Participants: John Dinzey (Host), John Lomacang, Shelley Quinn, Ryan Day, Jill Morikone
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP210020S
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00:01 Hello and welcome
00:02 to the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:04 In a moment, we're going to be digging deep 00:06 into lesson number seven 00:08 Covenant at Sinai. 00:09 So we invite you to visit absg.Adventist.org 00:14 for a free copy of the quarterly. 00:17 Or you may visit your local Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:20 and ask them for a free copy of the lesson 00:21 to join us in this study 00:23 that will begin in just a moment. 00:57 Hello and welcome again 00:58 to the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:00 This is going to be an exciting 01:01 and a study that should be inspirational. 01:04 We encourage you to be very careful 01:06 to pay attention not get distracted 01:08 because we're going to be studying 01:10 the Covenant at Sinai, 01:11 a very important study 01:13 for every single human being in the world. 01:16 It's of vital importance. 01:18 Let me introduce the 3ABN family 01:20 that is joining us for this study. 01:22 To my right, my left Pastor John Lomacang, 01:25 pastor of the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church 01:27 and director of 3ABN World Evangelism. 01:29 Good to be here. 01:31 Salvation is vitally an important topic. 01:32 We're looking forward to the study of it. 01:34 Amen. Amen. 01:36 Sister Shelley Quinn is here, and we are glad that you are. 01:39 Thank you. It's good to be here. 01:41 Amen. Amen. 01:42 Pastor Ryan Day, he's here again, 01:45 and we praise the Lord for the Holy Spirit 01:48 that uses you to bring the message of God Almighty. 01:50 Praise the Lord for that Holy Spirit. 01:52 And hopefully he'll use me again today. 01:54 Amen? Amen. Amen. 01:55 So we also have a student of God's Word, 01:58 our CEO and vice president of 3ABN, 02:01 Sister Jill Morikone. 02:02 Thank you so much, Pastor Johnny. 02:04 Always enjoy studying together the Word of God. 02:07 Amen. Amen. 02:08 Before we begin this study, 02:10 it is of great importance as well to pray, 02:13 so I'm asking Pastor John Megalomaniac 02:14 to please lead us. 02:16 Sure. 02:17 Gracious Father, loving Lord, every chance we get. 02:20 It's so beautiful to be able to be invited 02:22 into the throne room 02:24 where the source of power really is. 02:28 And we pray today, Father, 02:29 that we will be as those golden vessels 02:32 that the oil of Your Holy Spirit 02:34 will pour into our hearts today. 02:37 And that through us, 02:38 the words of salvation will find fertile soil 02:42 in the minds and lives of those 02:43 looking for the strength to live to the glory of God. 02:47 Be with our production, 02:49 be with every aspect of this program. 02:51 Through all of it may Your name be honored and glorified, 02:53 we pray in Jesus' name. 02:55 Amen. 02:57 Amen and amen. 02:58 Well, this lesson is going to be a lesson 03:01 that we are praying 03:03 that you will remember 03:04 because we hope it will transform your life. 03:07 This is our prayer. 03:09 The Saturday portion begins with a very interesting story 03:12 that I like to share with you briefly. 03:13 This story is about a family that had seven children, 03:17 and one of the little boys was sick. 03:21 And, of course, he had to be taken to the hospital. 03:24 Now, let me give you a background 03:25 as to the situation at home. 03:28 They were a poor family. 03:29 And because of the limitations in the home, 03:33 really, when there was a full glass of milk, 03:36 you can only drink part of it. 03:38 And if you were first, 03:39 you have to be careful not to drink too far, 03:41 so that the next person can have some milk. 03:44 So this little boy in the hospital 03:46 after he was made comfortable, 03:48 the nurse brought him a full glass of milk. 03:50 He looked at it, wondering if he could drink it all 03:54 because none of his brothers were there. 03:57 And he said, "How deep should I drink?" 03:59 He didn't know 04:00 if the other part was going to be taken 04:02 to another room in the hospital. 04:03 And she had a knot in her throat 04:05 realize that this little boy 04:07 had never drank a full glass of milk and said, 04:09 "Little child, you can drink it all." 04:12 His eyes opened up wide. 04:14 And he realized that 04:15 he now had an opportunity he never had before. 04:18 And this illustrates 04:20 how God cares for His people as well, 04:23 because He provides for His children. 04:25 And I want to encourage you 04:27 to listen to the scriptures we will be sharing 04:30 because it gives us a picture of God's great love for us. 04:35 Everything that God does for His children 04:36 is meant for their benefit, for their well-being. 04:40 And so, let me give you a glance of the week 04:45 and what we're going to be talking about. 04:47 Here's part of what we will be talking about 04:49 what imagery did the Lord use 04:51 to describe His relationship with Israel? 04:54 In what ways do the stories of the Exodus and Sinai 04:58 parallel personal salvation? 05:01 And what was the role of the law 05:05 in the Sinai covenant? 05:07 So with this in mind, 05:09 let us go ahead and go to Sunday's part. 05:11 And this part is entitled On Eagles' Wings, 05:14 On Eagles' Wings. 05:16 The people of Israel were immersed in paganism 05:22 during their journey, 05:23 or during their time they were in Egypt. 05:27 They were there for over 400 years, 05:28 and they lost a knowledge of God, 05:31 a knowledge of His goodness, a knowledge of His mercy. 05:33 If they saw the practice of paganism, 05:37 they began to forget 05:38 about God's love and God's goodness. 05:41 So when we get to Exodus 19:4, 05:46 a declaration is made that is very powerful. 05:50 Notice, Exodus 19:4, 05:52 "You have seen 05:55 what I did to the Egyptians, 05:56 and how I bore you on eagles' wings 05:59 and brought you to Myself." 06:03 Now, this is, was stated 06:05 so that the people of Israel can realize 06:08 they were in a condition of bondage, 06:11 they were slaves, 06:13 and to them, 06:15 getting out of that situation 06:16 seemed like it would never happen. 06:19 But God, through a series of miracles, 06:22 brought them out of Egypt. 06:24 And it says here, bore them on eagles' wings. 06:27 This is a very interesting declaration. 06:30 In fact, I took the time to look at some videos, 06:35 and I saw this video of an eagle on its nest. 06:39 Somebody went way up there, 06:42 because they put their nest way up into the mountains. 06:44 And they had not only a camera, but a microphone. 06:48 And there was this mother eagle 06:50 with his chicks beneath her 06:53 with her wings outstretched, 06:54 and there was this powerful wind blowing. 06:57 And the title of the video said, 07:01 how a mother eagle takes care of her young. 07:04 And she was there, from time to time 07:05 she will look below to make sure they're all safe, 07:08 nice and warm, protected. 07:11 And this is a picture of how God is for with us. 07:15 He wants to protect us. 07:16 That's why you have so many powerful scriptures, 07:19 illustrating God's love and tender mercy toward us. 07:24 Let's go to Deuteronomy Chapter 32, 07:27 and let's begin in verse 10 07:29 to see what we have here. 07:31 "He found him in a desert land and in the wasteland, 07:35 a howling wilderness, 07:37 He encircled him, He instructed him, 07:41 He kept him as the apple of His eye. 07:45 As an eagle stirs up its nest, 07:47 hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, 07:51 taking them up, and carrying them on its wings, 07:54 so the Lord alone led him, 07:58 and there was no foreign god with him." 08:00 So again, we see here a picture of a merciful, 08:04 tender, loving God, taking care of His children. 08:08 And this is the care that God has for us. 08:11 I mean, when you go to the New Testament, 08:14 you see Jesus telling to people, 08:15 take no thought for tomorrow. 08:18 He tells them, don't worry. 08:20 Look at the fields, 08:21 see how God takes care of the fields. 08:23 See how God takes care of the birds. 08:26 If He takes care of birds, you are more value than birds, 08:30 God will take care of you. 08:31 And so, let's go to now to Deuteronomy 1:29. 08:37 Deuteronomy 1:29, let's read till verse 31. 08:42 "Then I said to you, 08:43 'Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. 08:46 The Lord your God, 08:48 who goes before you, He will fight for you, 08:51 according to all He did for you in Egypt 08:53 before your eyes, 08:55 and in the wilderness 08:56 where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, 08:59 as a man carries his son, 09:02 in all the way that you went until you came to this place.'" 09:08 Here again, we see a picture of a fatherly care 09:13 that God has for His children. 09:16 He carried them and we read, He encircles them, 09:19 He instructs them. 09:21 Again, everything that God does for His children 09:24 is because He has thoughts of peace concerning us. 09:28 So I encourage you to approach God, 09:30 learn about His loving care, 09:32 learn about His plan of salvation, 09:34 dig deep into the plan of salvation. 09:36 And during this quarterly, 09:38 you're getting wonderful messages 09:42 of God's everlasting covenant and His love for His people 09:45 because He wants to have this relationship with us 09:49 that is so close, 09:51 so close that you would say 09:52 I rather be with God 09:54 than anything else in this world, 09:56 beyond riches, 09:57 beyond homes that I could purchase, 09:59 beyond trips that I could take around the world, 10:01 I rather be with God. 10:03 When you spend time with God, 10:05 it seems like time just goes by so fast. 10:08 When you're digging into God's Word, 10:10 and you begin to feel that warmth feeling 10:13 and that peace, 10:15 that time comes that you have to go to work, 10:17 or have to go somewhere, 10:19 oh, man, I have to do this. 10:21 And it's almost like you don't want to detach from yourself 10:25 from that study 10:26 and that time spent with God. 10:28 But the wonderful thing is, 10:30 that wherever we go, God goes with us. 10:34 And we can continue in prayer, and stay close to the Lord. 10:39 Let's go now to this message that is written the lesson 10:44 because it's very, very interesting 10:46 concerning the eagle. 10:48 The eagle was known 10:49 for its unusual devotion to its young. 10:52 It too lived on mountaintops. 10:54 In teaching its young to fly it carried them upon its back 10:58 to those great heights into the depths. 11:02 If the baby was still too young and too bewildered to fly, 11:05 father-eagle would swoop down beneath it, 11:09 and catch it on his back, 11:11 and fly up again 11:12 with it to the eyrie on the crags above. 11:17 And that, says the divine voice, is 11:19 'How I brought you out of Egypt to myself.'" 11:22 You know, there are some people that study animals, 11:24 and some of them have said, 11:25 "Well, I have never seen this." 11:27 But there are testimonies of people that have. 11:29 I mean, the internet is such a... 11:31 You can have resources there to find this out. 11:35 And one of the things I read was 11:37 that this father and son were out in the wilderness, 11:41 and they actually saw an eagle doing this. 11:45 They were watching for about an hour and a half. 11:49 And they saw the eagle repeatedly do this. 11:53 And he would push the young outside of the nest 11:56 and the little baby would start going down 11:59 and they saw, at one time they wait, 12:01 he waited till about 150 feet. 12:04 And when the father eagle or mother, 12:07 we don't know which one it was, 12:10 knew that or saw that 12:11 little baby was not fluttering his wings 12:13 and actually flying 12:15 would com beneath, catch them, 12:17 carry them back up to its nest. 12:20 And the testimony says, 12:22 "We were waiting and waiting 12:24 to see if this will happen again. 12:25 And at one point, 12:26 waited about 15 minutes before trying again." 12:29 You know, this is very interesting to me. 12:31 Because God is so merciful, so kind, 12:35 that He waits till He knows we're ready 12:40 before He gives us or allows us to be tried. 12:45 He is patient and loving. 12:47 You know Satan, 12:48 the Bible points out that he is as a roaring lion 12:51 seeking whom he may devour. 12:53 And you don't know it, 12:55 but God every day is protecting you 12:58 from all the attacks of the enemy. 13:00 Every day, the devil would like to end your life, 13:04 but God has His powerful angel 13:05 and they say, "No, you cannot do that." 13:08 Oh, how the devil would love to destroy you. 13:11 But God in His mercy has kept you alive. 13:14 And every day, 13:15 every hour that you're alive, praise the Lord. 13:18 Praise the Lord. 13:20 I want to end with this thought 13:22 that we have here in Psalms 34:7-8. 13:27 I'm going to read it quickly, 13:28 "The angel of the Lord 13:30 encamps all around those who fear Him, 13:33 and delivers them. 13:34 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good, 13:39 blessed is the man and woman who trusts in Him!" 13:43 So I want to encourage you 13:45 to trust in the Lord completely. 13:48 And if you're in the hands of the Lord, 13:50 He will not allow anything that will come to you 13:53 that is not meant to benefit you and bless you. 13:57 Amen. Amen. Thank you, Pastor Dinzey. 13:59 Wow, what a way to begin the lesson. 14:02 And I start now with The Pattern of Salvation, 14:05 The Pattern of Salvation. 14:06 You know, the greatest gift that God has ever extended 14:10 to humanity is salvation. 14:13 And there is no other gift, 14:15 I can even imagine a possessions, 14:18 a position in life, 14:20 a recognition in society 14:21 that's greater than the gift of salvation, 14:23 because it's a gift that has appeared to all. 14:26 When you think about Titus, he says, 14:27 "The grace of God that bringeth salvation 14:29 has appeared to all men, 14:31 regardless of station in life." 14:34 But the writer wanted to bring up particularly 14:36 the pattern of salvation. 14:38 Where do we find in the Exodus story, 14:40 the pattern of salvation being established. 14:43 Let's begin by going to Exodus 6:6-7. 14:47 And we're going to talk about what salvation is. 14:49 A lot of times people don't understand 14:51 salvation in its entirety, but it's a total package. 14:54 It's not a one step or two step process. 14:57 We will see what the Bible has to say. 14:58 I'm reading in the King James Version, 15:00 here it says, 15:01 "Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, 15:03 I am the Lord, 15:05 and I will bring you out 15:06 from under the burdens of the Egyptians," 15:09 Salvation removes us from our burdens, 15:12 "and I will rid you out of their bondage," 15:16 salvation breaks the chords that bound us, 15:20 "I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, 15:24 and with great judgment: 15:26 And I will take you to me for a people, 15:30 and I will be to you a God: 15:32 and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, 15:35 which bringeth you out 15:36 from under the burdens of the Egyptians." 15:40 There are people watching today that have burdens. 15:43 And I want to tell you very clearly, 15:46 cast your burdens upon the Lord, 15:48 and He will take care of you. 15:50 Salvation removes the largest burden, 15:53 a burden that 15:55 we are individually not responsible for. 15:57 You know, the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:22, 16:01 "As in Adam all die, 16:02 even so in Christ, all shall be made alive." 16:05 And many people think that somehow, 16:07 if they've done something wrong, 16:08 then they need salvation. 16:10 Let me make it clear. 16:11 You can live a perfectly marked free life, 16:14 no infractions, pay your taxes, have perfect health. 16:18 As somebody once said, "He died in perfect health." 16:22 Death is still waiting for us 16:23 because the wages of sin is death. 16:25 And there are some individuals who say, 16:27 "I'm a good person, I've done nothing wrong. 16:29 I'm good in the community, I pay my taxes." 16:32 They outline the things that they do. 16:34 But when the Bible says, 16:36 "Behold, the Lamb of God 16:37 that taketh away the sin of the world," 16:39 John 1:29. 16:41 John was talking about the condition of humanity, 16:46 not so much the things that we do, 16:48 because of our condition. 16:49 The condition precedes the actions. 16:52 So you have John 1:29, 16:55 talking about the mission of Christ, 16:56 He shall save His people from their sin. 16:59 That's the condition. 17:00 But Matthew 1:21 says, 17:03 He will... Sorry, let me go. 17:05 Say it again, yeah, 17:06 "He shall save His people from their sin." 17:07 But Matthew 1:21, call His name Jesus, 17:10 He shall save His people from their sins. 17:13 So you have the condition, then you have the action. 17:16 The condition produces the actions. 17:18 And you never know 17:19 what the actions are going to be. 17:21 But every one of us are predisposed 17:23 to some kind of sin in our lives, 17:26 because we all inherited a fallen nature from Adam. 17:30 So when the Bible talks about coming out, 17:31 bringing you out of that bondage, 17:33 it talks about this salvific picture here 17:36 that's given to us in Exodus. 17:38 We also have another picture 17:39 that's given to us in the Bible. 17:41 God's saving Noah and his family, 17:44 bringing them into an ark. 17:46 So salvation doesn't just bring you out, 17:48 but it brings you in. 17:50 It brings you into a relationship with Christ. 17:53 If all salvation did was bring us out, 17:55 then we are now in the same condition, 17:57 but we're out. 17:58 We're out of the house. 18:00 And I like the fact that people say, 18:02 you shall know the truth 18:03 and the truth shall set you free. 18:05 No, the truth shall make you free. 18:08 Salvation is concerned about 18:10 what they call the recidivism rate. 18:12 In other words, if you are just saved, 18:14 and you are given a second chance 18:16 to do what you couldn't do the first time, 18:18 then it's just a matter of time 18:20 before you go back to who you were before. 18:22 But when you are saved, 18:23 you now partake of a divine nature, 18:26 having escaped the lust that is in the world. 18:29 You are given a divine nature, 18:32 meaning you are partaking of a power 18:34 that you never had before. 18:35 And that power as Philippians says, 18:38 "For it is God who works in you 18:40 both to will and to do of His good pleasure." 18:43 And then the Apostle Paul 18:44 in my favorite book Philippians, again, 18:46 "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it." 18:49 So salvation is, now the Lord is taking over. 18:51 He's moving in, 18:53 Christ in you the hope of glory. 18:55 This is not about you. 18:56 Salvation is not about what you're able to do. 18:58 So some people say, 19:00 "Well, I don't want to do that. 19:01 I don't want to do this." 19:03 But salvation also requires a spirit of participation. 19:06 United together with Christ, we are co-laborers, 19:09 not laborers for saving others, 19:11 but the most important labor saving ourselves. 19:14 We have to participate in the process. 19:16 And so you find these pictures of salvation, 19:19 like in 2 Samuel 3:18, 19:22 we find that God saved Israel in times of conflict 19:25 and God saved Israel in times of war. 19:27 2 Samuel 3:18. 19:29 The Bible says, 19:31 "Now then, do it! 19:32 For the Lord has spoken today that saying, 19:35 'By the hand of My servant David, 19:36 I will save My people 19:39 Israel from the hand of the Philistines 19:41 and the hand of all their enemies.'" 19:44 The Lord also not just saves you 19:47 and put you back in the right condition. 19:49 As a matter of fact, let me go with you 19:51 to the three actions of salvation. 19:53 Let's go to Ephesians 2:8-9. 19:56 Let's look at salvation in three stages, 19:58 because a lot of us think, well, I'm saved, sanctified, 20:01 filled with the Holy Ghost. 20:02 I'm on this irreversible conveyor belt, 20:04 I'm locked down, I'm handcuffed, 20:06 I can't go back. 20:07 Nothing is further from the truth. 20:09 Let's look at this. 20:10 And in three phrases, 20:12 three phrases, not two, three phrases 20:14 that we often hear, 20:15 but don't understand very clearly. 20:16 Ephesians 2:8-9, do you have that, Shelley? 20:19 I do. Read it for me. 20:21 Ephesians 2:8 says, 20:23 "For by grace you have been saved 20:24 through faith, 20:26 that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, 20:29 not of works, lest anyone should boast." 20:33 So this is the salvation called justification. 20:38 Listen, you can't do anything to justify yourself, 20:41 because you are the one that's held in bondage 20:44 any more than a prisoner can open his cell 20:46 and let himself out. 20:47 This salvation is an act of God. 20:49 It's called justification. 20:52 And when you are justified, 20:53 what happens immediately 20:55 is you are removed 20:57 from under the penalty of death. 21:01 The death penalty 21:02 no longer hangs over your head. 21:03 You are taken out of the prison house, 21:05 you are brought out of bondage, 21:07 you are standing before God, 21:09 as though you have never sinned. 21:11 And that's not anything that you can do. 21:14 But let's look at the second stage. 21:18 1 Corinthians 1:18. 21:19 And, Jill, if you could read this one for me? 21:21 This is the second stage, and this is necessary. 21:26 1 Corinthians 1:18, 21:27 "For the message of the cross is foolishness 21:29 to those who are perishing, 21:31 but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God." 21:34 Notice, who are being saved. 21:36 Wait a minute, you just said for by grace, 21:39 you have been saved. 21:40 How could you be in the condition 21:41 of being saved? 21:43 Because sanctification is the beauty of the gospel. 21:46 So many people come in as one person says, 21:49 "We come into at baptism pool. 21:50 We go down as a dry sinner come up a wet sinner." 21:54 There's no transforming grace. 21:55 And so many of us think that 21:57 by believing a new set of doctrines 21:59 that we are saved. 22:00 Nothing could be further from the truth. 22:02 Doctrines can't save you, 22:03 the Sabbath can't even save you, 22:05 the Ten Commandments can't save you, 22:07 you are saved by grace through faith. 22:08 But in this saving relationship, 22:10 now you enter into a process 22:12 where the old man is being consumed. 22:15 And the Lord is teaching you 22:17 what it means to walk in the newness of life. 22:19 But it is He who is saving you. 22:21 That's why John says, in 1 John 3:2, he says, 22:26 "It has not yet been revealed what you shall be, 22:30 but know this, 22:31 that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, 22:34 for we will see Him as He is." 22:36 Now you know, when you first accept Christ, 22:38 you not like Jesus, you still have to grow on that. 22:41 We are growing in grace, not into grace. 22:44 But let's go to the last stage of the pattern of salvation. 22:47 This is called glorification. 22:49 Isaiah 25:9, I'll read that for the interest of time. 22:52 Isaiah 25:9, 22:56 "And it will be said in that day: 22:58 'Behold, this is our God, we have waited for Him, 23:02 He will save us. 23:05 This is the Lord, we have waited for Him, 23:08 we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." 23:10 Notice, he will save us. 23:13 Wait a minute, you have been saved, 23:14 you are being saved and you will be saved. 23:16 This is glorification. 23:18 This is God now removing all the scaffolding 23:22 of the work that He had been doing in your life 23:24 and presenting you, 23:26 as the Bible says 23:27 before His presence with exceeding joy, how? 23:31 Faultless, that's glorification. 23:33 So if you want to be justified, accept Christ now. 23:37 But when you accept Him, 23:38 you enter into a sanctifying relationship, 23:40 learning what it means to walk in the newness of life, 23:42 giving God the opportunity to work in you 23:45 to reproduce His character 23:46 so that one day you'll be glorified 23:49 and you'll see the Lord just as He is 23:52 for finally by saved by the salvation work, 23:55 you'll be just like Him. 23:58 Amen and amen. 23:59 Well, the blessings will continue in a moment 24:01 after this short break. 24:09 Ever wish you could watch 24:11 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again, 24:13 or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 24:16 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com 24:21 A clean design makes it easy 24:23 to find the program you're looking for. 24:25 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 24:29 so you can follow along. 24:31 Sharing is easy. 24:32 Just click share and choose your favorite social media. 24:35 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 24:40 Welcome back. We continue with this study. 24:43 And now we go to Sister Shelley Quinn 24:44 that has Tuesday's portion. 24:46 Oh, and I'm so excited about Tuesday's portion. 24:49 This is The Sinai Covenant. 24:53 There were three major events that happened in Exodus, 24:57 the Book of Exodus. 24:58 One was the exodus from Egypt, 25:01 then the establishment of the covenant 25:05 and the building of the tabernacle. 25:08 The tabernacle was theology in physical form. 25:12 Most of these people didn't even read. 25:14 So God shows them 25:17 the plan of salvation in the tabernacle. 25:20 And it was to show them 25:21 how they were going to be saved 25:22 by grace through faith, 25:24 and it all pointed to the coming Messiah. 25:29 Now, I keep saying that all of God's covenants 25:33 are a progressive unfolding of the everlasting covenant, 25:38 which is Revelation 13:8, 25:40 "The Lamb slain 25:42 from the foundation of the world." 25:43 Please turn if you have your Bibles 25:45 to Exodus 2:24, 25:48 because most people think of the Old Covenant, 25:51 the Sinai covenant 25:53 as being something that's totally different. 25:56 Yet, Exodus establishes 25:59 that it is a continuation 26:02 of the Abrahamic everlasting covenant. 26:04 Exodus 2:24, 26:06 God hears the Hebrew children crying out, 26:09 and He acts. 26:11 It says, "God heard their groaning, 26:13 and God remembered His covenant," 26:16 what covenant? 26:17 "With Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." 26:20 In the Bible, when they use the word remembered, 26:23 it isn't that God forgot, 26:24 remembered means 26:26 He's getting ready to act upon it. 26:28 When he says God forgets, 26:31 then it means He's not going to act upon it. 26:33 But God's getting ready to act on His Abraham covenant. 26:38 So when we get to Exodus 19, 26:40 let me just give you a quick time line. 26:43 What we do is in the beginning of Exodus 19, 26:46 we see the children have already been redeemed. 26:49 He's brought them out on the wings of an eagle. 26:54 He said, "I bore you to me on the wings of an eagle." 26:58 That's covenant love language. 27:00 And when we think some people say, 27:02 "Well, grace isn't in the Old Testament." 27:05 The word in the Old Testament is hesed, 27:07 and it is grace and it's unconditional love. 27:13 It means everything. 27:15 It's even better than grace that word. 27:17 So he's, he says to them, 27:20 "I've borne you on eagles' wings 27:22 brought you to Myself." 27:23 Now, if you will indeed, obey my voice. 27:27 In the Hebrew obey means hear. 27:29 If he says, "Hear My voice, and keep My commandments." 27:32 It's the same as saying obey My voice. 27:34 But when He says, obey my voice, 27:35 He's saying, hear My voice. 27:36 Hear me and live is what God is saying. 27:39 "If you keep my covenant, 27:42 you will be a special treasure to me, 27:44 above all the people, for the earth is mine, 27:47 and you shall be priest and a holy nation." 27:51 And so then in Exodus 19:7-8, 27:55 Moses tells the people what God has told him to say, 27:58 and they all say 28:00 everything that the Lord has said, 28:02 we will do. 28:03 What has He told them so far? 28:05 Just keep My covenant and you're going to be priest." 28:07 I mean, He hasn't really said a whole lot to them yet. 28:10 But Moses then, they start, 28:16 God tells him get them ready. 28:18 Let them be consecrated, sanctified when I come down. 28:22 So the people for two days, they're sanctifying themselves, 28:25 they're washing their clothes. 28:26 And God says, 28:28 "Put a perimeter around the mountain, 28:29 don't anybody touch the mountain?" 28:31 Then what happens? 28:33 God descends and fire with thunderings, 28:36 all these pyrotechnics, 28:38 and you know what He's doing? 28:40 When the people are afraid, Moses says, 28:42 "Hey, God was just testing you. Don't be afraid." 28:45 He's trying to show, them remind them, 28:47 I'm a powerful God. 28:49 So what happens? 28:51 Exodus 20:1-17, 28:54 God speaks 28:56 the Ten Commandment law of love. 28:58 And these Ten Commandments, 29:00 this syntax or word arrangement 29:02 shows that they are commandments, 29:06 but it's 10 words, the Decalogue. 29:10 We call them commandments, 29:12 in the Hebrew law, instruction. 29:15 So these are God's instruction of love. 29:20 And he says to them, they're in the future tense. 29:24 This is something that God, it's a promise. 29:27 So what is God's saying? 29:28 He's not saying, 29:30 "Thou shalt not have any gods above Me." 29:33 What He is saying to them, is, 29:37 if you live 29:38 in covenant relationship with Me, 29:40 you're not gonna have any gods above Me. 29:42 You're not gonna have any idols. 29:44 You're not gonna take My name in vain. 29:46 You are going to remember my Sabbath, 29:48 because you just can't wait to be with Me. 29:52 You will honor your mother and your father, 29:54 you won't murder, you won't commit adultery, 29:56 you're not going to steal, 29:57 you're not going to bear false testimony, 29:58 you're not going to covet. 30:01 Why? 30:02 Because that's what living 30:03 in covenant relationship with Me is all about. 30:08 So God is so gracious, but the people are trembling, 30:12 and they say, 30:14 "Oh, Moses, you be our mediator." 30:15 So Moses goes back up the mountain, 30:18 after God has spoken these commandments. 30:21 And what does he do? 30:22 He receives from God. 30:24 And we find it recorded in Exodus 20:22 30:28 through Exodus 23:22. 30:33 He receives from God 30:36 a special civil laws. 30:39 It is going to be a government 30:41 that is built around the Ten Commandments 30:44 in and remember, 30:46 these were people that came out of a pagan nation. 30:48 God's got to show them how to live by their moral law. 30:52 So yes, the moral law was in there, 30:54 then the civil law, then the ceremonial law. 30:58 And what does Moses do? 31:00 He writes all of these, 31:02 he comes back down the mountain, 31:03 he speaks them to the people, he writes it all in this book. 31:07 And it is called, guess what? 31:09 That Book of the Covenant. 31:12 So we find that he ratifies the covenant with blood. 31:18 He sprinkles the people and the book. 31:20 Exodus 24:7-8 says, 31:23 "He took the Book of the Covenant." 31:26 First he speaks it to the people, 31:28 then he writes it. 31:29 "He took the Book of the Covenant, 31:30 read it in the hearing of the people. 31:32 And then he said, 'All that the Lord,' 31:34 they said, all the Lord has said 31:35 will do and be obedient. 31:37 Moses took the blood sprinkled it on the people, 31:40 and he says, 31:42 'This is the blood of the covenant." 31:43 The Old Covenant is the Book of the Covenant. 31:48 And he says, 31:49 "That God has made with you according to all these words." 31:55 So after this, 31:56 Moses goes back up the mountain. 31:59 The people have just entered into a covenant. 32:02 He goes up for 40 days and 40 nights, 32:04 and God gives him the Ten Commandments. 32:07 God writes it, it says in Exodus 31:18, 32:10 "He gives him the two tablets of the testimony, 32:13 the tablets of stone, 32:14 written with the finger of God." 32:17 And Exodus 32:16, says, 32:19 "This is the work of God, 32:21 the writing was the writing of God 32:24 engraved on the tablets." 32:26 So what happens? 32:27 He comes back down the mountain. 32:30 What's happened with the covenant 32:31 that the people just made? 32:33 He comes down, 32:35 and he finds them worshiping a golden calf. 32:38 They have totally broken the covenant. 32:42 Moses is so upset, 32:43 he throws down the stones 32:45 that God had just written on. 32:47 He breaks the tablets of stone. 32:50 So then in Exodus 34:1, the Lord calls to Moses, 32:54 and he says, 32:56 "Cut two stones of tablets of stone 32:58 like the first ones, 32:59 and then I the Lord will write on these tablets 33:02 the words that were on the first tablets 33:04 that you broke." 33:06 And he says, again, Deuteronomy 10:2, 33:10 it just establishes, 33:11 it was God that wrote the words on these. 33:15 But in Deuteronomy 10:2, when God says, 33:18 "I will write the tablets, 33:21 that the words that were on the first tablets, 33:24 which you broke, he said, 33:25 and you shall put the stone tablets 33:29 in the ark." 33:31 Why is that important? 33:32 The ark was God's throne. 33:36 The ark shows that 33:39 putting these Ten Commandments inside God's throne, 33:42 its permanence. 33:44 They are written on stone, 33:45 and it shows that the Ten Commandments 33:48 are the basis of God's government of love. 33:52 They are the basis of His covenant. 33:56 And the interesting thing though I love this 33:58 is mercy seat is above the law of God. 34:02 Mercy always triumphs that. 34:04 But now here's the part I've got to get to. 34:07 Thirty nine years later, 34:09 when they reached the edge of the Promised Land, 34:12 Moses reiterate this Book of the Covenant. 34:17 He has all the people assembled, 34:20 he repeats, reinforces, and he records it, 34:24 now, it's not called the Book of the Covenant. 34:26 He records it is what is called the Book of the Law. 34:29 Deuteronomy means second law. 34:31 So Deuteronomy 31:26 says, 34:33 "Take this Book of the Law, 34:35 and put it beside the Ark of the Covenant 34:40 of the Lord your God, 34:42 that it may be there as a witness against you." 34:46 The Old Covenant 34:48 was the Book of the Covenant and rewritten, 34:51 it was what's called the Book of the Law. 34:54 And if you know that, 34:55 as you read through the New Testament, 34:57 you can understand what was nailed to the cross. 35:01 Amen. Praise the Lord. 35:05 Well, that's interesting. 35:06 Thank you. Praise the Lord. 35:08 It's a blessing to be able to be a part of this panel 35:11 and to be able to talk about Wednesday's lesson, 35:13 God and Israel, 35:15 which is basically kind of just... 35:20 Are you okay? 35:21 As if, why you guys looking me like that? 35:23 You have some stuff in your hair. 35:26 Something snuck up on your hair. 35:30 Well, I don't see it so. 35:32 Surely, it's not there, right? 35:33 We clearly see it. 35:34 I don't know. 35:36 I mean, I know here what you're saying. 35:37 But I can't, I mean, 35:38 you guys are looking at me really weird. 35:40 I don't know what you're talking about. 35:41 Anyways... Anyways, that's kind of weird. 35:45 Anyways, so God and Israel... 35:47 Do you want me to take care of that? 35:49 Take care of what? 35:52 You got some... 35:53 Something unusual is going on in your hair. 35:55 Oh, I see, okay? 35:58 But I can't see it. 35:59 So you're telling me I have something on me. 36:01 You've got a problem. Okay. 36:03 But how am I gonna see it though? I can't. 36:05 So I'm not, I don't know that I have a problem 36:06 if I can't see it, right? 36:07 You need a mirror. Oh, that's what I need, right? 36:09 Okay. All right. 36:11 So this was a nice illustration. 36:12 I want you to remember this illustration, 36:14 because you got to have a mirror 36:15 if you can't see what's on you, right? 36:17 Everybody else can see it. Of course, I look ridiculous. 36:19 I can see myself in this monitor here. 36:22 But I want you to remember this illustration. 36:24 In just a few moments, 36:25 hopefully I don't look too stupid here. 36:27 Okay, let's go to Exodus 19. 36:29 We're going to come back to that illustration 36:30 in just a moment. 36:32 So keep that all in mind. 36:33 Exodus 19:5-6. 36:37 So Shelley set us up really nicely. 36:39 And I think what Wednesday's lesson is 36:41 bringing out is vitally important 36:43 for us to understand in relationship 36:45 or in relation to God and Israel's special covenant 36:49 that God made with Israel. 36:50 And so Exodus 19:5-6, 36:53 notice what the Bible says here. 36:55 God says, 36:56 "Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice 36:58 and keep My covenant, 37:00 then you shall be a special treasure to Me 37:02 above all people, for all the earth is Mine. 37:07 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests 37:09 and a holy nation.' 37:11 These are the words 37:12 which you shall speak to the children of Israel.'" 37:15 God had made... 37:17 He wanted to continue that special covenant. 37:19 He wanted His people 37:20 to continue in that covenant with Him, 37:23 and He wanted them to be His special people, 37:25 but there's conditions, right? 37:27 And a lot of people, 37:29 I just want to bring this out here. 37:30 Would God have asked Israel to obey His voice 37:34 and keep His covenant 37:35 if it were not possible? 37:38 And I just... I want to make that point very clear, 37:39 because a lot of people, 37:41 especially in today's time, say, Oh, the Old Covenant, 37:44 and of course, they associated with all of the, 37:46 you know, they consider old law, 37:47 you know, the old Ten Commandment law 37:49 and, well, God, Jesus comes along in the New Testament, 37:52 He nails it to the cross, and He does away with it, 37:54 because it's impossible for us to keep that law. 37:57 But it's interesting that, 37:59 you know, my Bible tells me that 38:00 God is not the author of confusion. 38:01 And He certainly wasn't going to lead Israel 38:03 into a covenant or relationship of confusion 38:06 and expect them to participate in things 38:09 or to, in this case, obey His covenant, 38:11 obey His voice, 38:12 if it was completely impossible to do so. 38:15 So I just want to start by that, 38:16 the fact that God told them, 38:18 He wants them to be His special people, 38:19 but there were certain conditions. 38:22 And that is what God wanted them to see 38:24 that in order for them 38:25 to continue in this special covenant relationship with Him, 38:29 they needed to see constantly their need of Him. 38:33 That's the most important thing, 38:35 they needed to sense their need 38:37 and their dependency on God. 38:39 And so what we see after this moment, 38:41 you know, they agree, 38:43 you know, all the Lord has said, we will do. 38:45 And, you know, it's interesting that you've checked the record 38:48 for more than 840 years after this point, 38:51 we see that there's nothing but a constant, 38:54 you know, 840 years of rebellion 38:56 on a part of Israel, 38:57 because God was constantly trying to get them to see 39:00 their need of Him. 39:01 We have to understand that 39:03 while yes, God wanted them to obey His voice 39:05 and obey that covenant. 39:07 The heart of that covenant, 39:08 as Shelley brought up beautifully 39:10 is God's Ten Commandment law 39:11 which, of course, is on display 39:12 in the very next chapter. 39:14 That is, of course, Exodus Chapter 20. 39:16 But I want us to jump over 39:18 to Romans 3:19. 39:23 We're talking about God and Israel, 39:26 this relationship, 39:27 this covenant relationship that He has. 39:29 And in order for that 39:30 covenant relationship to continue, 39:33 they have to continue to see their need of Him 39:35 and understand how much they are dependent on God, 39:37 not their own works, not their own deeds, 39:40 but God to see them through. 39:41 And so Romans Chapter 3, we're starting with verse 19. 39:44 Notice what the Bible says, Paul writes, 39:46 "Now we know that whatever the law says, 39:48 it says to those who are under the law, 39:51 that every mouth may be stopped, 39:53 and all the world may become guilty before God." 39:55 And then notice verse 20 here. 39:57 "Therefore by the deeds of the law 39:58 no flesh will be justified in His sight, 40:01 notice, for by the law is the knowledge of sin." 40:06 Okay, so did God give His covenant law to Israel 40:10 because that was their salvation in and of itself? 40:12 In other words, 40:13 were they saved by the keeping of the commandments? 40:15 Is that the way God set it up? Absolutely not. 40:17 And that's kind of goes back to my illustration, 40:19 when I had these crazy pieces of, 40:21 you know, fuzzy cloth in my hair. 40:23 I kind of opened it up being a little silly here 40:25 acting as if I didn't know, right? 40:26 And the truth of the matter is, 40:28 many of us treat our sin like that, right? 40:31 We don't see our sin 40:33 because we don't have something to measure it by 40:36 or to be able to look into that mirror. 40:38 We have to be able to look in the mirror 40:40 and be able to see what it is that might be wrong with us. 40:43 In the same case or in the same way 40:45 that is what God's law, that's how God's law serves. 40:48 It is not a means by which we are saved. 40:50 But what God is trying 40:51 to constantly get the children of Israel 40:52 to see all the way through the Old Testament 40:54 and even into the New Testament, 40:56 even in today 40:57 that while we are not saved by the Ten Commandment law, 41:00 it shows us our need of Jesus 41:04 because it shows us and reveals to us our sin. 41:08 And so, that is what Paul is saying here that, 41:10 you know, we're not justified by the deeds of the law, 41:12 no flesh is justified, 41:14 but by the law is the knowledge of sin. 41:17 Now take that in consideration 41:18 just because we're not saved by the law, 41:20 does that mean that because I'm not saved, 41:23 I'm not justified by the law. 41:24 No, I can just, you know, I can just continue 41:26 to sin, sin, sin, sin, sin, and God's okay with it, 41:28 because, you know, He didn't make it 41:29 the means by which I am saved, right? 41:32 Notice what Paul writes in Romans 6:1-2. 41:36 Romans 6:1-2. 41:38 In Roman, in the end of Romans 5, 41:39 this is a continuation by the way of Romans 5. 41:42 At the end of Romans 5, 41:43 he's just made this beautiful statement 41:45 about how but where sin has abounded 41:47 grace abounded much more. 41:49 And many people take that concept and go, 41:51 "Oh, praise the Lord, 41:52 that I can just sin, sin, sin all the while, 41:54 and then God just keeps pouring on 41:56 and just, you know, showering me 41:58 with more and more grace, the more that I continue 42:00 in my perpetual cycle or state of sin." 42:03 But yet Paul clarifies it in Romans 6:1-2, 42:06 he says, 42:07 "What shall we say? 42:09 Then in response to that, you know, as long as I sin, 42:11 God's gonna give me grace. 42:13 In other words, if I'm sinning, there's much more grace 42:15 for that sin that I've committed. 42:17 But he says, "Then what shall we say then?" 42:18 Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 42:22 He says, Certainly not! 42:23 How shall we who are dead to sin, 42:26 who had died to sin live any longer in it?" 42:29 And, of course, in that same chapters, 42:31 that famous verse 42:32 that many Christians try to use to say, 42:33 "Oh, you know, we're not under the law," right? 42:35 It's Romans 6:14, 42:37 "For sin shall not have dominion over you, 42:39 for you are not under the law but under grace." 42:43 And many Christians stop right there. 42:44 And they say, "See, I'm not under the law. 42:46 Jesus done away with that. 42:48 And because it didn't work for Israel, 42:51 it is not going to work now. 42:52 So I'm not under the law, I'm under grace." 42:54 But notice, Paul clarifies the relationship. 42:57 In verse 15, he says, 42:58 "What then? 42:59 Shall we sin because we are not under the law, 43:02 but under grace?" 43:03 He says, God forbid. Why? 43:05 Because Paul understood 43:06 that sin is the transgression of God's law. 43:09 And while we are not saved by the keeping of that law, 43:12 it is that law 43:14 that shows us our sin, oh, my goodness, 43:17 look at that nasty stuff in my hair. 43:18 Look at that nasty stuff on my face. 43:20 Look at all that sin in my life, 43:21 I can see it now, 43:23 because the law serves as a mirror 43:25 that shows me my sin. 43:27 And when I can see my sin, I sense my need of grace. 43:30 And who's the only person that's giving grace? 43:32 It's only Jesus Christ Himself, 43:34 which shows us our need of sin, 43:37 or excuse me, our need of grace because of our sin. 43:40 Romans 3:31, 43:42 I had to add this one in here as well. 43:44 "Do we then make void the law through faith," 43:47 because again, pastor read earlier 43:49 Ephesians 2:8-9, which says, 43:51 "We are saved by grace through faith." 43:54 And so people hold on to that verse and they say, 43:56 "Yes, I'm not saved by the workings of the law. 43:58 I don't have to worry 44:00 about the keeping of the Ten Commandments 44:01 or keeping in covenant relationship with the Lord 44:04 because that old covenant, it's old news, 44:07 it's not a part of my life anymore. 44:09 Jesus has saved me from that." 44:10 Yet we know that 44:12 according to Romans 3:31, it says, 44:14 "Do we make void the law through faith? 44:16 Because I'm saved through faith, 44:18 do I just toss away the law? 44:20 He says, Certainly not. 44:21 On the contrary, we establish the law. 44:23 Why is the heart of this covenant 44:25 between God and Israel, 44:27 those Ten Commandments, 44:28 that ten commandment law of love, 44:30 the heart of that covenant, 44:32 the Ten Commandment law of God, 44:34 of course, shows us our sin. 44:36 It shows us our need and it reminds us constantly 44:39 of our need of a Savior. 44:42 I found this in Ellen Ge. White's 44:43 Steps to Christ, page 61, beautiful quote, it says, 44:46 "We do not earn salvation by our obedience, 44:49 for salvation is the free gift of God 44:52 to be received by faith. 44:54 But obedience is the fruit of faith. 44:58 When we have placed our faith in God, 45:01 the God who saves us, 45:02 the God who saves us from our sin. 45:04 Then the natural fruit, 45:05 the natural response of that, of course, 45:07 is that we walk in obedience 45:09 to His Ten Commandment law of love. 45:11 Amen. Thank you so much, Ryan. 45:13 I love the illustration of the mirror. 45:15 That's powerful and it brings it to life 45:17 and it makes it so clear 45:18 the role, the purpose of the law 45:21 in showing our sin. 45:23 Very good. 45:24 On Thursday we have the title on Thursday is 45:26 Promises, Promises. 45:28 So we look at first 45:30 Israel's acceptance of the covenant, 45:31 and Shelley referenced it. 45:33 And I think Ryan might have mentioned something too. 45:35 We have Exodus 19:7-8, 45:37 you find the same phrase 45:39 that the children of Israel said in Exodus 24:3 45:43 at the end of the law given, of course, in Exodus 20, 45:47 and then the end of the covenant there 45:49 in Exodus 24, 45:50 but it's the same words. 45:51 Exodus 19:7-8, 45:53 "So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, 45:55 and laid before them all the words 45:57 which the Lord commanded them. 45:59 Then all the people answered together and said, 46:02 'All that the Lord has spoken we will do.' 46:07 So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord.'" 46:11 So was obedience a condition of the covenant? 46:15 We've established very clearly 46:16 that obedience is a condition of the covenant. 46:19 Ryan already read Exodus 19:5, just a couple of verses before. 46:23 If they obey God's voice and keep the covenant, 46:27 then they will remain and be in covenant with Him. 46:31 It is a covenant of salvation. 46:33 The problem was not their attempt to obey 46:36 because the covenant demanded obedience. 46:38 The problem was the kind of obedience 46:41 that they sought to bring. 46:44 The obedience they sought to bring 46:46 is really not obedience at all. 46:48 Obedience is a result of salvation. 46:52 Obedience is not the means of salvation. 46:56 They didn't obey to be saved, they obeyed or were to obey, 47:01 because they were in that saving walk, 47:04 that covenant relationship with God. 47:07 It reminds me, 47:09 this is a marriage illustration. 47:12 I like soggy bread, that's me. 47:14 So when I eat soup, I dip my bread in the soup, 47:18 I dip my crackers in the soup. 47:20 Greg is opposite me. 47:21 So he likes his toast very dry, hard. 47:25 That's how he likes it. 47:27 He would never dip anything in soup, 47:28 because it would make it soggy. 47:30 So he likes his toast so dry 47:32 that when you toast it in the toaster, 47:34 and then you pull it out and say, 47:35 I'd be ready when we first got married 47:37 to put the toast on the plate. 47:39 And what happens to the side of the toast 47:41 that's on the plate when it's warm, 47:43 it becomes soft. 47:45 So I learned when we were first married, 47:47 leave the toast in the toaster 47:49 for a few minutes until it cools off a bit. 47:51 And then you can put it on the plate 47:52 because Greg would be like, my toast is soft, 47:54 my toast becomes soggy after it's toasted. 47:58 Now let me tell you, I do not do that. 48:00 So every morning, if we have toast for breakfast, 48:02 I make sure I put the toast in the toaster 48:04 before he's going to eat 48:05 because this way it has time to cool 48:07 and that way the toast is now soft. 48:08 Now I do that not because I have to. 48:11 Greg doesn't say, make sure my toast is nice and hard. 48:14 He doesn't say that. 48:15 I do it, why? 48:17 Because I love him. 48:19 And because I know 48:21 that's his favorite way to eat toast 48:23 is crunchy. 48:25 What were the mistakes 48:27 that the children of Israel made? 48:29 Their first mistake was 48:31 thinking that they could obey the law 48:32 in their own strength. 48:34 When they said all that the Lord has said we will do. 48:37 They thought they did it in their own strength. 48:39 Their second mistake was seeking obedience 48:42 apart from faith. 48:44 Turn with me to Romans, Romans 9:30-32. 48:49 They sought obedience apart from faith 48:53 thinking they could separate the two. 48:55 Romans 9:30, 48:57 "What shall we say then? 48:58 That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, 49:01 have attained to righteousness, 49:03 even the righteousness of faith, 49:06 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, 49:10 has not attained to the law of righteousness. 49:13 Why? 49:15 Because they did not seek it by faith, 49:17 but as it were, by the works of the law." 49:20 Israel sought to obey the law in their own strength. 49:22 Israel sought to obey it apart from faith. 49:27 Israel also stumbled at Jesus. 49:30 You look at the very next phrase, 49:32 we're still in Romans 9:32. 49:34 It keeps going. 49:35 It says, "They stumbled at," what? 49:37 "That stumbling stone. 49:39 As it is written: 49:40 'Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone 49:42 and rock of offense, 49:44 and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." 49:49 How do we stumble at Jesus? 49:52 We stumble at Jesus 49:53 when we refuse to acknowledge Him 49:56 as Lord of our lives. 49:57 We stumble at Jesus when we refuse to recognize 50:00 His grace in our lives. 50:02 We stumble at Jesus when we refuse to... 50:06 when we seek to obey by ourselves. 50:10 We stumble at Jesus, 50:11 when we seek to be good enough for God. 50:13 We stumble at Jesus 50:15 when we seek to measure ourselves 50:17 by the supposed goodness of others. 50:20 It reminds me of Galatians 5. 50:21 Paul says in Galatians 5:4, 50:24 "You have become estranged or separated from Christ, 50:29 you who attempt to be justified by law, 50:32 you have fallen from grace." 50:35 You mean, I can try and think I'm being a good Christian, 50:40 I can think I'm doing the promises 50:42 that the children of Israel said, 50:44 "Oh, yes, God, I want to walk in obedience." 50:47 And yet if I do it apart from Christ, 50:50 I am separating myself from Him. 50:53 They also, the children of Israel 50:55 refused to surrender to God. 50:57 The next chapter, Romans 10:3, 51:00 "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, 51:03 and seeking to establish their own righteousness, 51:06 have not submitted to the righteousness of God." 51:11 They refuse to allow Him access to even work in their lives. 51:16 You know, if you look at the difference, 51:18 this is to me the difference of works 51:20 versus grace. 51:21 Work say, what I do has bearing on who I am. 51:26 Grace says, who I am has bearing on what I do. 51:30 Work say, 51:31 actions are more important than motive. 51:34 Grace says, motive informs my actions. 51:39 Work say, 51:40 I am what other people perceive me to be. 51:43 Grace says, I am who God says I am. 51:48 We have a great need of divine grace. 51:50 Isaiah 64 says, 51:51 "All our righteousness is as filthy rags." 51:56 My nephew Caleb when he was two years old. 51:58 I'll never forget this. 52:00 We were visiting my sister 52:01 and he had a full blown temper tantrum on the floor, 52:04 heels kicking arms, flailing, 52:06 crying tears running down his face. 52:08 But in the midst of that 52:10 whole temper tantrum, he cried, 52:11 "Jesus, help me be good." 52:14 Jesus, he's kicking his feet. 52:16 Jesus, help me be good. 52:19 What is that? 52:20 That means even a child can understand 52:23 that our righteousness is as filthy rags, 52:27 and that we cannot obey the law 52:30 in our own grace or strength. 52:34 Legalism is works based salvation. 52:38 It's concerned with keeping the law of God 52:40 as an end in itself or as a means to salvation. 52:45 Legalism is Christ-less law keeping. 52:49 It is separating the law from the law giver. 52:51 It's not concerned with obedience to God 52:53 or honoring Christ. 52:55 It simply seeks to obey rules 52:57 devoid of any relationship. 53:01 Legalism is externally motivated, 53:03 it is externally driven. 53:05 It is concerned with external obedience 53:08 instead of an inward change. 53:11 Legalism is concerned about the letter of the law 53:13 while violating entirely the spirit of the law. 53:18 Legalism is adding our own rules 53:20 to the law of God 53:22 and beginning to treat those rules 53:23 as if they are divine. 53:26 The Pharisees did that. 53:27 Jesus said, 53:28 "In vain do they worship Me, 53:30 teaching as doctrines the commandments of men, 53:32 elevating them to the rule of the Divine." 53:35 Legalism is an attempt to gain favor with God 53:38 or impress fellow human beings by doing certain things 53:42 or maybe avoiding other things 53:44 without regard to the condition of our heart before God. 53:48 Legalism is rooted in pride. 53:51 If we look at grace, faith and obedience, 53:55 we are saved by grace through faith. 53:58 Pastor John already read Ephesians 2:8-9, 54:01 "For by grace we are saved through faith." 54:05 We also obey by grace through faith. 54:09 Romans 1:5, through whom? 54:12 "Through Jesus Christ, 54:13 we received grace and apostleship 54:16 for obedience to the faith or obedience of faith 54:21 among all nations for His name." 54:24 You see grace is not just clemency toward sin. 54:27 Grace is power over sin. 54:30 Grace is Christ in you the hope of glory. 54:34 Grace is a gift. 54:36 Salvation is a gift. 54:38 Faith is a gift. 54:40 Grace and faith, 54:41 I believe both of them are activated by our choice. 54:45 And grace, obedience, it comes from God. 54:48 I like that word, grace, obedience. 54:50 Connecting grace with obedience 54:53 because all obedience comes from grace. 54:56 So the promises of the children of Israel 54:58 make many times today. 55:00 We make the same promises. 55:02 Yes, God, I'm going to follow you. 55:03 Yes, God, I'm going to do what you say. 55:06 But it requires faith, it requires surrender, 55:09 it requires allowing the infilling spirit 55:12 to help you obey. 55:14 Amen. Amen. 55:16 Wonderful. Glory. 55:17 Well, every single day, 55:19 you could see that they could continue, 55:21 because it's a blessing. 55:23 The Sabbath School Panel is a blessing. 55:25 We want to give each panel member a time 55:28 to say something for your last comments. 55:30 Just a quick summary, three points of salvation. 55:34 We have been saved justification 55:37 from the penalty of sin. 55:39 We are being saved sanctification 55:41 from the power of sin. 55:43 We will be saved glorification from the presence of sin. 55:49 Amen and amen. 55:51 The Sinai Covenant 55:54 is found in Exodus 20:22 55:58 through Exodus 23:22. 56:01 It repeats the moral law. 56:03 God repeats His Ten Commandments, 56:04 that's the heart of it. 56:06 Its civil laws based on a government 56:11 of those instructions of loving the Ten Commandments. 56:14 And then there is the ceremonial law 56:17 to show that when you mess up 56:19 and transgress His law, He's got a remedy. 56:22 Amen. 56:23 I want to read something from Wednesday's lesson 56:24 which says, 56:26 basing their relationship with Him upon his salvation, 56:30 the Lord sought to elevate them that is Israel 56:33 to a spiritual, intellectual and moral level 56:36 that would make them 56:38 the wonder of the ancient world, 56:40 all for the purpose of using them 56:41 to preach the gospel to the nations. 56:44 All they had to do in response was obey. 56:47 So as we learn in Wednesday's lesson, 56:50 God wants us to obey, 56:51 but we first need to see our need of Him 56:53 before we even see the need to obey. 56:55 In this case, the law doesn't save us, 56:57 Christ saves us. 56:59 But when we obey Him, we're showing our faith in Him. 57:02 Amen. 57:04 I had Promises, Promises. 57:05 And we can try to make promises, 57:07 but the best thing is to base our faith 57:10 on the promises in the Word of God. 57:13 Amen and amen. 57:14 Well, we hope you've been blessed 57:16 during this lesson study. 57:18 I would like to leave you 57:20 with the words of Psalms 103:17-18, 57:24 notice this, 57:26 "But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting 57:31 on those who fear Him, 57:34 and His righteousness to children's children, 57:37 to such as keep His covenant, 57:40 and to those 57:41 who remember His commandments to do them." 57:45 So we encourage you to enter 57:46 into covenant relationship with God. 57:49 Great blessings are in story. 57:52 We invite you to tune in 57:54 for next week's lesson number eight, 57:56 Covenant Law. 57:58 We'll see you then. 57:59 Amen. |
Revised 2021-05-13