They will be what? 25:25 "They will be accepted into Us," amen, "that we should be 25:29 holy and without blame before him in love." 25:31 Who says amen? 25:33 I have a question: Can we live holy and blameless 25:35 lives on this earth? 25:37 Oh, yes, in Christ, of course, we can. 25:38 That's a promise here. 25:40 Now, notice what it says here, having been what? 25:42 Predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ 25:45 to Himself, amen. 25:47 This is true predestination. 25:49 The Everlasting Covenant presents the true understanding 25:51 of predestination, not the one that is distorted that, sadly, 25:54 many believe, that we are predestined why? 25:56 Because we are accepted in Christ, amen? 25:59 All of us are. 26:01 The problem is not everybody accepts Him back. 26:03 Everybody is invited into this Everlasting Covenant, into this 26:08 reconciliation, this atonement, but the question is 26:10 are we denying it, or are we accepting it? 26:15 And now you're probably sitting here today and saying, 26:16 "Oh, I accept it, yes, I accept it." 26:18 Well, that's what we're doing. We're putting this to the test. 26:20 Do you have joy? Do you feel guilt-free? 26:23 If you don't have joy and you don't feel guilt-free, 26:25 then there's an issue. 26:27 There's a misunderstanding, a miscomprehension, 26:28 and it's usually in this case of justification. 26:31 You see why? 26:33 It's because the flesh wants recognition. 26:36 The flesh wants applause. 26:38 The flesh wants to be recognized. 26:41 And so when you come to the Gospel and this Gospel says, 26:43 "No, humble yourself, lower yourself," you're like, "No." 26:47 That's why the Spirit cannot be in unison with the flesh because 26:51 the flesh wants to be recognized and acknowledged 26:55 but not in Christianity. 26:57 That's not how it works here. 26:59 That's how it works in the world, but not here. 27:01 Here it's all about Him, amen? 27:03 Here it's recognizing Him, and that's very hard for us, 27:07 even when we sometimes have accepted it, 27:09 and we say that we have accepted it. 27:11 And so notice this peace that God brings, 27:14 this council of peace. 27:16 It's mentioned in Zechariah chapter 6, verse 12 and 13, 27:19 "Behold, the man," Christ, "whose name is the Branch, 27:22 He shall bear the glory. 27:24 He shall sit and rule on His throne, so He shall be a priest 27:28 on His throne, and the counsel of peace," 27:30 shall be between who? 27:32 Between them both. 27:34 The counsel, the covenant of peace is between the Father 27:36 and the Son. 27:37 Now, immediately, you're probably asking yourselves-- 27:39 and somebody asked me already, 27:40 "Well, what about the Holy Spirit? 27:42 Where is He?" 27:43 I have a question: Is the Holy Spirit not involved 27:45 in the Everlasting Covenant? 27:46 Ha-ha, all over the place. 27:48 Of course, it is. 27:50 Have you ever heard of the promise of the Spirit? 27:52 Look at Ephesians chapter 1, verse 13 and 14, 27:54 having believed, you were sealed with what? 27:58 With the Holy Spirit of the promise. 28:00 What promise? 28:01 The covenant promises. 28:03 The promise is that Father said, 28:04 "Son, this is how we're going to save humanity. 28:06 Holy Spirit, go down and get to work," amen? 28:10 "Go into those hearts. 28:12 Go, impress those hearts, speak to those hearts. 28:14 Convict them of sin, of righteousness, 28:17 and of judgment," amen? 28:19 The Spirit is the one that is carrying out this work 28:21 effectively, and look at how the Holy Spirit is also part 28:24 of the guarantee of salvation in Jesus Christ. 28:27 See, "The Holy Spirit of promise was the guarantee 28:29 of our inheritance--" 28:31 that's the inheritance, or the promises of the covenant-- 28:34 "until the redemption of the purchased possession, 28:36 to the praise of His glory," amen? 28:39 So is the Holy Spirit involved in this? 28:42 Oh, my loved ones, this is the work of the Godhead. 28:44 The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are the one 28:46 that are carrying it out. 28:48 All we can do is what? 28:50 Is accept it. 28:51 All we can do is say, "Lord, here I am. 28:53 I accept this gift that You have bestowed upon us," 28:56 and this is the covenant. 28:58 Now watch how the Holy Spirit is directly involved 29:00 with this covenant in the life of Jesus Christ. 29:03 This is beautifully explained in Isaiah chapter 42, 29:05 verse 1 and 6: Behold, my Servant whom I what? 29:09 "Whom I uphold, my Elect One in whom My soul delights." 29:13 This is the Father speaking of the Son. 29:15 "I have put My Spirit upon Him. 29:17 I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, and I will hold 29:20 Your hand and I will keep You and give You," as a what? 29:24 "Give You as a covenant to the people," amen? 29:27 That's why Jesus is called the Prince of the Covenant. 29:30 Jesus is the covenant, amen? 29:32 And this covenant cannot be invalidated, cannot be broken, 29:35 because it is not between us and God. 29:37 Now, don't get me wrong. 29:39 We tried to make a covenant with God on Mount Sinai, 29:41 but it didn't work, right? 29:43 But this covenant, my loved ones, we can reject it, yes, 29:46 but it cannot be broken. 29:47 This covenant is everlasting, amen? 29:50 Now, why does the Father make a covenant with the Son 29:52 and not with us? 29:53 It's very simple. 29:55 It's explained here very clearly. 29:56 Because the Father knew that in the Son there would be 29:59 a complete and total submission, surrender, 30:01 abiding and trusting in the promises in the Father 30:05 and that He would put His Spirit in Him. 30:07 And He knew the Father, that Jesus would depend so completely 30:11 and consistently and constantly on the promises of the Father, 30:14 that the Father said, "I have called You in righteousness. 30:17 I will uphold Your hand and I will keep You," amen? 30:21 He know--the Father knew that Jesus was not going to depend 30:24 on the human flesh. 30:25 He was not going to depend on fallen nature. 30:27 He was going to learn to completely, consistently, 30:31 constantly, and daily trust in the promises of the Father, on 30:35 the righteousness of the Father, in the power of the Father 30:38 through the Holy Spirit, amen? 30:40 And that's really the biggest challenge we have 30:41 in Christianity today. 30:43 It's learning to consistently, constantly, daily surrender 30:47 every moment, every time, every decision, ever temptation. 30:51 It's learning to, as Jesus was, to lean on the Father, 30:54 to depend on the Father in every essence, amen? 30:57 And when we learn to do that, that's what it means to live 31:00 the faith of Jesus Christ. 31:02 That's what it means to have the faith of Jesus Christ, 31:04 and when we have the faith of Jesus Christ, 31:07 when we have the mind of Christ, 31:08 when we have the character of Christ, guess what? 31:11 The righteous life of Christ will be manifested in each 31:13 and every one of us. 31:15 Ooh-hoo-hoo! This is so amazing. 31:19 I don't know how this cannot give, just, this great news 31:22 and just fill us with delight. 31:24 And notice what it says here in Isaiah 54:10, "For the mountains 31:27 shall depart, and the hills will be removed, but My kindness 31:32 shall not depart from you," nor shall My what? 31:35 "'Covenant of peace be removed,' says the Lord, 31:39 who has mercy on you." 31:40 Here's the manifestation again of the covenant of peace-- 31:42 God's kindness, God's mercy, God's character, amen? 31:46 And notice, it cannot be removed. 31:49 No matter how much we reject it, no matter how much we try on our 31:52 own efforts to try to live up to the principles of God's law and 31:56 His kingdom, it's not possible, but it doesn't mean that it's 31:59 invalidated because it's between the Father and the Son, 32:03 and the Son is the guarantee, along with the Holy Spirit. 32:05 Who says amen to that? 32:07 Whoo! Amen? 32:08 And so we can trust, despite our flaws, despite our shortcomings, 32:11 despite what--when we see that we cannot live up to the 32:15 principles of God, that's exactly what God wants 32:17 you to understand. 32:19 We can't do it on our own strength. 32:21 We can't do it on our own effort. 32:23 It is only God that does it in us, and so it's learning to say, 32:27 "God, I can't," and then God says, "Finally." 32:30 That's what happened in Mount Sinai, remember? 32:32 God says, "I want to make this everlasting covenant with you 32:34 as I did with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." 32:37 He says, "I want you to be a sanctuary. 32:38 I want to dwell in you," God was telling them. 32:40 "I want to write my law on your hearts as I did with Abraham, 32:43 Isaac, and Jacob, and what did they say? 32:46 "No, no, no, no, no, stay over there. 32:49 We don't want that covenant. No, no, no, no, no. 32:51 We want to be a--we want to receive the blessings, 32:53 but we want it from over here." 32:54 They denied that intimate spiritual relationship with God. 32:59 And so what does God do? 33:00 He adapts, and He writes the law on tablets of stone 33:03 and in a book. 33:05 And then they say what? 33:07 "Oh, yes, whatever You say, we'll do it. 33:08 We got it." 33:10 All right, so God, in His love, what does He do? 33:12 He adapts to our unfaithfulness, and He says, 33:19 "Okay, go ahead, go try." 33:21 Two weeks later, they're worshiping a golden calf. 33:25 God is like, "I told you, you can't do this." 33:28 Go read chapter 32, "Patriarchs and Prophets," the law, 33:31 and the two covenants. 33:32 Mm, delicious. 33:35 Explains it perfectly how this is the problem-- 33:38 and this is our problem too. 33:39 You see, when we don't learn to live by faith, we immediately, 33:43 automatically become idolators, if not of self, of something 33:47 else, and that's what God is trying to point out to us. 33:51 That is what God is trying to show us, and that's why it says 33:53 in Romans chapter 3, verse 24, "Being justified freely by 33:57 His grace through redemption that is in Christ Jesus." 33:59 Why do I use this verse? 34:01 Because many people believe, most Christians believe 34:03 that justification is just declarative: 34:06 "It's just in the past. That happened already. 34:07 You're good to go. You're fine." 34:10 But this is teaching that justification is what? 34:13 Present, amen? 34:15 Justification is now. Justification is every day. 34:18 It's every day receiving the forgiveness of God. 34:22 It's every day putting our knees to the floor and saying, 34:25 "God, I recognize that I am unworthy. 34:27 I am unrighteous. 34:29 Only you are righteous. Only you are worthy." 34:31 This is a daily, constant aspect of our understanding, amen? 34:36 And so that's what God is telling us, and that's why 34:38 it says in Isaiah chapter 26, verse 3, 34:40 "And you will keep him in perfect peace." 34:43 I have a question: Ever since you accepted Jesus Christ, 34:46 have you been in this perfect peace 34:48 constantly, daily, consistently? 34:50 Ha-ha-ha, no. 34:52 So this teaches that this peace, this guilt-free 34:55 is a daily experience. 34:57 It's learning to live by faith. 34:58 It's learning to live in the New Covenant as Abraham had 35:01 to learn and as you and I are still learning today. 35:04 Is everybody with me? 35:06 That's what God is trying to show us, 35:07 but there is perfect peace in who? 35:09 In whose mind is stayed on you. 35:11 I have a question: Is this a daily experience? 35:13 Do we daily have to be feeding off of the bread of life to 35:16 remember the promises, to remember the blessings, 35:18 to remember how God has dealt in the past with sinners? 35:21 Oh, yes, it does. 35:23 That gives us peace because He trusts in you. 35:25 We learn to depend on Him. 35:27 We learn to trust on those prominent promises: 35:29 "Trust in the Lord forever, for in Yah, the Lord," is what? 35:33 Everlasting strength. 35:34 Who says amen to that? 35:36 That's the--this peace experience, this guiltless 35:39 experience, not because we're not guilty 35:41 but because we have been justified in Jesus Christ, amen? 35:44 But that is a daily experience. 35:46 Justification is not just declarative, my loved ones. 35:49 Justification is experiential, and it is transformative. 35:54 That's what God wants to show us. 35:56 Then we have the third blessing or promise 35:59 in the Everlasting Covenant. 36:01 It's what? 36:02 The everlasting what? 36:04 New heart. We can call this sanctification. 36:07 The everlasting what? The everlasting new heart. 36:11 Go with me, please, to Ezekiel chapter 36. 36:13 Ezekiel chapter 36. 36:15 I love how Ezekiel 36 breaks this down and explains this 36:20 in just such a clear, concise way. 36:23 Ezekiel chapter 36. 36:25 We'll start on verse number 25. 36:28 When you're there, say amen. 36:31 I didn't hear anybody say amen, but I'll continue to go. 36:35 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, 36:37 and you will be clean. 36:39 I will cleanse you from all your--" 36:42 how much filthiness? 36:44 All. 36:45 How much cleansing is God going to do in us? 36:47 Is it a partial job? 36:48 "I'm just going to get rid of some sins, but the rest of them, 36:50 you've got to deal with them until Christ returns." 36:52 Is that what the promise is? 36:53 Of course not. 36:55 There is no promise in the Bible that says we are going to 36:57 continue to be slaves to sin. 36:59 It's the total opposite, amen? 37:02 "You'll be cleansed from all your filthiness 37:03 and all your idols." 37:05 That's the blood of the Lamb. 37:06 That's the blood of the Everlasting Covenant 37:07 that cleanses us. 37:09 "I will give you--" notice this, a what? 37:11 A new heart. 37:13 Why does God have to give us a new heart? 37:16 Because our heart is corrupted because there's something wrong 37:19 with our fallen nature, right? 37:22 And so God gives us a new heart, which is basically talking about 37:25 a new mind, a new spirit. 37:27 It's talking about the mind, the spirit, the heart, right? 37:32 "I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh 37:34 and give you a heart of flesh." 37:36 This is the New Covenant experience. 37:40 God is transforming and changing us how? 37:42 By looking at the cross, by looking at the blood 37:45 of the Lamb. 37:46 By seeing what Christ has done for us, it should change 37:48 the way--I'm like, "Whoa." 37:50 I remember when I was an unbeliever, and I reconciled. 37:54 I was reading this book about the historic aspect of the life 37:58 of Jesus Christ, and I was looking at all the 37:59 extra-biblical evidence to the existence of Jesus Christ, 38:02 and I said, "Wow, what the Bible says is true." 38:07 And then I had to come to myself and say, 38:09 "Why would somebody do that? 38:11 Either He's a complete lunatic, or He truly is 38:15 who He said He is." 38:16 Because as soon as the Romans get that first whip, 38:20 if He is not genuinely who He says, He's out of there. 38:22 "Woop, nope, forget about it. 38:24 I'm not dying for these people. 38:25 See you later." 38:27 That's what happened with all those other Messiahs 38:29 in Christ that tried to be. 38:32 That changed my mind. 38:34 That made me start to think, and so I have a what? 38:37 I'm starting to have a new mind, a new heart, amen? 38:40 And now look what happens, and out of that new mind, 38:44 what does God do? 38:46 He gives us a new heart, amen? 38:49 In verse 27, "I will put my Spirit within you," why? 38:53 Why does now God have to put His Spirit within us? 38:56 So that we can-- 38:58 "and I will cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will keep 39:00 my judgments, and do them," amen? 39:03 "In other words, this is what I need to do to restore you 39:06 and put you in harmony back again with my will. 39:09 This is what I need to do so that we can dwell again, 39:11 so there could be perfect atonement, complete atonement, 39:15 that I can dwell in you, as I need to do this transformative 39:18 thing in you so that we can dwell together again." 39:23 And now we can accept this, or we can reject it. 39:25 That's what it says in Genesis chapter 3, verse 15, remember? 39:28 It says, "I will put enmity--" 39:30 What's that enmity that God puts between the devil and us? 39:33 It's the cross of Calvary. 39:35 It's seeing that, and by putting an enmity against the devil, 39:39 we're automatically starting to move towards God, amen? 39:43 It's that promise again, the everlasting covenant promise in 39:46 Genesis chapter 3, verse 15, that God is saying, 39:48 "I will change you. 39:49 I will transform you. 39:51 I will restore you." 39:55 It's not on our own accord. 39:56 It's only looking at Christ and seeing the greatest, most 39:58 beautiful manifestation of love ever given to humanity, amen? 40:03 Look at what it says here in "Steps to Christ": 40:06 "If you give yourself to Him and accept Him as your Savior, 40:09 then sinful as your life may have been, for His sake," 40:12 you are what? 40:14 Accounted righteousness or imputed righteousness. 40:17 This is justification. 40:19 "Christ's character stands in your place, in place of your 40:21 character, and you are accepted before God just as if 40:24 you had not sinned." 40:27 I put there justification. 40:28 Now what's the problem? 40:30 Most of our brothers and sisters in Christianity believe, 40:33 "That's it, you're justified, you're good to go." 40:35 Just put your seat belt on, hit "cruise control," 40:37 and you're going to heaven. 40:39 Is that enough? 40:41 Do you think this is not going to change the way we look 40:43 at God and say, "What? 40:46 This free gift that God has given me?" 40:48 Really, it should blow our minds away, 40:53 and there's a reaction to that, amen? 40:56 There is a reaction to what God has done in this process 41:00 of accounting us righteous is when we are unrighteous. 41:02 And what is that? 41:04 More than this, amen? 41:06 Get excited, because this is where many of our brother 41:10 and sisters fall short. 41:11 They think, "Oh, that's it. You're good to go. 41:13 Keep on living in the flesh." 41:14 They don't say that, but that's what they're teaching. 41:16 More than this, Christ does what? 41:20 Changes the heart. 41:21 Ezekiel 36, we just read it. 41:23 "He abides in your heart by faith." 41:25 That's the New Covenant. 41:27 That's the Everlasting Covenant abiding in our hearts, abiding 41:29 in us what Israel rejected, and that's why God had to put the 41:32 law on tablets of stone and a book, and He had to make 41:35 an earthly sanctuary, not because He wanted to. 41:38 He wanted to dwell in them as He did with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, 41:42 but they said no. 41:45 Now watch this: "He abides in your heart by faith. 41:48 You are to maintain this connection with Christ," 41:50 by faith and what? 41:53 Continual surrender. 41:55 That's present and future perseverance in the faith, 42:00 "by faith and total surrender of your will to Him, 42:03 and so long as you do this--" this is perseverance-- 42:08 "He will work in you to will and to do according 42:11 to His good pleasure." 42:13 That's sanctification, amen? 42:15 This is it. 42:16 You cannot separate justification 42:18 and sanctification. 42:19 Many people try to do it, but you can't, and that's where we 42:22 fall into these pitfalls and these errors and theological 42:25 errors when we think justification is one thing, 42:27 sanctification is one thing--no, they're what? 42:30 They're both sides of the same coin. 42:34 The evidence that you have been justified, that you have 42:36 accepted, acknowledged, and received the accounted 42:39 righteousness of Jesus Christ, is that God is transforming you, 42:43 that God is changing you. 42:44 That's what it says in Romans chapter 1, verse 16 and 17, 42:47 "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, 42:49 for it is the power of God," amen, 42:51 "to salvation for everyone who believes." 42:54 The Gospel is the power of God, and where is that power found? 42:57 Where is the essence of the Gospel, 42:59 and the power of God found? 43:01 It says it in the Hebrew parallelism in verse 17, 43:03 "For in it," or in the Gospel, what? 43:06 The righteousness of God is revealed 43:08 from faith to faith, amen? 43:11 So the Gospel of Christ is the power of God, and that power, 43:14 that essence of that power, of that dynamite, is the 43:18 righteousness of God perfectly revealed from faith to faith in 43:22 the life of Jesus Christ, but it doesn't stop there 43:25 because it says, "And as it is written, 'The righteous, 43:29 or the just, shall live by faith.'" 43:31 In other words, that same Gospel, that same power, that 43:35 same righteousness that was revealed in the life 43:37 of Jesus Christ, will be revealed in our lives too. 43:40 Hoo! Come on! 43:44 What it says in "Review and Herald," June 4, 43:47 "The righteousness by which we are justified is imputed. 43:52 The righteousness by which we are sanctified is imparted. 43:55 The first is our title to heaven, the second is what? 43:59 Our fitness or preparation for it, amen? 44:02 It's the cleansing experience, my loved ones. 44:04 And some people still get-- you know, 44:06 they could get a little muffley. 44:08 The concept of justification, sanctification, 44:10 I'll just break it down in a very simple way. 44:12 Justification is not just declarative. 44:15 It's experiential and transformative. 44:20 Or in another way, I'll put it to you this way: Sanctification 44:24 is justification in progress. 44:28 It's a daily surrender, that daily repentance, that daily 44:32 forgiveness what is daily transforming 44:34 and changing us, amen? 44:35 And that only can come through an intimate, personal, 44:39 daily relationship with God. 44:42 And if you don't have it, now you understand why you 44:45 may not be experiencing a guiltless life, a joyful life. 44:50 But God has brought you here because there is still hope. 44:53 Who says amen to that? 44:54 Number four, experiencing the Everlasting Covenant 44:59 promises today is everlasting eternal life. 45:03 Who says amen? 45:04 This is glorification. 45:06 I have a question: Can we experience this today? 45:08 Can we live in this state today? Yes or no? 45:11 Can we live as if our minds are already in heaven, thinking, 45:14 contemplating, like God would want us to do constantly 45:17 and daily, constantly as thew news to be. 45:19 Oh, yes, we saw, for example, we talked when I did the previous 45:22 lesson these three main promises that we find in Genesis, right? 45:25 The three main covenant promises: Number one, 45:27 God is going to forgive you of your sins, number two, 45:29 God is going to give you victory over sin. 45:31 That's Genesis 3:15. 45:33 Forgiveness of sin is Genesis 3:21, 45:35 but then you have Genesis 3:22, 45:37 where it's not explicit, but it's implicit what? 45:40 He's going to give us eternal life because it says the tree 45:43 of life was there, and what did God say? 45:45 Guard the tree of life. 45:46 He didn't say eliminate it, He said guard it, protect it, 45:49 until when? 45:50 Until we solve the problem of sin, and once that problem 45:54 of sin is solved, I have a question. 45:56 Are we going to be restored into the tree of life 46:00 and eternal life with God? 46:02 That's what it says in Revelation chapter 22, 46:03 if you haven't read it. 46:06 And for that, implicitly, it's talking about 46:09 the Resurrection, right? 46:12 It's implicit. 46:13 All of this is in Genesis chapter 3. 46:15 That's why I told you it's my favorite chapter 46:16 because it's all there, and that's what God wants to do. 46:20 Look at what it says here. 46:21 This quote was in the lesson. 46:23 "Those who see Christ in His true character and receive Him 46:26 into the heart have everlasting life." 46:29 Now, again, receiving into the heart is talking 46:30 about this New Covenant experience. 46:33 "It is through the Spirit that Christ dwells in us, 46:35 and the Spirit of God, received into the heart by faith." 46:38 This is the beginning of what? 46:40 Of eternal life. 46:42 My loved ones, you can start living eternal life now. 46:46 It's already given to us, amen? 46:48 Are we--looks like we're, yeah, we're fading away, 46:51 but that's just temporary. 46:53 That's just passive. 46:54 God has promised eternal life, and if you trust and live and 46:57 lean on those promises, you will live as if you're thinking 47:02 for eternity. 47:05 Only my brother here said amen. 47:07 Are you catching me? 47:09 We can live that, that joy, that peace, 47:12 knowing that in God we are accepted. 47:14 If you don't have it, then you're not getting it. 47:20 And I'm not saying this because I got it, but I am saying 47:23 that I am--I'm moving in that direction, amen? 47:26 I'm going in that direction because I want to see the glory 47:31 and the power of God revealed in my life. 47:33 I want God--I want the world to know that God is just, that God 47:36 is good, that God is righteous, that God deserves 47:39 all praise and all honor. 47:41 Look at what it says in Psalms chapter 37:29 and 31, 47:44 talking about this eternal life. 47:46 "The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell in it forever. 47:49 The mouth of the righteous speak wisdom, 47:52 and his tongue talks of justice." 47:53 The law of his God is where? 47:56 "In his heart, and none of his steps shall slide," amen? 48:01 This is the New Covenant experience talked about where? 48:04 In the new heavens and the new earth. 48:06 That can be your experience and mine now. 48:11 We can have that peace, that joy. 48:14 We can have that experience, that covenant relationship 48:17 experience with God, and that's what it's talking about when it 48:20 says that God's people have the seal on their forehead. 48:24 The seal on the forehead is the character of God, 48:27 the mind of Christ. 48:29 That's going to be the reflection of those 48:30 that live in the end times. 48:32 That's going to be those that are standing, and of course, 48:34 the commandments of God are already written in the heart, 48:35 so it's going to be what? 48:37 It's going to be out of joy and love that we rejoice 48:39 in keeping His commandments. 48:40 I'm not talking about coming to church on Saturday. 48:42 I'm talking about keeping the Sabbath. 48:45 That can only come with an intimate, 48:47 personal relationship with God. 48:50 My loved ones, the law of God in the heart and in the mind is 48:52 just another way of saying that God's character or God's 48:55 righteousness has been written or sealed in our character amid 49:00 this, and thus His righteous character is being revealed 49:04 and manifested in us through Christ, amen? 49:10 That's what it is. 49:12 This is what is happening in the end times, and one thing maybe 49:15 where the lesson fell short, it doesn't talk about the relevance 49:18 of the Everlasting Covenant in regards to the end times, 49:22 but it's the same experience. 49:24 It's the same thing that happened with Abraham. 49:27 And so in the lesson, if you read Galatians chapter 4, it 49:31 presents the covenants, not just as historical dispensationalists 49:35 where I know it can fall into those categories: 49:37 This is the Old Covenant, this is in the past. 49:39 This is the New Covenant, it's in the future. 49:41 But it really talks about in Galatians 4, as an experience, 49:43 as learning to trust in God, and Abraham fluctuated between those 49:47 two, but then he learned how to trust completely in God, 49:50 and that's what God wants to do with you and me, amen? 49:53 So you can be in the New Covenant dispensation historical 49:56 period right now, and you can be living in the Old Covenant 49:58 because you're trusting on yourself. 50:00 You're leaning on yourself. 50:01 You're depending on yourself. 50:03 You're not learning to depend and live on the righteousness 50:06 of God, amen? 50:07 And so this is the thesis: "The covenant was simply an 50:10 arrangement for bringing men again into harmony with 50:13 the divine will," placing them where they what? 50:17 Could obey God's law. 50:19 That's the foundation of it. 50:21 It's that reconciliation. 50:22 It's God placing us back in that place where we can delight in 50:25 serving Him and living for Him and rejoicing in His presence, 50:29 my loved ones. 50:30 And when that happens, when we have this experience, 50:33 when we are living in harmony with God's will, 50:35 guess what's going to happen? 50:36 The last promise, everlasting mission. 50:38 That's salvation in action. That's going out. 50:42 It's just--and you can't contain it. 50:44 You can't hold it back. 50:45 You have to share it with others. 50:47 You have to talk to others about Christ. 50:48 You have to present it. 50:51 If you don't have this, there's a disconnect. 50:53 There's an issue. 50:55 There's a misunderstanding in salvation. 50:58 One of my favorite pastors, his Spanish churches, he says, 51:01 "If you do not have the mission spirit, you do not have 51:04 the Spirit of God." 51:07 Pow-pow! 51:11 If you don't have this desire to share others with Christ, 51:14 this burden, then there's a disconnect. 51:17 And so what do we need to do? 51:19 We need to get on our knees and say, "God, show it to me. 51:22 I need to spend more time in Your Word. 51:24 I need to spend more time," amen? 51:26 This is what it is about, my loved ones, and as we close, 51:29 notice the covenant promises. 51:30 This is the covenant promise, Job chapter 33, verse 26, 51:34 "He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him. 51:36 He shall see His face with joy, and for He restores to man 51:42 His righteousness," amen? 51:44 This is the New Covenant experience that we are 51:47 face-to-face with God every day in His Word, that we are 51:50 delighting in Him, that we are praying, seeking God, and we are 51:53 seeing how He, through the power of the Holy Spirit is what? 51:57 He's restoring His righteousness in you and in me, amen? 52:02 And that brings joy, delight. 52:04 That brings all of this. 52:05 That's why it says in 1 John 4:9, talking about the joy that 52:08 we started off with: "In this, the love of God was manifested 52:12 toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son 52:15 into the world," for what? 52:18 That we live through Him, amen? 52:20 It's not my life. I am crucified daily. 52:23 I have to die daily for Christ to be able to live in me. 52:27 I have to take this flesh and submit it under the power of the 52:30 Holy Spirit if I am going to let God do the work 52:33 that He wants to do in me. 52:35 But that's what it says in Galatians 2:20, 52:37 "I have been crucified with Christ." 52:38 This is a daily experience. 52:40 This is that justification, my loved ones. 52:42 "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me," amen? 52:47 "And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in 52:51 the Son of God." 52:53 It is Christ that is living in us. 52:54 It is Christ that is being manifested through us. 52:57 It is Christ who is being revealed through us, amen? 52:59 All we're doing is surrendering and let God do the work 53:02 that He wants to do, but Christ living in us, 53:06 that's the precious promise. 53:09 And I finish with this last quote about what is the purpose 53:13 and the foundation of experience, 53:16 this Everlasting Covenant, this New Covenant experience, 53:18 as did Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, David, 53:22 so many of the great patriarchs and matriarchs. 53:25 Here it is, my loved ones, Acts of the Apostles. 53:28 "Holiness is an entire surrender of the will of God; 53:31 it is living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God; 53:34 it is doing the will of our heavenly Father; 53:37 it is trusting God in trial, in darkness as well as in light; 53:41 it is walking by faith and not by sight; 53:43 it is relying on God with unquestioning confidence. 53:46 It is resting in His love." 53:49 That's actually the next lesson, "Resting in Christ." 53:53 This is the key. 53:55 This is the key to being able to live that New 53:58 Covenant/Everlasting Covenant experience: entire surrender, 54:02 living by the Word, doing His will, trusting in Him, walking 54:07 in His--by faith, not by sight, relying on Him and resting in 54:11 Him, trusting that His promises will be fulfilled. 54:14 And my loved ones, this is what it means to live the faith 54:17 of Jesus Christ, amen? 54:19 That's the purpose of the covenant is to restore us back 54:21 into harmony with God's will that the same life of 54:24 Jesus Christ will be manifested in each and every one of us, and 54:28 those are the ones, the only ones that will be standing in 54:30 the end, because if you do not, you're going to be taken away 54:35 by the winds of tribulation and persecution. 54:38 I have a question: Does anybody here want to say, 54:41 "I want to live in the faith of Jesus Christ"? 54:44 "I want to live and to have that joy, that peace, 54:47 that Jesus Christ had, despite the tribulations and battles." 54:50 I know I do. 54:52 Let's have a Word of prayer. 54:53 Father, we thank you for this wonderful topic that we studied 54:56 during the Sabbath School lesson, and we just ask, Father, 54:58 that you guide us, direct us, and be with us, so that all of 55:01 this can be fulfilled in us as Your Word promises. 55:03 In the same way that all of these promises were fulfilled 55:06 in Christ, that they may be fulfilled in us, and that 55:09 through Christ, we become heirs, beneficiaries, partakers, of the 55:13 blessings and the promises of this covenant, Father. 55:15 Help us to look at the examples in the Bible 55:19 and to trust in your Word and to learn to live by faith 55:22 as Jesus Christ did daily, consistently, and constantly. 55:25 We thank you, Father, for this opportunity for this study 55:28 lesson, and we ask this in Jesus's name, amen. 55:34 announcer: Don't forget to request today's 55:35 life-changing free resource. 55:37 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 55:40 you can download a digital copy straight to your computer 55:42 or mobile device. 55:43 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, 55:46 simply text the key word on your screen to 40544, 55:51 or visit the web address shown on your screen, 55:53 and be sure to select the digital download option 55:56 on the request page. 55:57 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word 56:00 with Amazing Facts, wherever and whenever you want 56:03 and most important, to share it with others. 56:08 female: I grew up in a family that was very 56:11 saturated with God. 56:13 We had morning worship. 56:14 We had evening worship. 56:15 We were taught from young children to have personal 56:18 devotions each day, but for whatever reason, 56:22 I seemed to always find myself alone. 56:25 I never really had a big group of friends, and it always seemed 56:30 to be like friends were just taken away from me. 56:34 You know, I prayed for friends, and then I'd meet someone, 56:36 and then six months later, then they moved to Washington, 56:38 you know, across the United States. 56:41 And so finally, I was just like I'm not going to pray for any 56:44 more friends because it hurts too much to lose them. 56:51 But over the next two years, as I got closer to God, 56:53 I started to be able to be thankful for the alone times 56:57 because I was forced in that aloneness to seek God. 57:05 That is probably what has made me who I am and given me 57:10 the experience with God that I have now. 57:13 The place where I feel most comfortable is being 57:16 alone with God. 57:22 I know a lot of people have questions about 57:25 "Where is God when it hurts?" 57:27 "If God is such a loving God, why is the world so bad?" 57:35 Embrace the pain, embrace the hard times, 57:41 and let God reveal Himself through that, because 57:45 He has answers to questions you don't even know how to ask. 57:50 ♪♪♪ 58:03 ♪♪♪ 58:13 ♪♪♪ 58:24 CC BY ABERDEEN CAPTIONING 1-800-688-6621 WWW.ABERCAP.COM |
Revised 2021-06-21