Participants: Pr. C.A. Murray (Host), Jill Morikone, Pr. John Dinzey, Pr. Tom Ferguson, Shelley Quinn
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP000035A
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00:01 The Bible tells us...
00:20 Join us now for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:24 Our study today is, The Gospel of Galatians. 00:31 Hello, and it's my privilege to welcome you once again 00:33 to 3ABN's Sabbath School Panel. 00:37 This is our weekly walk through the Scriptures 00:39 as we seek to delve into the Word of God 00:42 and see what it has for each and every one of us. 00:45 So thank you for joining us. 00:46 Hopefully you have with you a Bible, a pen, a pencil, 00:49 a typewriter, if you go back that far, 00:52 iPad, iPhone, idevice, android, whatever you have to take notes. 00:56 Fire it up even now so that you can join us. 00:59 And of course, bring your Bible along, if you have your Bible 01:02 as the Word of God in classic Scripture. 01:04 If you have it on a mobile device, 01:06 that's quite alright. 01:07 We just want you to join with us 01:09 and be part of our study and part of our study family. 01:12 May I encourage you, should you want to have this lesson 01:16 printed out or downloaded, would you please go to... 01:23 You can get a copy for yourself. 01:26 If you want to have something that you can see 01:27 right in front of you, you can do that and have that for you. 01:31 Also, let me encourage you to find the nearest 01:35 Seventh-day Adventist church, you can get a copy of the 01:38 Sabbath school lesson there, the study guide. 01:40 We call it, the quarterly, because it comes out 01:43 four times a year covering three months of study each time. 01:46 And what is fun is that pretty much all around the world 01:49 in the Adventist community, some 18 to 20 million strong, 01:53 everybody is studying the same lesson. 01:55 We are all together in our study, 01:56 praising God and studying the same material. 01:59 And that's kind of neat too that we can all study together 02:01 all around the world. 02:02 On the other side of the world where it's dark, 02:04 where it is light, they are studying the same lesson 02:06 as you and I are studying today. 02:08 I have with me my illustrious panel, 02:10 Pastor Tom Ferguson, Pastor Johnny Dinzey, 02:13 the lady Shelly Quinn, and Jill Morikone, 02:16 who are joining us today for the study. 02:18 And this is a good study. 02:19 We've been looking in the book of Galatians. 02:22 We've moved well into the book just now. 02:24 We found out there is much there for us today 02:27 as Paul wrote to the Galatian church, 02:30 to the brothers and sisters there in Galatia, 02:32 who were undergoing some trying times. 02:34 And Paul, in his burden to try to address and redress 02:39 those times, wrote this book and has given us much to study 02:43 and much to chew on, dare I say, over these 02:47 past several sittings together. 02:49 Lesson number 10 is the burden of our study today, 02:52 called, The Two Covenants. 02:54 Our scripture lesson, the memory text... 02:57 In fact, before we go to that, let's go to prayer. 02:59 We don't want to begin without prayer. 03:03 Pastor Tom, if you would pray for us please. 03:05 Yes. 03:06 Dear heavenly Father, we thank You for the privilege 03:08 of opening your Word, breaking bread together, 03:11 and hearing from on high. 03:13 We invite Your Holy Spirit to give us understanding. 03:15 May all that we think, that we say, and that we do 03:18 here on this panel be uplifting, glorifying You, 03:23 and edifying the body of Christ. 03:25 And we pray these things in Jesus' name, amen. 03:29 We have been given to understand that this 03:31 Sabbath school panel is one that has developed 03:33 a loyal audience, and we want you to keep on watching. 03:36 If you have suggestions or comments, you can 03:38 contact us here at 3ABN. 03:40 We'd be glad to hear them and take them under advisement. 03:42 We're looking at, The Two Covenants, lesson number 10. 03:47 The memory text, let's read it together. 03:50 "But the Jerusalem that is above is free, 03:53 and she is our mother." 03:56 Now that is a very esoteric sounding piece of scripture. 03:59 But as we move through the lesson, I think it will become 04:03 increasingly clear as we look at the context 04:06 in which it finds itself and the setting that Paul is addressing. 04:11 The lesson takes pains to understand. 04:13 This is probably something that all of us 04:15 have some experience with. 04:16 There are those who have preached and taught, 04:18 and I remember hearing this years ago watching television, 04:21 "The Old Testament was a covenant of works, 04:24 the New Testament was a covenant of grace. 04:26 The Old Testament was all about works, 04:28 and the New Testament all about grace, 04:31 all about Jesus." 04:32 Though simplified, and it sounds kind of nice to the ear, 04:36 it is incorrect. 04:37 It is an incorrect study of, an incorrect understanding 04:41 of the Old Testament. 04:42 And other than the fact that Noah found grace 04:46 in the eyes of the Lord, there are many other incidences 04:50 or little clues that help us to know 04:54 that it's always been by grace. 04:57 It's always been by a working relationship 05:02 with God that resulted in a grace experience. 05:06 And one of the clues we get is in the Cain and Abel experience. 05:11 The fact that Cain's sacrifice was rejected 05:15 says in a sort of backhand way that there must be 05:20 an acceptable way and an unacceptable way. 05:24 Now one was a farmer, Abel, 05:27 one was a tiller of the soil, Cain. 05:30 Cain, we understand, gave us the best that he had. 05:34 He was a farmer, he gave the first fruits. 05:37 He gave the best that he had. 05:38 But it was unacceptable. 05:40 Why? 05:42 Because it wasn't what God asked for. 05:44 Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. 05:48 So God doesn't ask for your best, per se. 05:53 He asks for a sacrifice of faith. 05:58 In other words, if God asks for "A", and you give Him "B", 06:05 "B" will not be acceptable because it's not 06:08 what God asked for. 06:10 He asked for something else. 06:13 And you must, in faith, comply with what God asked for. 06:19 Our righteousness, we all know, is filthy rags. 06:23 So your best fruit is filthy rags. 06:26 It's unacceptable. 06:27 So Cain, of course, was upset, but the Bible says, 06:32 in questioning him God says, "Well, why are you mad? 06:35 What are you upset at? 06:37 Had you given Me what I wanted, your sacrifice would have been 06:42 accepted like your brother's was." 06:45 So that lets me know, one, that grace is involved. 06:50 Because we give God what He asks for, 06:53 what is acceptable to Him, 06:54 whether we really understand it or not. 06:57 It's a matter of faith. 06:59 Everything that the Lord asks us to do 07:01 is not readily apparent to us even now. 07:05 Our walk is a walk of faith, you will agree. 07:08 And a walk of acceptance into grace. 07:11 And we see that in the Old Testament 07:16 as we do in the New. 07:19 So the Bible throughout, and I want to re-emphasize this, 07:22 it's grace, it's looking forward in grace, 07:26 it's looking at what Christ has done... 07:28 I'm sorry, forward in faith. 07:30 ...and looking at what Christ has done. 07:32 And one of the things that makes that so very, very clear 07:35 is the study of the Sanctuary system. 07:36 Now we don't have time to go into the Sanctuary. 07:38 But we're looking forward to a sacrifice 07:42 that is coming in the Sanctuary system. 07:45 And now we are basking in the benefits of that sacrifice 07:48 that Christ has already done. 07:50 So it's always been grace. 07:51 And that's very, very important. 07:53 Very very important. 07:54 Because there were rules given in the Old Testament, 07:56 there were commandments given in the Old Testament, 07:58 there were laws given in the Old Testament. 08:00 But you needed just as much grace and faith to obey 08:02 them then as you do now. 08:03 And nothing has changed on that wise. 08:06 So with that preamble, let's flip into Sunday. 08:12 The lesson lets us know that God dealt with 08:16 His people in the Old Testament through a series of covenants. 08:19 And going back to the Sabbath study, one of the things 08:23 that I really like and appreciate is that the reason 08:28 the covenant language changed is really because 08:32 of the attitude of the people more than God Himself. 08:35 God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 08:39 But the two covenants are not a matter of time. 08:43 Instead, they are reflective of human attitude. 08:46 They represent two different ways of trying to meet 08:49 the requirements of God. 08:50 And this goes back to the Cain and Abel. 08:52 You can do it trying to do your own will and your own way 08:54 or you can do it in faith receiving the grace of God. 08:57 So as we come now to our Sunday's lesson, 09:02 we see a history of covenant relationship 09:05 between God and His people. 09:07 God making covenants with His people. 09:10 And one of the things that I really like that is touched on 09:13 in the Sunday lesson is the fact that when we look at 09:16 Jeremiah 31:31 which is a promise of a new covenant, 09:20 it's given at a time when God's people 09:23 are at their absolute worst. 09:25 This is the same Jeremiah that said, "If Moses and Elijah 09:28 came back, you're still going into captivity." 09:30 You know, things are just that bad. 09:32 And so on the heels of that, they're in captivity, 09:35 but what is God's answer to their failure, 09:38 to their absolute failure? 09:39 God's answer is to promise them a new and better covenant. 09:44 That shows you the love of God and the power of God 09:47 to overcome our weakness and our sin. 09:49 So you've had the Ten Commandments since Sinai. 09:53 And the truth is, the history of Israel; 09:57 ten northern kingdoms in the seven hundreds, 09:59 and then in the six hundreds 10:00 you get the Babylonian captivity. 10:03 It's a history of failure. 10:05 There were little times of some success. 10:08 But you've got forty-two kings. Forty-two kings. 10:11 Take out Solomon, David, and Saul. 10:16 You've got nineteen kings of the northern kingdom, 10:18 all of which were evil. 10:20 Over nineteen. 10:21 You've got twenty in the southern kingdom, 10:25 one of which was a woman. 10:26 Out of the twenty, you've got eight good. 10:30 It's not a good track record. 10:32 So Israel never really lived out its full potential. 10:37 So what is God's answer to a failing people? 10:40 A better covenant. 10:42 A better relationship, a stronger relationship. 10:45 He says, "Alright, writing it on tables is not going to work. 10:49 From now on it's going to be in the heart. 10:52 I'm going to work from the inside out 10:54 as opposed to the outside in." 10:56 That shows you the love, the power of the love 10:58 of the God that we serve. 11:00 "I'm not going to give up on you. 11:02 Even when you're in captivity 11:03 I'm still going to be beside you." 11:05 But the new covenant is going to be inside out, 11:08 no longer outside in. 11:10 And that is one of the wonders of this new covenant. 11:17 Just a couple of things and then I'll pass it over to Pastor Tom. 11:21 While marriage, physical labor, and the Sabbath 11:23 were part of the general provision of the covenant 11:25 of creation, its main focal point was God's command 11:29 not to eat of the forbidden tree. 11:31 So starting off, God gave them a covenant to work with. 11:36 And of course we failed Him, but He did not fail us. 11:41 And so we see another covenant statement 11:45 made in Genesis 3:15, which basically is the promise 11:49 that, "Though things are bad, I'm going to make them right." 11:53 So you've got a long term promise, a long term covenant, 11:57 an overarching covenant. 11:58 It is an explanation or an exposition 12:01 of the everlasting covenant. 12:02 "I will do whatever is necessary to get you back. 12:06 To redeem you." 12:08 Including the death of God Himself. 12:10 So you've got that promise right on the heels of sin. 12:13 Again it shows how God deals with man 12:16 in covenant relationship, but also the eternal love of God 12:21 and the affirmation of His promise to make what we have 12:25 made wrong to make it right again. 12:27 And then it follows a series of covenants, 12:30 which you will all talk about, 12:32 a series of covenants which are the outworking 12:35 of the everlasting covenant. 12:36 They're all part of an overall umbrella. 12:39 But God has to deal with, because He's dealing with 12:41 frail human beings, He's dealing with them in that way. 12:44 And that's what makes it so beautiful 12:46 as you look at the overall picture and you see the 12:49 love of God and a God who will do whatever is necessary 12:52 to reclaim fallen humanity. 12:54 - Amen. - Okay pastor. 12:56 Praise God we serve a covenant keeping God. 12:58 - Amen. - Amen. 13:00 And you know, you just made me realize or think about 13:02 something I had thought about in the past. 13:04 That all covenants are based on the covenant that God has 13:08 within the Trinity itself. 13:11 And every covenant that comes out of that 13:14 is a covenant made of love. 13:18 As a matter of fact, Jesus' sacrifice shows us that 13:22 God's covenant for us reveals the fact that 13:25 He must have loved us at least as much as He loves Himself. 13:29 He has to love us enough to die for us 13:32 and be willing to break up, 13:35 like, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" 13:37 For the first time in eternity Jesus and the Father 13:40 are separated because of His covenant 13:44 that He had for humanity. 13:45 It just amazes me when I see how He is so faithful, 13:50 so faithful. 13:51 Let's open our Bibles to Genesis 12. 13:59 And we're going to take a look at the Abrahamic covenant here. 14:05 Chapter 12 verses 1-5. 14:08 And as we read through, we start with verse 1. 14:15 "Now the LORD had said to Abram, 'Get out of your country, 14:19 from your family and from your father's house, 14:22 to a land that I will show you. 14:24 I will make you a great nation; 14:26 I will bless you and make your name great; 14:28 and you shall be a blessing. 14:29 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; 14:33 and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'" 14:36 Now the first thing I realize here is that Abraham has a, 14:40 or Abram at this point, has a call on his life. 14:43 He says, "I want you to get out of your country." 14:46 Now if you think of it, he's 75 years old when this call comes 14:51 to leave his homeland. 14:54 How many of us that have been in an area for a long time, 14:58 maybe 20 or 30 years, let alone 75 years, 15:01 when you sense the call of God on your life 15:03 are willing to follow that call, the voice of God, 15:07 over what our desires might be, our comfort might be? 15:12 I think of anybody that goes to the mission field 15:14 goes through the same experience that Abram 15:17 was going through here. 15:18 And He gives him another promise. 15:19 He says, "I'll give you this land and I'll make you a 15:22 great nation, and I will bless you." 15:24 Which was an honor to have a great nation. 15:28 He's going to make his name great, 15:29 "and you shall be a blessing." 15:32 I'll tell you what, every Christian should be a blessing. 15:36 Because the covenant keeping God has a covenant with 15:39 every one of His children. 15:42 And He wants you to be a blessing. 15:46 Maybe not exactly the same way as Abraham, 15:48 but as effective as your witness can be. 15:52 As He's in you, He wants that blessing for others through you. 15:57 "I will bless those who bless you, 15:58 I will curse those who curse you; 16:00 and all the families of the earth shall be blessed." 16:03 So I'm going to ask the question, 16:05 what was Abram's job in this whole thing? 16:09 What was his responsibility? 16:11 To trust God and follow. 16:13 To trust God and follow. 16:15 A faith that acted. 16:17 He had to have enough faith that he was willing 16:20 to step out and do what God was asking him to do. 16:25 That's a key part in God working in and through our lives, 16:28 as we must be willing to allow Him to guide us 16:32 step by step. 16:34 He had to have faith in the promises of God. 16:37 When God promises something, we have to have faith in it. 16:40 You know, this was not the first covenant, as has been mentioned. 16:43 But let's turn to Genesis 12:3. 16:48 He's saying here that, "I will bless those..." 16:50 Yeah, that's right. We were just there. 16:52 "..and I will curse those who curse you; 16:53 and all the families of the earth shall be blessed." 16:55 That part I want us to see. 16:57 Because this is a renewal of a covenant God made with Adam 17:00 in Genesis 1:28, that all the world is going to be, 17:03 subdue the earth and have dominion. 17:05 God's goal for his people is to have dominion, 17:09 to subdue the earth and have dominion. 17:11 I think about the call of Israel to prepare 17:14 the world for their Messiah. 17:16 They were to have dominion, 17:17 they were to subdue the earth and have dominion. 17:19 That is God's will for His people. 17:23 And we are to prepare the world for His second coming as well. 17:27 You know, there's another point to here. 17:29 To a degree, because of God having faithful followers, 17:35 sin has been kept in check because of a covenant keeping 17:39 God and people that are willing to allow Him to have control 17:42 in their lives. 17:43 And as a result, the four winds of strife are being held back 17:49 due to the influence of Christianity in society. 17:52 We also find that Noah and his sons in Genesis 9:1 17:56 He said the same thing, that he was to subdue the earth 18:00 and to spread throughout the earth. 18:05 See, another thing too is, God's timing is not like our timing. 18:09 If you go to Genesis 12 and you look at verse 2, 18:12 He says, "I will make you a great nation; I will bless you." 18:15 Now how old is he again? He's 75 years old. 18:18 "I'm going to make you a great nation." 18:20 Well, if you go to verse 7, He says again, 18:24 "Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, 18:25 'To your descendants I will give this land.' 18:28 And there he built an altar to the LORD..." 18:30 Now I've got to ask you a question. 18:31 How many children did he have at this time? 18:33 - Zero. None. - Okay. 18:36 Chapter 13 verse 16. 18:41 "And I will make your descendants as 18:43 the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number 18:47 the dust of the earth, then your descendants 18:49 also could be numbered." 18:51 So again, how many children does he have at this point? 18:54 He's still there with none. 18:56 Ten years later, let's go to Genesis 15:1-6, 19:01 "After these things the word of the LORD came to 19:04 Abram in a vision, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Abram. 19:08 I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.' 19:11 But Abram said, 'Lord GOD, what will You give me, 19:14 seeing I go childless, and the heir of my 19:16 household is Eliezer?" 19:18 He adopted a child because that was the tradition to do that 19:21 so that there would be an heir. 19:22 He was old enough, he went through the tradition. 19:25 In verse 3, "Then Abram said, 'Look, You have given me 19:29 no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!'" 19:33 Now I've got to ask you, do you hear in this that maybe 19:39 Abram's faith is being tested? 19:42 That he's starting to question God. 19:45 Sometimes when God puts a conviction on your heart 19:48 or He's calling you, and you don't see Him act right away, 19:51 we start to question God. 19:54 We start to, you know, it's easy for doubt. 19:56 Doubt and faith; it's a fine line right there. 19:58 God is stretching Abram. 20:00 He's causing him to be stretched. 20:03 Well in Genesis 17:12-17 circumcision is instituted, 20:08 Ishmael's been born, as the sign of the covenant. 20:11 We see that beginning. 20:12 Chapter 18 verse 10, Sarah shall have a son. 20:16 It's said again. 20:19 And finally, we've got to go all the way to Genesis 21, 20:24 and we're going to look at verses 1-5. 20:26 "And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, 20:29 and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken. 20:31 "For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, 20:37 at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 20:39 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, 20:43 whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac." 20:45 Anybody know what Isaac means? 20:46 Laughter. 20:48 In other words, he's a hundred, verse 5 tells us 20:51 he was a hundred years old. 20:53 It was 25 years later before he actually 20:57 saw the beginning of that promise. 21:00 But yet God is a covenant keeping God. 21:04 And it was something that He was, I believe, 21:07 stretching Abraham's faith. 21:09 And we know some more about Abraham's story there. 21:12 But you see that as he relied on the Lord, we know he also 21:19 had a Cain/Abel experience where he was salvation by works. 21:24 He tried to make this happen himself. 21:27 And we have Ishmael. 21:28 We find that it was when he had that faith, trust in the Lord, 21:32 that He gave him that promised seed, that promised child. 21:35 And some day Abraham is going to see all that God had promised 21:42 that has come true. 21:43 And what an amazing experience. 21:46 Hebrews 11:13, you know the faith chapter, 21:48 it tells us that every one of these, all of these 21:50 died in faith not having received the promise. 21:55 So sometimes you and I hear God promising in our lives, 21:59 if we are faithfully following Him, He will do these things; 22:02 He will bless, He will increase our influence, 22:06 and maybe our descendants will be blessed; 22:09 and we don't see it, we go to the grave. 22:11 But we serve a covenant keeping God. 22:14 He asks us to do one thing. 22:15 And that is to follow Him, be faithful. 22:18 Be someone who trusts in Him enough to act on 22:22 His word and what His call is in our life. 22:25 And trust that He will see it through in His timing 22:27 and in His way. 22:29 And that is truly the call that He has, not only on Abraham, 22:33 but on every one of us who loves and serves the Lord. 22:37 - Amen. - Praise the Lord. 22:39 This brings us to Tuesday which moves on to a little more 22:45 about Abraham, Sarah, and now Hagar. 22:48 And this is really the title; Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar. 22:51 Really building up the scene for what is coming next in Wednesday 22:59 as to what Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar represent. 23:02 But this brings us to Galatians 4:21-31. 23:09 And Galatians 4:21-31, we are going to read a few verses. 23:20 "Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, 23:23 do ye not hear the law? 23:24 For it is written that Abraham had two sons; 23:27 the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23:30 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; 23:34 but he of the freewoman was by promise. 23:37 Which things are an allegory..." 23:42 I lost my place here. 23:44 Verse 24, "Which things are an allegory: 23:46 for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, 23:51 which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 23:54 For this Agar is mount Sinai in in Arabia, and answereth 23:57 to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 24:02 But Jerusalem which is above is free, 24:04 which is the mother of us all. 24:06 For it is written, 'Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; 24:09 break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: 24:12 for the desolate hath many more children 24:15 than she which hath an husband.' 24:18 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise." 24:23 Now who is he talking to at this point? 24:24 Christians. 24:26 He's talking to Christians. The Galatians. 24:28 "Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 24:32 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him 24:36 that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 24:39 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? 24:43 Cast out the bondwoman and her son: 24:44 for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir 24:47 with the son of the freewoman. 24:48 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, 24:51 but of the free." 24:53 It's interesting that these stories in the Old Testament 24:56 that were actually experiences of God's children 25:01 are really powerful lessons even for us today. 25:06 And so let's take a look here at some of these things. 25:12 Pastor Tom asked several times about Abraham 25:14 and how many children he had. 25:16 And eventually God comes along in Genesis 17 25:20 and changes Abram's name to Abraham, 25:23 which means, father of a multitude. 25:27 And by this time when his name is changed, 25:29 eventually Ishmael was born. 25:32 And so I can imagine him coming to a group of people 25:35 and introducing himself, "Oh, what is your name?" 25:38 "Abraham; which means, father of a multitude." 25:41 "Wow! Father of a multitude. 25:42 How many children do you have?" 25:45 "One." 25:46 Which was not the children of the promise. 25:48 But let's look at what happened. 25:51 There was a delay in the promise being fulfilled. 25:54 And we have to keep in mind that what God promises, 25:58 He is what? Able to fulfill. 26:01 But Abraham and Sarah saw this delay take place. 26:05 And they decided that, "We need to help God." 26:08 Sometimes people think that way. 26:10 "We need to help God. 26:11 Apparently He's not making this thing happen, 26:13 so we need to help God." 26:14 So they do something that by today's standard 26:19 we look at it and say, "How in the world can they do that?" 26:24 Let's go to Genesis 16. 26:28 Genesis 16 26:30 And it's very interesting to me, actually, how 26:35 this also takes place. 26:37 Because it's not Abraham making the suggestion to Sarah, 26:43 but Sarah, or Sarai at this point, is the one that 26:48 makes the suggestion. 26:49 Let's look at a few verses here. 26:50 "Now Sarai," Genesis 16... 26:54 Shelley says that's a miracle. 26:55 I know. I'm saying, I wouldn't do that. 26:58 Jill says she wouldn't do that either. 27:00 So it's kind of interesting. 27:01 Let's look at it. Genesis 16:1 27:03 "Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bare him no children. 27:07 And she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 27:10 And Sarai said unto Abram, 'Behold now, the LORD hath 27:14 restrained me from bearing. 27:15 I pray thee, go in unto my maid; 27:17 And it may be that I may obtain children by her.' 27:21 And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai." 27:25 Apparently there was no big discussion or argument. 27:29 He harkened, it says there. 27:30 "And Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, 27:34 after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, 27:37 and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. 27:40 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived. 27:42 And when she saw that she had conceived, 27:44 her mistress was despised in her eyes." 27:47 So we see here that the plan presented by Sarai 27:54 was one that did not yield good results. 27:57 They thought to help God so that Abraham could have an heir. 28:01 Somebody that could pick up the torch after him. 28:05 And unfortunately, it did not yield good results. 28:07 Because now the new wife begins to look at 28:12 Sarai with different eyes. 28:14 Like, "I have a child and you do not." 28:17 And she began to act differently towards Sarai. 28:24 Reluctantly doing the things that she was asked to do. 28:27 And so begins this war, let's say, between them. 28:30 And now Abraham has to intervene. 28:33 Let's read the next verse really quick here. 28:37 Verse 5, "And Sarai said unto Abram, 'My wrong be upon thee.'" 28:42 Now she's blaming Abraham for this. 28:44 "My wrong be upon thee." 28:46 She's admitting to some wrong, but she says, 28:47 "My wrong be upon thee. 28:49 I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw 28:52 that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. 28:55 The LORD judge between me and thee." 28:57 So now he's put in a position. 28:59 And Abraham wisely said unto Sarai, 29:03 "'Behold, thy handmaid is in thy hand; 29:05 do to her as it pleaseth thee.' 29:07 And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face." 29:11 And we know the story, how she left 29:14 and the angel came to the rescue, because she was 29:16 about to let the child die, Ishmael die. 29:19 But we need to pick up the story with Abraham and Sarah. 29:24 And Abraham and Sarah, the Lord came, 29:27 and now he's very, very old. 29:30 And the Lord again brings the promise to him, 29:34 "You're going to have a son." 29:35 And of course, Sarah is where when all this is happening? 29:38 She's listening in the tent. 29:40 And she laughs at this idea that she's going to have a child, 29:43 because in their understanding it's too late now. 29:48 There's no way this could happen. 29:50 She's beyond childbearing. 29:52 She's beyond the childbearing years. 29:54 And of course, Abraham was already ninety years old. 29:59 So this child is really a miracle. 30:02 We don't have enough time to read it. 30:04 I think we may have to read just one. 30:06 Let's go over to Genesis 17. 30:11 In Genesis 17, we're going to have to read really quick here 30:16 because time is escaping. 30:18 Genesis 17 let's read 17. Genesis 17:17 30:22 In Genesis 17:17, "Then Abraham fell upon his face and laughed, 30:25 and said in his heart, 'Shall a child be born unto him 30:28 that is an hundred years old? 30:30 And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?' 30:33 And Abraham said unto God, 'O that Ishmael might 30:35 live before thee!'" 30:37 Make no mistake, Abraham loved Ishmael. 30:40 He loved him and he was hoping that through him 30:43 the covenant would be established. 30:46 But God promised that it would be a child by Sarah 30:51 and that this was the way. 30:52 This helps us to understand that when God marks out 30:57 a path, we are not to create another path and go down 31:01 another path, because it will not bring good results. 31:04 And so what we have in the Scriptures for us, 31:07 we have the same thing happen. 31:09 We have Cain doing something different. 31:13 Bad results. 31:14 We have Abraham and Sarah doing something different 31:17 other than what God asked. 31:18 Bad results. 31:20 In the same way we have things today 31:22 that we have to look at in the Bible. 31:25 We have Ten Commandments; and when people choose to do 31:27 something other than what God requests or tells us, 31:31 commands us, bad results will take place. 31:36 Because of time, I now have to go to Hebrews. 31:39 And I want to read this in Hebrews 31:40 because it is very interesting. 31:42 We think of Abraham as the father of the faithful. 31:47 But it is very interesting what happens in Hebrews 11. 31:52 And I think I'm going to ask for some help in reading this here. 31:57 It's Hebrews 11:10-13, please. 32:01 Who can read it for us? 32:03 "For he waited for the city which has foundations, 32:05 whose builder and maker is God. 32:07 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to 32:10 conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, 32:14 because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 32:18 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, 32:22 were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, 32:26 innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore." 32:30 Amen. Praise the Lord. 32:31 So we think of Abraham as the father of the faithful, 32:33 but he also had a wife that was faithful, had faith. 32:37 Because it says here that, "By faith Sarah herself 32:42 received strength to conceive seed, 32:44 and was delivered of a child when she was past age." 32:47 It was a miracle that Isaac was born. 32:51 And these things are important. 32:52 And Shelley will tell us about that. 32:53 Oh, amen. 32:55 Thank you for that. That was very good. 32:57 We're going to be looking on Wednesday at, 33:01 Hagar and Mount Sinai. 33:04 And I'm so excited that I have the opportunity to present this. 33:08 Our question that is asked in the quarterly is, 33:11 what type of covenant did God want to establish 33:16 with His people at Sinai? 33:17 So let's turn to Genesis 12. 33:21 And we're going to look at the similarities with the covenant 33:26 with Abraham, we're going to look at the similarities 33:30 with the covenant with Exodus. 33:32 So Genesis 12:1-3. 33:34 For the sake of time, I'm going to do the reading. 33:36 "Now the LORD had said to Abram, 'Get out of your country, 33:39 from your family and from your father's house, 33:42 to a land that I will show you. 33:44 I will make you a great nation; 33:46 I will bless you and make your name great; 33:49 and you shall be a blessing. 33:51 I will bless those who bless you, 33:53 and I will curse him who curses you. 33:56 And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.'" 34:00 So because of God's promised covenant blessings, 34:05 as you said, Tom, Abraham heard, he believed, 34:10 and he followed. 34:12 I think that's called obedience, isn't it? 34:13 Hebrews 8:11 says that by faith Abraham obeyed. 34:19 He left his country, he left his kindred, 34:21 and he maintained a covenant loyalty to God. 34:25 He walked in obedience to God as an expression of his 34:29 appreciation for everything that God had promised. 34:32 So now let's look at Genesis 26:5. 34:37 A lot of people will say, "Well, the covenant with Abraham 34:42 had nothing to do with obedience." 34:46 And I disagree with that, because first of all 34:50 God's covenant was unilateral. 34:53 It was only God who was making the promises. 34:56 But there was a condition to the covenant. 34:58 And that was, "You walk by faith before Me, 35:03 and you obey by faith." 35:05 And then if we look at Genesis 26:5, 35:11 it says, when God here is renewing the covenant 35:15 with Isaac, He says He's doing it because... 35:18 Why? "...because Abraham obeyed My voice, 35:23 he kept My charge, My commandments, 35:25 My statutes, and My laws." 35:30 This covenant was diatheke. 35:33 It was a unilateral covenant for certain. 35:35 That's the Greek in the Septuagint. 35:38 They translated this as diatheke. 35:41 It means it was a will. 35:43 It was God's will. 35:45 And it would be like, Tom, if your last will and testament 35:48 you wrote this out. 35:50 But obedience was not... 35:55 It was conditioned upon obedience. 35:58 I'll put it that way. 35:59 There was a condition of obedience. 36:01 If Abraham hadn't left his country, 36:04 if Abraham didn't trust God, 36:06 he'd still be in Haran. 36:09 So now this is the same kind of covenant relationship 36:14 that God wants to share with the children of Israel. 36:17 Turn to Exodus chapter 6. 36:20 God has made all the promises to Abraham. 36:24 He doesn't ask Abraham to promise anything. 36:27 He just says, "It's going to be conditioned upon your 36:32 trusting Me and following Me." 36:34 So now in Exodus 6, God is speaking to Moses. 36:39 And here's what He says. 36:40 "I am the Lord, I am Jehovah. 36:44 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty." 36:49 Which is El Shaddai. 36:51 He appeared to them as El Shaddai. 36:54 "...but by My name LORD..." 36:58 "By My name Jehovah." 37:00 Which, by the way, is His covenant keeping name. 37:05 He says, "By My name LORD, 37:08 Jehovah, My covenant keeping name, 37:10 I was not known to them." 37:12 And then He said, "I have also established My covenant 37:15 with them, to give them..." 37:16 This with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 37:20 "...to give them the land of Canaan, 37:22 the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers." 37:26 Now He tells Moses, "And I have heard 37:30 also the groaning of the children of Israel 37:32 whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, 37:35 and I have remembered My covenant." 37:40 God is saying, "I'm remembering My covenant 37:45 with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." 37:47 "Therefore say to the children of Israel, 'I am the LORD; 37:52 Jehovah, I am the covenant keeping God. 37:54 I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, 37:57 I will rescue you from their bondage, I will redeem you 38:00 with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.'" 38:04 A gracious loving-kindness, the checed of God. 38:09 God is going to powerfully redeem Israel. 38:14 He's going to bring great judgments on Egypt. 38:17 And they're going to be His covenant people. 38:21 He would save them before they walked in obedience 38:25 to His love. 38:27 They'd been in 400 years of bondage. 38:31 So before they could even enjoy the blessings of His inheritance 38:37 with His covenant with Abraham, He delivers them through the 38:40 Red Sea and brings them to Mount Sinai. 38:43 Now let's look, we've just read what God said in Genesis 12:1-3 38:49 to Abraham, now let's look at the similarities 38:55 of God's word in Exodus verse 19 what He tells Moses 39:00 to tell the children and how similar it is to the covenant 39:04 words that He gave to Abraham. 39:08 Is this chapter 19? 39:09 Exodus chapter 19, we'll look at verses 3-6. 39:14 And this kind of matches up with Genesis 12:1-3 39:18 when God said, "Okay Abraham, get out of your country. 39:20 Go do this; I'm going to make you a great nation, etcetera." 39:24 So Exodus 19:3. 39:27 "Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him 39:30 from the mountain, saying, 'Thus you shall say to the 39:33 house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel...'" 39:36 So they're there at Mount Sinai. 39:37 And God's now going to give Moses 39:39 instructions on what to say. 39:41 Listen. 39:42 "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, how I bore you 39:47 on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself." 39:50 This is covenant love language. 39:53 God is saying, "I have redeemed you. 39:56 You are Mine; I bore you on the wings of eagles. 39:59 I brought you to Myself." 40:01 "Now therefore, if you will indeed obey..." 40:04 And it's interesting, in the Hebrew the word is, "hear." 40:07 To hear. 40:08 God is saying, "If you will hear My voice, 40:12 and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure 40:16 to Me above all the people; for all the earth is Mine. 40:18 You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. 40:21 These are the words which you shall speak 40:23 to the children of Israel." 40:25 See how much, I mean, God's remembering His covenant. 40:28 He's getting ready to renew His covenant, the same covenant 40:31 He had with Abraham. 40:33 It's beautiful. 40:35 So now in the next verse, Exodus 19:7, 40:38 "Moses came and called for the elders of the people, 40:41 he laid before them all these words 40:44 which the LORD commanded him." 40:47 It's what God commanded Moses to tell the people, 40:50 in other words. 40:51 "I'm the One. 40:53 I'm your Redeemer, I've saved you in covenant love, 40:55 I've brought you out on the wings of eagles." 40:58 And to say that if they responded with covenant loyalty 41:01 by listening to His voice and walking in His laws, 41:04 they're going to be His special treasure, 41:06 they're going to be a kingdom of priests. 41:08 "So then all the people answer together and they say, 41:12 'All that the LORD has said we will do.'" 41:15 Now they're pledging covenant loyalty, which was good, 41:17 but they were misguided because there was reliance on self. 41:21 Let's go forward. 41:23 So now Moses returns to God, 41:25 he expresses the people's decision. 41:27 God asks them to consecrate themselves 41:29 before He appears on the mountain. 41:31 Because He needs to remind them that He is a holy God, 41:35 that He is an awesome and powerful God. 41:37 They have forgotten this. 41:39 So now God begins His shock and awe campaign. 41:43 Thunder and lightning. 41:44 I mean, pyrotechnics, you know. 41:46 The mountains quacking and the trumpet sounds loud and long. 41:51 And the people are like, "Oh, you be our mediator, Moses. 41:55 You go talk to Him after this." 41:57 He speaks the commandments. 42:00 And He begins, as He just speaks the Ten Commandments, 42:03 He begins like this: 42:04 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of 42:06 the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 42:08 I'm your loving Redeemer who saved you." 42:11 Then He tells them the Ten Commandments. 42:13 Which, by the way, are spoken in future tense. 42:16 Meaning, these are promises. 42:18 This is what it will be like. 42:20 "This is promises of My law of love. 42:23 This is what it's going to be like if you walk in 42:26 relationship with Me." 42:27 And the people say in verse 20:20, "Do not..." 42:31 Oh, the people are afraid. 42:33 And Moses says, "Oh, don't be afraid. 42:35 God's just testing you, that His fear may be before you..." 42:39 I'm going to take one extra minute, if I may. 42:43 So after centuries in captivity, God is about to make 42:47 a special covenant with them. 42:48 Moses goes up the mountain. 42:50 God gives him civil law. 42:53 I mean, he's about to... 42:54 This is kind of like the institution, or constitution 42:59 for Israel as a nation. 43:01 Moses gives them civil laws that are based on His moral law. 43:04 He gives them the whole Sanctuary. 43:06 The very sacrificial system He began with Cain and Abel 43:11 now He is expanding on that. 43:12 Because this is all pointing to Jesus Christ. 43:16 And so then Moses, in Exodus 24, let's look down at verse 6, 43:22 Moses has repeated everything that God said. 43:26 And in the heart are the Ten Commandments God just spoke, 43:30 in the heart of this covenant. 43:31 So the people then say, "Yes, everything God said 43:35 we're going to do." 43:37 And now they're really entering into covenant. 43:39 Because Moses builds the altar. 43:41 And in verse 6 it says, he makes a sacrifice, 43:44 and verse 6 says he "took half the blood and put it in basins, 43:47 half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 43:50 Then he took the Book of the Covenant," 43:54 which is also called, the Book of the Law, 43:56 reading it once again to the people. 43:59 And they say, "Yes, everything He said we'll do." 44:02 So the point that I want to make is this. 44:06 Why Paul compares this... 44:10 This was supposed to be a progression of the 44:13 Abrahamic covenant of grace. 44:16 You've seen everything that God has said. 44:20 Why Paul compares this to the negative experience 44:24 of Hagar is because, just like Abraham and Sarah, 44:30 the people make it about doing. 44:32 So they're going to try to help God fulfill His promises. 44:38 And so the Israelites turned this covenant of grace 44:43 into a covenant of works. 44:45 So Hagar symbolizes Sinai in that both reveal 44:51 human attempts at salvation by works. 44:54 And I've got to stop. 44:56 Amen. That's powerful, Shelley. 44:57 You are excited about that. 44:58 I was. 45:00 But it's a wonderful topic because that's what Paul 45:03 wanted to communicate to the Galatian church, 45:05 the Galatian believers. 45:07 That salvation is justification by faith, not faith plus works, 45:11 but where justified by faith alone. 45:14 And when I think about that, you think about Ishmael 45:16 being the child of Abraham's initiative, 45:19 while Isaac is the child of the initiative and act of God. 45:25 The promise, that's right. 45:26 Ishmael is, you could say, the child of self-righteousness. 45:30 Or if we follow underneath Ishmael, we would be thinking 45:33 we're relying on self or my own works to keep the law. 45:38 While Isaac is faith and love and Christ's righteousness. 45:43 Reliance on Him. 45:45 Ishmael is, trying to make things happen; 45:49 Isaac is, trusting in God to bring about His purpose. 45:53 Ishmael is self-dependence; 45:56 trying to fulfill God's promises myself. 45:59 Isaac is self-surrendered obedience. 46:04 Because by His power and grace He works in me and through me 46:08 both to will and to do of His good pleasure. 46:11 Ishmael is, do it yourself religion, as we would say. 46:14 And Isaac is, completely surrendered and trust God 46:19 for that, for the promise. 46:21 Paul's opponents believed that they were the true 46:25 descendants of Abraham. 46:26 We've talked about the Judaizers who came in 46:28 to the Galatian church, and who, you could almost say, 46:32 corrupted the gospel that Paul had once preached to them. 46:35 They believed they were the true descendants of Abraham, 46:38 that Jerusalem was the center of Christianity and the law, 46:42 and that the Gentiles were the illegitimate children. 46:45 The Gentiles were like the children of Hagar, were Ishmael, 46:49 and that they had to become sons of Abraham by being circumcised. 46:53 The truth, actually, was the opposite. 46:55 The truth was that Paul's opponents, who were 46:57 the legalists, they were the illegitimate sons, like Ishmael, 47:03 because they trusted in circumcision and relied on 47:06 the flesh instead of trusting in the promise. 47:09 And that the Gentiles, instead of being the illegitimate 47:12 children, they could be sons of Abraham 47:14 by supernatural descent, just like Isaac. 47:17 So that's the beautiful thing. 47:18 We're in Galatians. 47:20 Let's look at Galatians 4. 47:22 And we've read this passage already. 47:24 I think, brother Johnny, you read that, but I just want to 47:26 look at a couple of verses right toward the end here. 47:28 And then we'll jump back to Genesis. 47:31 Galatians 4:28 47:33 "Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise." 47:38 We're not children of the old covenant or by 47:40 Abraham's own initiative. 47:42 We are by the initiative and act of God by the promise. 47:45 "But, as he who was born according to the flesh," 47:48 that would be Ishmael, "then persecuted him 47:52 who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now." 47:57 He's referencing back. 47:58 We've talked about this, but let's look at Genesis 21. 48:03 This is after Abraham went into Sarah and he had Ishmael, 48:09 and then those years later when God fulfilled the promise 48:14 and Isaac was born. 48:15 And then when Isaac grew up and he was weaned, 48:19 and they think maybe he's about three years old at this time 48:22 when this took place, we're in Genesis 21:8. 48:28 "So the child grew," meaning Isaac, "and was weaned. 48:32 And Abraham made a great feast on the same day 48:35 that Isaac was weaned. 48:36 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, 48:40 whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing." 48:44 Now interestingly that word for, "scoffing," 48:47 is actually, "laugh." 48:49 And it's been used before in Genesis, 48:51 but it could have two different meanings. 48:53 It could mean just simple laughter 48:54 or it could mean to make jest or to make sport at. 48:58 And that's what he's doing here. 49:00 He is making sport, he's making fun of the child of promise. 49:05 And we talked about already what took place and how 49:10 Sarah and Abraham sent Hagar away. 49:15 That's what I was trying to say, Abraham sent Hagar away. 49:18 So the question in our lesson, we know the true descendants 49:22 of Abraham, meaning the child of promise; 49:24 those who believe in justification by faith 49:27 instead of the works of the flesh, 49:29 that there will be persecution, 49:31 as there is persecution here from Ishmael, 49:34 the illegitimate child, to Isaac, the son of promise. 49:38 And what are we suppose to do with that? 49:41 How are we supposed to deal with that tension, you could say. 49:45 Whether there is tension in the church or else wise. 49:49 Between those who believe in salvation by works 49:52 and those who believe in justification by faith 49:55 in Christ alone. 49:57 And there's three things in our time here I wanted to mention. 50:00 First is to expect it. 50:03 Let's look at John 15. 50:05 John 15, we'll read verse 18-20. 50:10 That Jesus predicted that this was going to happen. 50:14 And Shelley, if you have that, you want to read that? 50:16 John 15:18-20 50:22 "If the world hates you, you know that it hated 50:24 Me before it hated you. 50:26 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. 50:28 Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you 50:32 out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 50:35 Remember the word that I have said to you, 50:38 'A servant is not greater than his master.' 50:40 If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. 50:45 If they kept My word, they will keep yours also." 50:49 So whether the persecution, in this case specifically 50:51 talks about coming from the world, 50:52 maybe those who are outside the church, 50:54 whether it comes from that or within, either way we expect it. 50:58 Know that Jesus predicted it and they persecuted Him, 51:02 and they will persecute us as well. 51:04 2 Timothy 3:12, "All that live godly in Christ Jesus 51:08 shall suffer persecution." 51:10 First, we expect it. 51:11 Second, don't let it destroy you. 51:14 Let's look at 2 Corinthians. 51:16 2 Corinthians, this is one of my favorite passages. 51:20 And I know I have said that before. 51:21 But I have so many, Shelley, that I just love 51:24 from the Word of God. 51:25 2 Corinthians 4 51:27 And it seems like every time you open God's Word, 51:30 you discover something new. 51:32 Something that I had never seen before. 51:34 We're in 2 Corinthians 4, and we're going to start at verse 7. 51:38 But verse 6, just setting the stage, 51:41 it's talking about, "God commanded light," 51:43 that's the gospel of Jesus Christ, 51:45 "to shine out of darkness..." 51:46 We are in a dark world. 51:48 And He shone the light of His gospel into our hearts, 51:52 that's you and that's me, 51:53 "to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God 51:56 in the face of Jesus Christ." 51:57 Now we're in verse 7. 51:59 "We have this treasure..." 52:01 That's the gospel, the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. 52:05 "...in earthen vessels..." 52:07 The New Living Translation says, "in jars of clay." 52:11 "...that the excellence of the power may be 52:14 of God and not of us." 52:16 God commits the gospel. 52:17 Which is incredible to me. 52:19 He could have given it angels to proclaim. 52:21 He gave it to you and to me. 52:23 Because the excellency of the power. 52:26 We can never take credit. 52:28 We can never say, "I'm a good vessel here, 52:30 and I'm proclaiming the gospel." 52:31 We are simply jars of clay; 52:34 but that Jesus Christ could be lifted up 52:37 and honored and glorified. 52:38 And now verse 7, this is the part I was talking about: 52:41 don't let it destroy you. 52:42 Verse 7, "We are hard-pressed..." 52:46 - Verse 8. - I'm sorry. Thank you. 52:48 Verse 8, "We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed." 52:54 Hard-pressed means literally to press, afflict, 52:58 press upon, or persecute. 53:00 Maybe you feel today, "I'm being pressed upon. 53:03 I'm feeling persecuted." 53:05 Yet, we don't have to be crushed. 53:08 "We are perplexed, but not in despair." 53:12 Perplexed means we're at a loss. 53:15 "...yet not in despair." 53:17 Not utterly crushed or in despair. 53:20 "We are persecuted," verse 9, "but not forsaken." 53:26 We can be harassed and troubled, persecuted, 53:29 but we are not abandoned. 53:31 We are not deserted or left alone. 53:35 "Struck down, but not destroyed." 53:37 Struck down literally means to throw to the ground 53:41 or made prostrate. 53:42 And I know I can speak of my own experience, 53:45 but I'm sure each one of you can speak from that. 53:47 And I'm sure you've experienced it at home too. 53:50 Sometimes you might feel utterly crushed down 53:53 and thrown to the ground, but we are not destroyed. 53:58 Praise the Lord for that. 54:00 So first, we can expect it. 54:02 Second, don't let it destroy you. 54:04 Because the Lord Jesus walks with you in the furnace. 54:07 Just like He did with the three Hebrews on the plain of Dura. 54:10 And finally, react with joy. 54:12 And that's not our natural response. 54:16 Matthew 5, the sermon on the mount. 54:18 Jesus talks about, "Rejoice and be glad; 54:22 for so persecuted those the prophets who were before you." 54:26 And 1 Peter 4 talks about rejoicing 54:28 with Christ in His suffering. 54:31 So I think God calls us, we're talking about Ishmael 54:33 and Isaac today, God calls us to be children of the promise. 54:37 Children who believe and claim righteousness by faith. 54:41 Not righteousness plus works, 54:43 but righteousness by faith in Christ alone. 54:45 We are saved by grace through faith. 54:48 And when we claim that, when we walk in that, 54:51 whether people say something or whether they don't, 54:54 we just follow along with the Lord Jesus. 54:57 Knowing that other people were persecuted before us, 55:00 that Jesus was, and then that's okay. 55:02 We can walk with joy in that. 55:04 - Amen. - Well done, well said. 55:07 You know, as we look at the history, 55:11 how interesting it is that we find ratification of 55:16 what is in Galatians all the way back in the book of Genesis. 55:21 The lesson says in its thought section, 55:24 it talks about the pyrotechnics, I think you used the term, 55:28 that happened at Sinai. 55:30 And when the original covenant was ratified 55:33 with Abraham, there was no need for pyrotechnics, 55:35 for he had his pyrotechnics; a little baby boy. 55:38 Doesn't get any better than that. 55:41 But by the time we come to the Sinai experience, 55:45 they had pretty much lost sight of who God was 55:48 and were not in covenant relationship, because 55:51 400 years of slavery will do that to you. 55:53 So God now reiterates, if I can use that term... 55:57 Because it's one covenant. 55:58 But there are these iterations and reiterations 56:01 of that covenant. 56:02 And you know, there's kind of a progressive unfolding as well. 56:05 Indeed, indeed. 56:06 Yeah, and there's a little bit more with each one. 56:09 Having said that, He re-inaugurates, He reiterates, 56:14 He brings it back with a big show. 56:16 Showing His power, His might, and His glory. 56:18 What occurs to me is that if you look at the history of 56:23 God's dealings with His people through covenant language 56:27 and covenant reality, you will never miss the fact of 56:30 the consistency of God. 56:31 You will never see God as a harsh, unyielding, 56:35 law-giving in the Old Testament, and as unforgiving. 56:37 You will see a golden cord of faith and grace that runs from 56:44 Seth, through Abraham, through His people, 56:48 through the Davidic covenant, through Christ, to us today. 56:52 So the same golden cord that was let down 56:55 for Seth is the same cord that we hold onto today in faith. 56:58 But on the other end of that cord there's a 57:00 God who's sustaining us. 57:02 And we can hold onto that cord. 57:04 It's a beautiful thing, but it's not something 57:07 that sits on the surface. 57:08 You've got to take your golden shovel and 57:10 dig down a little bit to see it. 57:11 But if you do, you come forth with something really that will 57:14 keep you and will help you, and something that you can 57:18 treasure and you can see the loving hand of God 57:21 from the days of Adam right down to this very day. 57:24 And it is a wonderful thing. 57:25 So thank you so very much for joining us 57:27 for this edition of the Sabbath School Panel. 57:30 Hope you've been blessed. We have been. 57:32 We'll see you again next time. |
Revised 2024-06-25