Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP210046S
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00:01 Hello and welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School panel.
00:02 I'm John Lomacang. 00:04 And we always like to thank you for taking the time to join us 00:06 as we study God's Word together. 00:08 In this fourth quarter study 00:10 the lesson is Present Truth in Deuteronomy. 00:13 And it has been a wonderful study thus far. 00:15 Today we're talking about law and grace 00:18 in lesson number seven. 00:20 And the question is, 00:21 how do you balance law and grace? 00:24 How can we look at the character of God 00:26 and find Him in His law 00:28 and also in His wonderful grace? 00:30 Well, today we will make an attempt 00:31 to answer those questions. 00:33 But if you'd like a copy of the lesson to follow along, 00:35 go to absg.adventist.org 00:39 and download a digital copy or better yet, 00:42 go to your local Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:44 and join them for an exciting excursion 00:46 through the Word of God. 00:48 But whatever you choose to do, join us in just a few moments 00:51 for this wonderful study together. 01:23 Hello, I'm John Lomacang 01:25 and welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:27 Thank you for taking the time 01:29 to join us as we study God's Word together. 01:31 We are on lesson number seven, law and grace. 01:35 And I encourage you to stay tuned 01:37 as we walk through God's Word together. 01:39 And let me introduce our family. 01:41 To my immediate left is Shelley Quinn, 01:42 the lady from Texas. 01:44 Good to have you here, Shelley. 01:45 It is so good to be here, 01:47 and I'm looking forward to this lesson. 01:49 We're glad you're joining us. Yes. 01:51 And Pastor James Rafferty, the man in the middle today. 01:54 Good to be here, John. 01:55 So it's a blessing to be part of the family. 01:57 Yes. 01:58 And Jill Morikoni, our Vice President 02:00 and she does so many things I can't even start right now. 02:03 That will take the rest of the lesson, 02:04 but good to have you here, Jill. 02:06 Thank you, Pastor John. 02:07 Always a privilege to study 02:09 the Word of God and learn from each one here. 02:10 I think you've given the title of the list lady. 02:12 We got seven points today. Okay. 02:14 And the singer in Israel, Ryan Day. 02:16 Good to have you here, Ryan. 02:17 Always a blessing to be a part of this family 02:19 and today we're talking about the righteousness of Christ. 02:22 Okay, well praise the Lord. 02:23 Well, James, would you have our prayer for us this morning? 02:25 Absolutely. Let's pray. 02:27 Father in heaven, thank You so much again 02:29 for the opportunity to study Your Word. 02:32 And I ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit to teach us, 02:34 instruct us, to guide us. 02:36 Be with our viewers also, 02:38 we're excited about this lesson on law and grace. 02:40 And we just pray for Your blessing upon it. 02:42 We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 02:44 Amen. Amen. 02:46 You know, we talk about law and grace 02:47 and when I was reading through 02:50 what our good friend, Clifford Goldstein put together 02:53 on this topic, 02:54 it's been an exciting study thus far. 02:56 Yes, it has. 02:57 And this one is particularly interesting 02:59 because this is a topic of, 03:01 I would say subtle under lying controversy, 03:05 because if you ask a Christian, do they believe in God's law? 03:08 They may say yes. 03:09 Do they believe in God's grace? They may say yes. 03:13 Do we believe that God's law and grace 03:15 are combined together? 03:16 There you might get 03:17 a little bit of subtle controversy 03:19 because in some Christian circles, 03:22 there's a teaching that God's law has been done 03:24 away with and now we're no longer under law, 03:27 but we're under grace. 03:28 And even though the Bible says, 03:30 "You are no longer under the law, 03:31 but under grace," 03:33 many people don't understand what that means. 03:34 And for the most part, 03:36 some Christians believe that now we're living 03:38 in the Christian world and well, 03:40 God's law's done away with, 03:42 so therefore there is no real standard. 03:44 Although they won't say there's no standard, 03:46 they'll say, "We have to be nice to people. 03:47 We won't kill, lie, steal, cheat, commit adultery, 03:50 be a false witness, covet." 03:52 But there's an underlying feeling that well, 03:54 when Jesus died, His law was nailed to the cross 03:57 and now we are in the dispensation of grace. 04:00 And so each one of our panelists today 04:02 are going to talk about this in various ways. 04:04 What does the Bible say 04:06 when it talks about the law of God 04:08 and the grace of God? 04:10 But I want to just start with the text 04:11 in Galatians 2:21. 04:15 The Apostle Paul makes a very wonderful contrast 04:20 as he begins to focus our lens on the beauty 04:24 of law and grace combined. 04:28 Galatians 2:21 we read, 04:31 "I do not set aside the grace of God, 04:35 for if righteousness comes through the law, 04:39 then Christ died in vain." 04:42 Beautiful passage and standing all by itself, 04:45 it almost makes it appear initially, Shelley, 04:48 that, well, since righteousness does not come through the law, 04:52 we don't really need it. 04:53 But we find passages in Scripture 04:55 that are somehow when you put the entire picture together 04:59 like pieces in a puzzle, 05:01 all of a sudden it starts to develop in a way that 05:03 makes it very, very clear. 05:05 There are those who look at 05:08 the violation of the commandments of God 05:11 as the need to confess. 05:13 But then, at the same time, 05:15 in some of those very same circles, 05:16 they will say, "Well, you know, 05:19 the law is love the Lord your God with all your heart, 05:23 and then love your neighbor as yourself. 05:25 And that's really the only laws we have." 05:28 But that's not, in fact, the case. 05:30 We could look at the reality of sin. 05:33 Now, does sin still exists. Oh, yeah. 05:35 Where there is no law, there is no sin. 05:38 And I know that I'm going to 05:39 use a very basic story to illustrate 05:43 and then dive into the lesson on law and grace. 05:46 I was speeding through the state of Indiana, 2006. 05:51 Somehow the vehicle got away from me 05:54 and I was going 87 miles an hour. 05:57 And coming down a hill and I was going to New York 06:00 to clear up my dad's apartment. 06:02 He had passed away. 06:03 And this is before in dash GPSs. 06:06 So I had this big laptop in the middle of the vehicle. 06:10 And I was looking down as I had the... 06:12 There was a dongle you stuck outside the window, 06:14 this magnetic dongle. 06:16 It was kind of the receiver for the GPS 06:18 that was on the Rand McNally map. 06:19 That was this big computer program. 06:21 You young folks are really blessed to just have a phone. 06:24 And I didn't see it, but I was coming around a curve 06:26 and a big 18 wheeler to my right. 06:28 And as I came around the curve coming down the hill, 06:30 there I saw a black highway patrol in Indiana 06:33 and he put his sights on immediately. 06:35 And I thought to myself, "He really wants to meet me." 06:38 So he pulled me over and he said, 06:41 "Can you tell me why you're going so fast?" 06:43 And I said, "How fast was I going?" 06:45 He said, "I clocked you at 87." 06:47 He said, "Now, did you know you're going that fast?" 06:50 I said, "Honestly officer, I was looking at my GPS. 06:53 I didn't know that." 06:55 He said, "Registration license." 06:57 And he was very nice about it 06:58 and I had no reason not to be nice about it 07:01 because I was guilty as charged. 07:04 And I said "Okay," and he came back he said, 07:06 "Do you have your insurance card?" 07:08 I gave it to him. 07:09 He came back and he said, 07:10 "You know, where are you going?" 07:12 I said, "I'm on my way to New York. 07:13 My dad passed away. 07:15 I'm going to empty out his apartment." 07:16 He pulled his hat back and he said, "You know what? 07:21 I'm going to give you a break. 07:23 But could you just slow it down and we'll call it a day?" 07:27 That's grace. 07:29 Did he say, "You know because of you speeding 07:32 because of you, I'm just going to go ahead 07:34 and remove the speed limit? 07:36 You just peel out 07:37 and just go as fast as you'd like. 07:38 And everybody after you will no longer 07:40 have to abide by the law." 07:42 He didn't say that. 07:43 He said, "I'm going to give you a break today." 07:45 That's grace. 07:48 Grace exists because there is a law. 07:52 There is no need for grace if there was not a law. 07:56 So because there is grace, there is a law. 08:00 Look at Ephesians 2:8-9, this is wonderful. 08:04 Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace, 08:09 you have been saved through faith, 08:11 and that not of yourselves. 08:14 It is the gift of God, not of works, 08:17 lest anyone should boast." 08:19 Now notice, it is a gift. 08:21 Grace is a gift. Why is it a gift? 08:23 If you stood before a judge, and you knew you were guilty. 08:26 What would you ask for, justice or mercy? 08:29 You'll ask for mercy. 08:31 Now, if you stood before a judge 08:32 and you knew you were guilty 08:34 and you ask for justice, he'll say, "You want justice? 08:35 Throw him in jail. We have him on camera. 08:38 We have him on camera speeding. 08:40 You want justice, go to jail." 08:42 When we stand before the God of the universe, 08:44 the judge of the universe, 08:46 He gives us the privilege of His grace. 08:50 So that we can stand before Him 08:52 and open our hearts to confess our sins 08:54 and know that He is faithful 08:56 and just to forgive us of our sins, 08:57 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 09:00 Now, let's read that text again, 09:02 Ephesians 2:8-9 with some theological gloves 09:08 because we are saved by grace through what? 09:10 Through faith. 09:11 Paul the Apostle now, begins to tie it over... 09:14 Go to Romans 3:31. 09:16 He says, "Oh yeah, we are saved by grace through faith," 09:19 but notice the question Paul asks. 09:21 Jill, could you read that for us, Romans 3:31 09:23 Sure. 09:24 "Do we then make void the law through faith? 09:26 Certainly not, on the contrary, we established the law." 09:30 He says, "Certainly not, 09:33 do we make void the law through faith?" 09:35 In other words, since we are saved 09:36 by grace through faith, 09:38 does that now give us a license to ignore the law? 09:41 I like the way the King James Version says, 09:42 "God forbid." 09:45 That's right. Certainly not, absolutely not. 09:48 Do we step out of court and say, 09:50 "Since I got away with that speeding ticket, 09:52 I'm going to peel off from the courthouse 09:54 and just let them know how I feel." 09:56 No, absolutely not. 09:58 I want to tell you when that officer let me go, 10:01 it was a long time 10:03 before I got past the speed limit. 10:05 And then one patrolmen said, 10:06 he said, "Now, I in the State of Illinois, 10:08 I don't want to tell you this to have you get in trouble 10:12 because it's not a hardened fast law." 10:13 But he said, "If you stay 10:15 within 10 miles of the speed limit, 10:16 we'll give you a little bit of grace. 10:18 But when you start going way past that, 10:20 you know, it's up to the officers 10:21 to make that call." 10:22 It's not in the law book that 10:24 you have 10 miles off the speed limit, 10:25 but they tend to give you 10:27 a little bit of grace in that respect. 10:29 God, His law is not a flexible law. 10:34 I want to say that because God had said, 10:36 "Well, you can steal a little bit. 10:40 You could lie a little bit." 10:42 No, God's law is a transcript of His character. 10:47 And God is the same when? 10:49 Yesterday, today and forever. 10:51 God is not flexible, but God is full of grace. 10:56 So we have to understand 10:57 the two go together hand-in-hand. 10:59 Look at another passage. 11:00 Here's why it's important when we say we know God 11:03 that we live in harmony with His commandments. 11:07 Because of His grace, we now have the obligation 11:10 to pull off after being stopped by an officer, 11:13 and show him that 11:14 we can be a law abiding citizen. 11:16 When God forgives us, we now have to demonstrate that 11:20 we love Him so much for His grace. 11:22 If you love me... finish it with me. 11:24 Keep My commandments. 11:25 We show Him because of His love and His grace. 11:27 We are wanting by His strength to live in harmony 11:31 with His commandments. 11:32 And there is a stern rebuke for those who say, 11:34 "Well, God's commandments 11:35 are not applicable to my Christian walk." 11:37 Here it is in 1 John 2:3-4. 11:42 You know what that passage is, right, Ryan? 11:43 That's right. 11:45 Okay, Ryan do you have it, 1 John 2:3-4? 11:47 Look at that. Yes, 1 John 2:3-4. 11:49 Stern rebuke about what happens when we decide 11:51 not to honor God's commandments. 11:53 It says, "Now, by this we know Him..." 11:55 excuse me, "By this we know that 11:56 we know Him if we keep His commandments. 11:58 He who says I know Him 12:00 and does not keep His commandments 12:01 is a liar and the truth is not in him." 12:03 Are you seeing? 12:04 So you say you know the police officer, 12:06 yet you're speeding through his town. 12:08 Oh, no, you don't know that police officer 12:10 because he does not like people speeding through his town. 12:15 You got to understand that God is a God of mercy. 12:18 God is a God of grace, 12:19 but God is the God of requirements. 12:22 And He didn't give us 10 suggestions 12:24 or 10 optional principles. 12:26 They're called Ten Commandments, 12:28 but they are not from the heart of an angry God. 12:32 They are from the heart of a loving God. 12:34 So the question is, how did this law get violated? 12:37 As we look very briefly at Sunday's lesson. 12:39 I have a few points to make 12:41 before I transition to the next person. 12:44 Let's find out how we got into the condition 12:46 that we're in. 12:47 Ezekiel 28:15-16, 12:49 I want to transition on this passage. 12:52 And this is about law in heaven. 12:54 It's obvious that there was a law in heaven 12:55 or else this passage 12:57 would not have been in the Bible. 12:58 Ezekiel 28:15, "You were perfect in your ways, 13:02 from the day you were created, 13:05 till iniquity was found in you. 13:08 By the abundance of your trading, 13:09 you became filled 13:10 with violence within and you sinned. 13:14 Therefore, I cast you as a profane thing 13:17 out of the mountain of God. 13:19 And I destroyed you O covering cherub 13:21 from the midst of the fiery stone." 13:23 And here's the application, 13:25 iniquity and sinned are two words 13:28 that could not exist apart 13:31 from the existence of a law. 13:34 You can't be a person that lives a life of iniquity. 13:37 You cannot have cherished sin. 13:39 You could not be guilty of sinning 13:41 if there was no law to violate. 13:43 The foundation of God's government is law. 13:48 And 1 John 3:4 says, 13:50 "Whosoever committed sin transgresseth also the law, 13:55 for sin is the transgression of the law." 13:59 So here's the point of transition, 14:01 God's law and God's grace are from the same heart. 14:06 But God is inflexible and His law is inflexible, 14:08 yet His grace is available for every one of us. 14:11 We are saved by it and we live under God's grace. 14:15 Amen. Amen. 14:16 You know, I always like to point out 14:19 justice is getting what we deserve. 14:23 Mercy is not getting what we deserve. 14:28 Grace is getting what we don't deserve. 14:32 I love that. Yes. 14:33 I have Tuesday's lessons. 14:35 I'm Shelley Quinn, 14:37 and this is the Law in Deuteronomy. 14:40 Let me just... 14:41 Well, I'll save that comment for just a second. 14:44 What we've got is that 14:46 God's chosen people are at the edge 14:49 of the Promised Land. 14:53 They're getting ready to go in 14:54 and Moses stops them 14:56 and he gives them a lot of instructions. 14:59 He gives them again, the Book of the Covenant, 15:04 the Book of the Law, 15:05 he is expanding what was written in Exodus 24:7. 15:10 And he is going to have them do a covenant commitment. 15:15 He's re-ratifying the covenant as it were. 15:18 That's what Deuteronomy means. 15:21 It's the second giving of the law. 15:23 I have to say this. 15:25 When we see the law and the prophets, 15:28 what does that refer to? 15:29 It's all of the Old Testament. 15:31 When we see the Law of Moses, 15:34 it's talking about the first five books of Moses. 15:37 When we see Book of the Law, it is referring to Deuteronomy. 15:43 And I want to point something out because, you know, 15:47 sometimes we just say law, 15:49 and everybody assumes it's the Ten Commandments. 15:51 But if we go back to Galatians 3:10, 15:55 the law that Paul is talking about in Galatians 15:59 that we're no longer under... 16:01 Always read in context because you could say, 16:04 "Oh, we're not under the Ten Commandments." 16:06 That's not what he's saying. 16:07 Look in context, in verse 10, 16:10 he says, "As many as are of the works of the law 16:13 are under a curse. 16:15 For it is written..." 16:16 And now he's going to quote directly 16:18 from Deuteronomy 27:26. 16:22 He says, "Cursed is everyone 16:23 who does not continuing in all the things, 16:25 which are written in the Book of the Law to do them." 16:29 That's right. 16:31 So the law that Paul is referring to here 16:34 is the Book of the Law. 16:35 Now what happens? 16:38 Moses is getting this younger generation. 16:42 He's explaining the love of God. 16:44 He's explaining the grace of God, 16:46 and he's trying to get them to affirm a commitment 16:50 to a relationship with God. 16:53 And that relationship, blessings, 16:58 the pathway to blessings was obedience to God. 17:02 He is seeking... 17:04 God is seeking a response from us. 17:08 His sovereignty, His love, and that response is obedience. 17:12 So in Deuteronomy 7:7-11, 17:15 he reminds them of God's grace, 17:17 God's law, how God saved them. 17:22 God saved them before he ever asked them to obey. 17:24 Isn't that interesting? 17:26 He redeemed them from Egypt. 17:28 He brought them through the Red Sea, 17:31 just because of His love for them 17:33 and because of His covenant 17:36 with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 17:38 So they have been saved by grace, no doubt. 17:42 But God had done for them 17:44 what they couldn't do for themselves. 17:46 Their response of faith was to be 17:49 one of loyalty and love to God 17:52 and obedience that was motivated by love. 17:56 So what Moses is doing is reminding them. 17:59 Hey, God is faithful. 18:01 He keeps covenant with whom? 18:04 With those who keep covenant with Him, 18:07 with those who walk in obedience 18:10 to His commandments. 18:12 And then He warns them all these curses 18:15 are in the law for disobedience. 18:17 But let's look at 18:22 because he is repeatedly telling them, 18:26 "If you want to be blessed, observe this law, 18:28 obey this law." 18:29 Deuteronomy 28:58. 18:31 He says, "Observe all the words of the law 18:34 that are written in this book." 18:36 It's the book... 18:37 verse 61, he calls it the Book of the Law. 18:41 "That you may fear His glorious and awesome name 18:44 of Lord your God." 18:45 And then if you jump down to Deuteronomy 29:14 18:50 is where we'll begin. 18:52 "I make this covenant and this oath," now get this, 18:56 "not with you alone, 18:59 but with him who stands here 19:01 with us today before the Lord our God." 19:03 And then look, "As well as with him, 19:07 who is not here with us today." 19:11 This covenant, this Old Covenant, 19:14 it is the civil laws, 19:17 the ceremonial laws were nailed to cross. 19:19 That's what got nailed to the cross. 19:22 But it was for all the people and it is just... 19:27 God's covenants are a progressive revelation, 19:31 a progressive unfolding 19:33 of His everlasting covenant of grace, 19:37 that we will be saved through the Lamb that was slain 19:40 from the foundation of the world. 19:42 So then he goes on and he's describing idols 19:45 and pagan worships of the other nation 19:47 and listen to what he says. 19:49 He said, "Hey, avoid these..." 19:50 verse 18, and this is, where am I? 19:53 Deuteronomy 29:18, 19:56 "So that they may not be among you" he said, 19:59 "avoid these idols in this pagan worship. 20:02 So they may not be among you, 20:04 man or woman or family or tribe 20:05 whose hearts turn away from the Lord our God, 20:09 to go after and serve the gods of these nations, 20:11 that they may not be among you, a root bearing bitterness, 20:16 or wormwood, and so it may not happen." 20:20 Listen to what he doesn't want to happen. 20:22 That when someone hears the words of the curse 20:25 in the Book of Deuteronomy that in his heart, 20:29 he's blessing himself and saying, 20:32 and this is a quote from verse 19. 20:34 The guy is saying in his heart, 20:36 "Oh, I shall have peace, even though 20:38 I follow the dictates of my heart." 20:41 You know that's what cheap grace is. 20:43 People who think that "God has saved me. 20:46 I'm under covenant. 20:48 I'll do whatever I want." 20:49 And Moses says, 20:51 "As though the drunkard could be 20:54 included with the sober." 20:56 And verse 20, 20:57 "The Lord would not spare him 21:00 for then the anger of the Lord 21:01 and His jealousy would burn against that man, 21:03 every curse that is written in this book," 21:06 that was a witness against him, 21:09 "would settle on him, 21:10 and the Lord would blot his name 21:13 from under heaven. 21:15 And the Lord would separate him 21:17 from all the tribes of Israel for adversity, 21:20 according to all of the curses of the covenant 21:24 that are written in His book of law, 21:29 the Book of Deuteronomy." 21:31 And we saw in verse, we looked at this before, 21:34 Deuteronomy 31:26. 21:36 When Moses finished writing that covenant law, 21:40 he said, "Take this Book of the Law." 21:42 That's Deuteronomy 31:26. 21:44 "Put it in the side pocket of the ark 21:47 as a witness against you." 21:49 That's what Colossians 2:14 21:51 is talking about that got nailed to the cross. 21:54 So these curses for breaking the covenant, 21:58 we don't have time to go through that. 21:59 But that breaking the covenant was apostasy 22:02 and the curses are found in Deuteronomy 27 and 28. 22:07 It's amazing to me 22:08 how best of people fell into apostasy, 22:12 but God's immeasurable love 22:15 and grace provided them a way to turn back to Him. 22:19 And Deuteronomy 30:9-10, 22:23 the provision for turning back to the Lord. 22:26 Deuteronomy 30:9, 22:28 "The Lord your God will make you abound 22:29 in all the work of your hand, the fruit of your body, 22:32 the increase of your livestock, 22:33 in the produce of your land for the good. 22:36 For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good 22:39 as He rejoiced over your father, 22:42 if you obey His voice. 22:45 Obey the voice of the Lord your God, 22:47 to keep His commandments and His statutes, 22:50 which are written in this Book of the Law. 22:53 And if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart, 22:57 with all of your soul." 23:00 So what we're seeing here is that 23:05 throughout the Old Testament, 23:08 God, His heart, 23:11 His plea is returned to me. 23:14 Oh, return to me, I'll return to you. 23:17 God is a God of love and grace. 23:21 We are saved by grace through faith 23:23 in the New Covenant as you've looked at. 23:25 It's a part from obedience of the Ten Commandments, 23:30 but the Ten Commandments 23:32 are as they were part of the Old Covenant. 23:34 They are part of the new. 23:36 Read Hebrews 8:8-10 God says, 23:39 "I'll write them on your hearts. 23:41 I will work in you to will and to do my good pleasure, 23:45 and you shall walk 23:47 in covenant love relationship with me." 23:50 Amen. 23:51 Thank you so much, Shelley, for that lesson study. 23:54 And, friends, don't go away. We'll be right back. 24:01 Ever wish you could watch a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel 24:04 again, or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 24:08 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com 24:13 A clean design makes it easy 24:15 to find the program you're looking for. 24:18 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 24:21 so you can follow along. 24:23 Sharing is easy. 24:24 Just click share and choose your favorite social media. 24:27 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 24:32 Hello, welcome back to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 24:34 I'm John Lomacang. 24:35 But I'm going to now segue 24:37 to my good brother, James Rafferty. 24:38 James, it's on you. 24:40 Thank you, John. Thank you, Shelley. 24:42 What a blessing? 24:43 I actually have been given the hardest lesson. 24:47 Not because of the lesson itself, 24:49 but because of the title. 24:50 I can't actually figure out how to pronounce it. 24:53 It sounds like, it looks like it should be the Letov Lock. 24:58 But I looked up to Hebrew 25:00 and it didn't actually seen that way. 25:01 Either way, this title is all about 25:05 keeping the law of God for our good. 25:09 So God wants us to understand this principle. 25:12 Now, the verses that we've been 25:14 given here for our lesson today, 25:16 Tuesday's lesson are in Deuteronomy 10:1-15. 25:20 But really, we've already looked at 25:23 most of those verses in the previous lesson. 25:25 And so I'm going to skip down 25:27 to a key verse that is verse 15 of Deuteronomy Chapter 10. 25:30 I'm going to do this for two reasons. 25:32 One, I mentioned we've already covered it, 25:33 but another one is 25:34 because if I skip down to verse 15, 25:36 I don't have to pronounce all those difficult words like, 25:40 Ben Hur, Roth and Jaakan and Moserah 25:43 and Gudgodah and Jotbathah. 25:47 I don't have to pronounce those words 25:48 if I just go right down to verse 15. 25:51 Plus verse 15 is so powerful, is so key. 25:55 Look at what God is saying here in verse 15 25:57 of Deuteronomy Chapter 10. 26:00 "Only the Lord had a delight in thy fathers to love them. 26:06 And He chose their seed 26:07 after them even you above all people as it is this day." 26:13 One of the primary truths that 26:15 is communicated through the Book of the Law, 26:18 the present truth in Deuteronomy 26:20 is that God loves us. 26:22 And you cannot separate God's love for us 26:25 from His desire to give us His law. 26:29 The law of God is a powerful revelation 26:32 of the love of God for us. 26:35 God gives us His law. 26:37 And I loved what Pastor John shared earlier, and that is, 26:41 is that grace exists because the law exists. 26:46 You know, we need to recognize 26:48 that that God's law is an intricate 26:50 part of the plan of salvation. 26:52 God hasn't abandoned us 26:54 to our own thoughts and imaginations. 26:55 God has set up a standard for us 26:57 so we can find our way, 26:59 so we can navigate our way to Jesus Christ, 27:01 so we can recognize our sins 27:03 and be led to Him to give them to Him who became sin for us. 27:07 So this week's lesson is so powerful. 27:09 It's talking about God's grace and love for Israel. 27:13 And it goes on to say... 27:15 and I just want to read from the lesson, 27:16 Cliff did such a good job here describing this, 27:19 he says, "We can't forget either..." 27:21 The end of verse 13 27:23 "Keep these things for your good." 27:26 In other words, 27:28 God is commanding the people to obey 27:30 because it is in their best interest to do so. 27:33 God made them, God sustains them, 27:35 God knows what is best for them 27:37 and He wants all that is best for them. 27:41 Obedience to His law, 27:43 to His Ten Commandments 27:44 can work only to their benefits. 27:48 The law often has been 27:49 compared to a hedgerow wall of protection 27:51 and by staying within that wall 27:53 the followers are protected 27:55 from the raft of evils that otherwise would 27:58 overtake and destroy them. 28:00 In short, out of love for His people, 28:01 God gave them His law 28:03 and obedience to His law is for our good. 28:07 I love those words, Cliff, 28:08 you did a really good job, in my opinion, on sharing that, 28:11 that hedge of protection 28:13 that God wants to have for us to protect us 28:16 from this raft of evil that is all around us in this world. 28:20 And that's really what Jesus came to do. 28:22 When Jesus came to this earth, 28:23 He came to substantiate the validity of God's law. 28:27 He was the law in person. 28:30 Jesus Christ was the incarnation 28:32 of the law of God. 28:33 Jesus Christ lived this life of perfect obedience 28:37 to God's law and He showed us 28:39 what the law looks like in tangible, 28:42 practical revelation. 28:44 In other words, 28:45 it wasn't just something that was written, 28:47 you know, in stone, 28:48 something that was written in pen and ink. 28:50 Jesus Christ put flesh and bones. 28:52 Jesus Christ showed us 28:54 what the law looks like in action. 28:56 And when he came to show us 28:57 what the law looked like in action, 28:58 when he started to expound upon this law, 29:01 a lot of the religious leaders 29:03 started scratching their head, 29:04 and they started thinking, "Well, wait a minute. 29:06 He's doing away with the law." 29:07 Jesus comes incarnate in the law, 29:11 and we start thinking He's doing away with the law. 29:14 And I think that's the same thing 29:15 that we're looking at today. 29:17 We're looking at Jesus coming in carted in the law, 29:20 and a lot of people saying, 29:21 "Well, Jesus came to do away with the law." 29:23 He came to get rid of the law, but rather the Bible says, yes, 29:28 Shelley, "He came to magnify the law and make it honorable." 29:32 So the religious leaders had a hard time discerning that. 29:34 They were, in fact, self deceived. 29:36 And the greatest deception 29:38 that the leaders stumbled over was Jesus Christ Himself. 29:43 Jesus Christ became a stumbling block 29:45 to the religious leaders of His time. 29:47 And we're going to find that as we embody the laws, 29:50 we bring the law into our lives and hearts 29:52 as we live out that law, 29:54 we also are going to be a stumbling block 29:56 to a lot of people just like Jesus was, 29:58 because we also are going to be 30:02 navigating a different path 30:04 than the rest of the world and the rest of Christianity 30:07 in our focus on being inside 30:09 that hedge that God has given to protect us. 30:12 And a lot of people are not going to discern this, 30:13 but some are. 30:15 You know, in the Bible, it tells us in 30:18 Acts 5:32, 30:22 it tells us that 30:24 we are His witnesses of these things. 30:27 And so is also the Holy Ghost 30:30 whom God had given to them that obey Him. 30:35 So the Holy Spirit is the only way 30:37 we can have true spiritual discernment. 30:39 You know, over and over again in the Book of Revelation, 30:41 God counsels the church 30:44 to listen to what the Spirit says, 30:47 listen to what the Spirit says to the church. 30:49 The Holy Spirit gives us discernment. 30:51 If we know to do His will is because we've been instructed, 30:56 convicted by the Holy Spirit. 30:58 And Jesus was full of the Spirit. 31:00 And so Jesus had this understanding, 31:02 this perception that a lot of religious leaders 31:05 stumbled over and we're going to be 31:06 facing as we get to the end of time. 31:08 God wants to fill us with His Spirit 31:10 so that we can have discernment of the truth of His law 31:13 and its placement within the plan of salvation. 31:16 No, we're not saved by the law. 31:18 We've already established that over and over again, 31:19 we're saved by grace. 31:20 Yes. 31:22 But the reason why grace exists is because of the law. 31:24 I'm just never going to forget that phrase, John. 31:27 The reason why grace exists is because of law. 31:30 And so if we don't... 31:31 If we're not in harmony with the love, 31:32 if we don't love the law, 31:34 which is Christ in body who is the truth, the way, 31:36 the truth and the life. 31:38 If we do not step into harmony with God's law, 31:41 we are in danger of being deceived. 31:43 In fact, in 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2, 31:46 Paul gives us the warning. 31:48 He gives us a warning of 31:49 how God's people could be deceived in the end of time. 31:53 There are going to be many people 31:55 according to Revelation 13 that are going to be deceived. 31:57 In 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2, 31:59 there are four basic principles that Paul lays out there 32:02 to warn us of why we're deceived. 32:05 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2, 32:07 and we'll just look here at verses 8 through 12, 32:10 the first reason why we're deceived, 32:12 the second reason why we're deceived, 32:13 the third reason why we're deceived 32:14 and the fourth reason why we're deceived. 32:16 Now, let's just look here. 32:17 Give me a second to get this on my phone because I have my 32:20 Bible app here on my phone. 32:22 It's the fastest way for me to navigate 32:25 through the Word of God. 32:26 Verse 8 says, "And then shall that wicked be revealed 32:30 whom the Lord shall consume with a Spirit of His mouth 32:32 and destroy with the brightness of His coming." 32:34 Verse 9, "Even him, 32:35 whose coming is after 32:37 the working of Satan with all power and signs 32:38 and lying wonders, 32:40 with all this deceivableness of unrighteousness in them 32:42 that perish because..." 32:44 Here's number one, "They received, 32:45 not the love of the truth that they might be saved." 32:50 Verse 11, "For this cause 32:52 God shall send them strong delusion 32:54 that they should believe a lie." 32:56 So first of all, they believe not the truth. 32:58 Second of all, they believe a lie 32:59 and then it goes on to say this, 33:01 "That they all might be damned to believe not the truth 33:03 but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 33:07 So they believe not the truth 33:08 and they have pleasure in unrighteousness. 33:10 They don't love the truth. 33:12 They believe a lie. 33:14 They don't believe the truth, 33:15 and they have pleasure in unrighteousness. 33:17 And so God sends them strong delusion. 33:19 And I'm I thinking, "Well, 33:21 why would God send them strong delusion?" 33:23 Well, let's just close out with this thought. 33:25 The law of God being nailed to the cross 33:28 has become the strong delusion for many Christians today. 33:32 Jesus Christ was 33:34 the strong delusion for the Jews. 33:36 They stumbled over Him. 33:37 So it's not that God send strong delusion in the sense 33:40 that He wants us to be deceived. 33:41 He sends strong delusion in the revelation of truth, 33:45 in the revelation of what the Word of God says, 33:47 in the Revelation the word incarnate, 33:49 Jesus Christ Himself, and Christ in us. 33:52 Those who walk in the paths of God, 33:54 those who bring together God's law and grace, 33:57 those who are following the truth of His Word 34:00 become a strong delusion like Jesus did, 34:03 a stumbling block like Jesus did, 34:04 to those who love not the truth, 34:06 who believe a lie, who do not believe the truth 34:10 and have pleasure in unrighteousness. 34:12 And so it's vital for us to recognize this. 34:15 This is kind of a preparation for us 34:16 because when Jesus comes the second time, 34:18 we're told in Revelation 19:13, 34:21 He's going to have a name. 34:23 And the name that's going to be 34:24 written there is the Word of God. 34:28 This is all about the Word of God. 34:29 It's all about Jesus Christ. 34:30 It's all about loving Christ, obeying Christ, 34:32 being filled with the Spirit, 34:33 and having the discernment to follow Christ. 34:36 Grace and law are all about Jesus Christ. 34:39 Amen. 34:41 Thank you so much, Pastor James. 34:42 What an incredible study, each one of you. 34:44 I love that. 34:45 I have Wednesday's lesson, which is a slave in Egypt. 34:49 You know the concept of freedom from slavery, 34:52 redemption from bondage is all throughout 34:54 the Old Testament and especially 34:56 we find it all throughout the Book of Deuteronomy. 35:00 In fact, toward the end of Deuteronomy, 35:01 Deuteronomy 26:8, 35:04 it says, "So the Lord brought us 35:06 out of Egypt," how? 35:08 "With a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm, 35:12 with great terror and with signs and wonders." 35:16 You see God called the children of Israel out of Egypt. 35:20 He brought them out of bondage. 35:21 He redeemed them from slavery. 35:24 Why were they called out of Egypt? 35:27 I always like to ask why questions. 35:28 When I was growing up, 35:30 I think I bothered my parents exceedingly with why questions. 35:33 But why? But why? 35:35 So I always like to say why. 35:37 Why did they come out of Egypt? 35:38 And I would say, for my study of the Word of God, 35:40 there's probably more reasons. 35:42 But I want to give you today seven reasons 35:44 why God called them out of Egypt. 35:47 Reason number one, 35:48 because He wanted them to be His people. 35:52 We see this in Deuteronomy 4:20, 35:55 "The Lord has taken you 35:57 and brought you out of the iron furnace, 36:00 out of Egypt, to be His people." 36:02 There it is. 36:04 He brought them out of Egypt to be His people. 36:06 "And inheritance as you were this day." 36:10 They were called out specifically 36:12 to become His people, and He would establish that 36:14 covenant relationship with them. 36:16 Reasons number two, He called them out of Egypt 36:18 because He wanted them to know and experience that 36:22 He was the only true God. 36:26 He didn't just want them to be His people. 36:28 He wanted them to know who He was. 36:30 He was the only true God. 36:32 If you jump over just a couple more chapters, 36:34 Deuteronomy 4:34 actually, 36:38 same chapter just a couple more verses sorry. 36:41 Deuteronomy 4:34, 36:44 "Did God ever try to go and take for Himself, 36:46 a nation from the midst of another nation, 36:50 by trials, by signs, by wonders, by war, 36:53 by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, 36:57 by great terrors, according to all that the Lord 37:00 your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 37:03 To you, it was shown that you might know that 37:06 the Lord Himself is God. 37:08 There is none other besides Him." 37:10 So all the miracles of the children of Israel 37:13 being delivered from Egypt, 37:16 the plagues falling, the parting of the Red Sea, 37:18 the signs, the wonders that 37:20 God did to redeem them and restore them to Himself, 37:23 bring them out of Egypt 37:25 was to exemplify to them that He, 37:28 God alone is the only true God. 37:30 Reason number three, 37:31 He brought them out of Egypt because He loved them. 37:35 Deuteronomy 4, we're still in 4, 37:37 just read verse 37, "Because He loved your fathers, 37:42 therefore He chose their descendants after them, 37:46 and He brought you out of Egypt 37:47 with His Presence, with His mighty power." 37:51 He loved them. 37:52 Reason number four, 37:54 because He wanted to redeem them 37:57 and He wanted to set them free. 37:58 Now, we're going to the Book of Micah, 38:00 minor prophet Micah 6:4, 38:05 "For I brought you up from the land of Egypt. 38:08 I redeemed you from the house of bondage." 38:12 God brought them out of Egypt 38:14 because He didn't want to leave them in slavery. 38:15 And we could say 38:17 He did not want to leave them in sin, 38:19 and He wanted to redeem them and set them free. 38:22 Amen. 38:23 Reason number five, the reason 38:25 He brought them out of the land of Egypt, 38:27 He wanted to dwell with them. 38:29 Exodus 29:46, 38:34 "They shall know that I am the Lord their God, 38:37 who brought them up out of the land of Egypt 38:40 that I may dwell among them." 38:44 I am the Lord their God. 38:45 God brought them out of the land of Egypt 38:48 because He wanted to dwell with them. 38:52 Reason number six, 38:53 we're going to Leviticus for this. 38:55 Reason number six 38:56 because He wanted to be their God. 39:00 Leviticus 11:45, "I am the Lord 39:04 who brings you up out of the land of Egypt 39:06 to be your God." 39:10 Finally, reasons number seven, 39:11 we're still in Leviticus but we're going to Chapter 25. 39:14 Because He wanted to give them the land of Canaan. 39:19 Leviticus 25:38, "I am the Lord your God, 39:23 who brought you out of the land of Egypt 39:25 to give you the land of Canaan, 39:27 and to be your God." 39:29 You know, I might be sitting there 39:30 and sometimes I read that and I say, "Well, great. 39:33 Well, does that matter to me, Pastor Ryan? 39:35 The children of Israel were brought out of Egypt. 39:36 Well, that's a great story. 39:38 It's exciting to read about that. 39:39 Okay. 39:41 The children of Israel were redeemed 39:42 because God wanted them to be His people 39:43 and He wanted them to know 39:45 and experience He was the only true God. 39:46 He loved them, and what does that 39:48 even have to do with me?" 39:49 But the application for this to me is incredible 39:53 because I don't know about you, 39:56 but I was lost in the land of sin. 39:58 We were all captives in Egypt. 40:01 We were all in bondage, 40:04 in addiction, in slavery to sin. 40:07 Satan held us, or maybe right now 40:10 is holding you captive in the land of Egypt. 40:13 And what does God say? 40:15 He says to you right now, "I want to deliver you." 40:18 And why does He deliver you? 40:19 Why does He want to bring you out of Egypt? 40:22 Because He wants you to be His child. 40:24 I love that in Romans 8. 40:26 We can cry out Abba, daddy, father, 40:30 because God is our father. 40:32 He wants you to be His child. 40:34 He brings you out of the land of sin, 40:37 and addiction, and bondage 40:38 because He wants you to know 40:40 and experience that He alone is the only true God. 40:43 You don't have to look to other people. 40:45 You don't have to look to self-help groups. 40:47 Although I'm not saying that there is not room for all that, 40:49 but you don't have to look to all of that. 40:52 Look to the Lord Jesus, 40:53 know that He is a God above all gods, 40:56 that when He sets you free, 40:57 when the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. 41:01 Why does He bring you out of Egypt? 41:02 Because He loves you. 41:03 You might feel like, "Who loves me? 41:05 Nobody loves me. I'm alone. 41:09 I was abused. 41:10 I have this horrible past and nobody even loves me." 41:13 But yet the Lord loves you. 41:15 And you might say, "Well, Jesus loves me." 41:17 But no, the Word of God says the Father Himself loves you. 41:22 God loves you. 41:23 He wants to redeem you because He loves you. 41:25 He wants to redeem you and set you free. 41:27 That word redeem, to buy you back 41:30 from the land of the enemy, to set you free. 41:33 He wants to dwell with you. 41:34 Not just say I'm going to set you free 41:36 and then turn your loose and you live in this world 41:38 and do your own thing. 41:39 No, He wants to dwell with you 41:42 by the power of the Holy Spirit. 41:44 He wants to be your God, 41:46 and He wants to give us the heavenly Canaan. 41:48 I love that. 41:49 Not just the Canaan that the Israelites have, 41:51 but we have our heavenly land that 41:55 we are looking forward to. 41:56 We're just pilgrims and sojourners here today 42:00 but coming soon, 42:01 Jesus is coming and we will have an eternity 42:04 in our heavenly Canaan. 42:06 Now, let's look quickly, 42:07 we're going to make a transition to the connection 42:09 between the Sabbath, the fourth Commandment 42:13 and redemption 42:14 because there again we see this deliverance from bondage. 42:18 Let's look at Deuteronomy 5. 42:20 Deuteronomy Chapter 5, 42:21 of course, is the regiving of the Ten Commandments. 42:24 This is the renewing of the covenant. 42:27 Of course, it was originally given in Exodus 19:20, 42:30 Ten Commandments. 42:31 But then now we come to Deuteronomy 5, 42:33 and we see this renewing of the covenant. 42:36 The heart of the Ten Commandment law 42:38 is the Sabbath Commandment, the fourth Commandment. 42:41 And in Deuteronomy 5:12, 42:43 "Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy 42:45 as the Lord your God commanded you. 42:47 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 42:49 but the seventh day 42:51 is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. 42:53 In it, you shall not do any work." 42:54 And it goes on to that, jump down to verse 15, 42:57 "Remember, you were a slave in the land of Egypt, 43:01 and the Lord your God brought you out 43:04 from there by a mighty hand and by an 43:06 outstretched arm. 43:08 Therefore the Lord your God 43:10 commanded you to keep the Sabbath day." 43:13 So what does this mean? 43:15 Every Sabbath, when we have the privilege 43:18 and opportunity to spend it with Jesus, 43:21 celebrate those 24 hours that He consecrated 43:25 and set apart and made holy. 43:27 We have opportunity to remember. 43:29 God's the one who redeemed us. 43:31 God's the one who set us free. 43:33 Every week, we have reminder that God's our God 43:36 and that we don't save ourselves. 43:38 We have a reminder that 43:39 He can deliver us and set us free from 43:41 those sins that so easily beset us. 43:44 We've a reminder that 43:46 we are saved by grace through faith. 43:48 Now, you might be saying, "But that's not me. 43:50 And I'm stuck in sin and I'm stuck in bondage." 43:52 Where my favorite scripture is 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. 43:57 We won't read it all, 43:58 but Paul talks about the unrighteous 44:00 not inheriting the Kingdom of God 44:02 and he goes this whole list of horrible sins. 44:05 And when you read it, I think, "I've done a few of those. 44:08 I've been there in a few of those." 44:11 But it doesn't stop there. 44:12 It says, "In such" or "some of you, 44:14 but you were washed, but you were sanctified, 44:18 but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus 44:21 and by the Spirit of our God." 44:22 That means no matter what your past, 44:24 no matter what you have done, the Lord Jesus can redeem you. 44:27 The Lord Jesus can deliver you from bondage, 44:30 and He can set you free. 44:32 Amen. Praise the Lord. 44:34 Thank you so much. 44:35 Just hearing all of this about law and grace, 44:37 it's just so exciting because we are a people of God. 44:42 And if we are a people of God, we are people of His law 44:44 and because we are saved by grace, 44:47 obviously that should be, the natural response 44:49 should be to want to keep His law. 44:52 I'm Ryan Day, and I have Thursday's lesson entitled, 44:56 Not For Your Righteousness. 45:00 Before I get into that though, 45:01 as I was listening to all of this law and grace talk, 45:04 it reminded me of an old illustration that 45:05 I heard from C.D Brooks. 45:07 C.D Brooks is one of my favorite speakers. 45:09 And I love C.D Brooks and he gave this illustration. 45:11 So I'm going to give you six words, 45:13 write it down if you're at home. 45:14 These six words are powerful 45:15 because you can use this illustration 45:17 at your own church here, very simple. 45:19 So if the first word is Law, the second word is Sin, 45:22 the third word, Grace, 45:24 the fourth word, Jesus, 45:27 fifth word, Gospel, 45:29 sixth word, Church. 45:31 All right, now follow this train of thought. 45:32 We have Law, Sin, Grace, Jesus, Gospel, Church. 45:36 We are the church, right? 45:38 We are God's Church, 45:39 and we go to church to hear the gospel, 45:43 and we are commissioned to preach the gospel, right? 45:46 And that gospel, of course, 45:48 is the good news of Jesus Christ. 45:51 Jesus Christ is our Savior, 45:52 who came to save us by His grace. 45:56 And because He has come to save us 45:57 by His grace, 45:58 we need that grace because we have sinned. 46:01 And that sin, the Bible says, "Is transgression of the law." 46:05 Okay, now let's take that backwards now. 46:07 There are many people in the world that say, 46:09 "We don't need the law." 46:10 So if you remove the law, then obviously you remove sin. 46:14 The Bible says that it's by the law that 46:16 we have the knowledge of sin. 46:18 So when you remove law, you remove sin, okay, 46:21 because you now can't transgress the law. 46:22 You have no understanding of that. 46:24 So now because you have no sin in your life 46:26 and you have no knowledge of your sin, 46:28 there's no need for grace. 46:30 And so you can't be saved by grace 46:31 and because you can't be saved by grace, 46:33 then there's no need for a Savior. 46:35 There's no need for Jesus. 46:36 So by removing the law, you remove sin. 46:38 You remove grace, you remove Jesus Christ, 46:41 the giver of grace, the Savior. 46:43 And, of course, because now you've removed Jesus, 46:45 you have no good news. 46:47 You have no gospel, you've removed the gospel, 46:49 and therefore what you're left with is a church 46:51 with a whole lot of nothing, 46:54 all because you removed the law. 46:56 That's how important the law is, my friends. 46:57 We're not saved by the law, 46:58 but we're certainly saved by His grace 47:00 and because we're saved by His grace, 47:02 we want to keep that law. 47:03 And that launches us into Thursday's message, 47:05 Not for Your Righteousness, 47:07 one of the central themes to Christianity in general. 47:09 In all of the Biblical message that we find in the Bible, 47:13 of course, is the message 47:14 and the truth of justification by faith alone. 47:18 I can't emphasize that enough, justification by faith alone. 47:20 We're talking about righteousness by faith, 47:24 Roman 4:3 tells us. 47:26 And there's many people that say, 47:27 "Oh, there's no grace in the Old Testament. 47:29 Grace doesn't come until the New Testament 47:32 when Jesus dies on the cross." 47:34 But we see there very clearly that, 47:35 of course, Abraham indeed was saved by grace. 47:38 We see that in Romans 4:3. 47:40 Notice what the Bible says, it says, 47:42 "For what saith the Scripture Abraham believed God, 47:45 and it was counted unto him for," what? 47:48 "For righteous." 47:49 Okay, so he was saved by grace through faith. 47:52 He was accounted righteous because he believed, 47:54 he trusted in God. 47:56 He trusted in His Word. 47:57 In fact, I love this quote from, 47:59 The Faith I live By, page 109. 48:01 Ellen White makes it very, very clear 48:03 as to what this justification by faith is. 48:05 So she says here... 48:07 Again, this is The Faith I live By, page 109. 48:09 She says, "What is justification by faith? 48:12 It is the work of God, 48:13 in laying the glory of man in the dust, 48:16 and doing for men what, 48:18 that which is not in his power to do for himself." 48:22 When men see their own nothingness, 48:25 they are prepared to be clothed 48:27 with the righteousness of Christ. 48:29 I love that, The Faith I live By, page 109. 48:32 And this is obviously put clear on display. 48:35 This message is found in the Book of Deuteronomy 48:38 very, very clearly. 48:39 I'm gonna read that right now. 48:40 We're going to read Deuteronomy Chapter 9, 48:42 and we're going to go and read verses 1 through 6. 48:44 Deuteronomy 9:1-6, notice what God says to Israel. 48:49 This is a powerful message. 48:51 He says, "Hear, O Israel: 48:52 You are to cross over the Jordan today, 48:55 and go in to dispossess nations greater 48:57 and mightier than yourself, 48:59 cities great and fortified up to heaven, 49:01 a people great and tall, 49:03 the descendants of the Anakim, 49:05 whom you know, and of whom you heard it said, 49:09 'Who can stand before the descendants of Anak?' 49:13 Therefore understand today 49:15 that the Lord your God is He who goes over 49:16 before you as a consuming fire. 49:19 He will destroy them and bring them down before you, 49:22 so you shall drive them out and destroy them quickly, 49:25 as the Lord has said to you." 49:27 Now, notice verses 4 and onward, this is powerful. 49:30 He says, "Do not think in your heart, 49:32 after the Lord your God has cast them out 49:35 before you, saying, 49:36 'Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me 49:39 in to possess this land', 49:41 but it is because of the wickedness 49:43 of these nations that the Lord 49:44 is driving them out before you." 49:47 Verse 5, "It is not because of your righteousness 49:51 or the uprightness of your heart that 49:54 you go in to possess their land, 49:56 but because of the wickedness of these nations 49:58 that the Lord your God 49:59 drives them out from before you, 50:02 and that He may fulfill the word 50:04 which the Lord swore to your fathers, 50:05 to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 50:08 Therefore understand that the Lord your God is not 50:11 giving you this good land to possess 50:13 because of your righteousness." 50:15 We have that three times, your righteousness, 50:17 your righteousness, your righteousness. 50:19 He says, "For you are a stiff-necked people." 50:22 You know, as I was going through this 50:24 and I was hearing this, you know, 50:25 you can't claim that saying, 50:26 don't say to anybody, 50:28 "I've done this, my righteousness. 50:30 I'm the one that claim this." 50:31 As I was reading through this passage 50:33 it brought to my mind... 50:34 I'm a musical person. 50:35 I love to sing and I love good gospel music. 50:37 And the song that came to my mind, 50:39 was the song that Bill Gaither wrote, 50:40 Sinner saved by grace, 50:42 because the second verse is powerful. 50:44 It's so beautiful. 50:45 It says, How could I boast of anything 50:49 I've ever seen or done I love that. 50:53 How could I dare 50:55 To claim as mine the victories 50:59 God has won 51:01 Where would I be 51:03 Had God not brought me 51:07 Gently to this place 51:10 I'm here to say I'm nothing 51:13 But a sinner saved by grace 51:18 I love that, right? 51:20 The message of that song 51:21 and that's essentially the message 51:23 that God is communicating. 51:24 Here, He's saying, "Look, it's not because of you. 51:26 You didn't do it. I did it. 51:28 It's not because of you. 51:29 It's because of the wickedness of these nations 51:31 and I'm doing the work among you." 51:33 We find the same beautiful example of righteousness 51:37 by faith, justification by faith, 51:39 of understanding that it's not 51:41 because of our righteousness but because of God. 51:43 We see this even in the conversion of Isaiah 51:44 in Chapter 6. 51:46 It says there, it says, 51:47 "In the year that king Uzziah died..." 51:48 This is Isaiah 6:1. 51:50 We're also going to read verses 4 and 5. 51:52 It says, "In the year that king Uzziah died, 51:54 I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, 51:56 high and lifted up," 51:58 okay, high and lifted up, 51:59 "and the train of his robe filled the temple 52:01 and the post of the door 52:03 were shaken by the voice of him, 52:04 who cried out, 52:05 and the house was filled with smoke." 52:07 And then notice the response, right, of Isaiah, 52:09 "So I said, Woe is me! 52:11 for I am undone 52:12 because I am a man of unclean lips 52:13 and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips 52:15 for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." 52:19 It's beautiful to see here that it was 52:21 because of God's righteousness. 52:22 He saw God's righteousness, Him high and lifted up, 52:25 that brought about this repentant response from him. 52:28 "Woe is me." 52:29 He saw God's righteousness, and in return, 52:31 what did he see after he saw God's righteous? 52:33 He saw his own unrighteousness. 52:36 He saw his filthy rags as we see there 52:38 in Isaiah Chapter 64, 52:39 "Our righteousness is like," what? 52:41 "It's like filthy rags." 52:43 It's His righteousness, and we obtain 52:46 His righteousness by our faith. 52:49 Oh what does the third angel's message say? 52:51 "Here was the patience of the saints here 52:53 they keep the commandments of God 52:54 and the faith of Jesus' righteousness," 52:57 His righteousness by his faith, my friends. 53:00 And, Pastor, you read earlier Ephesians 2:1-8, 53:03 "It is for by grace you have been 53:05 saved through faith, not of yourselves." 53:08 Can we echo that again? 53:09 "Not of yourselves?" 53:11 It is the gift of God not of works, 53:13 lest anyone should boast. 53:15 And to think that we could add anything to 53:18 what Jesus has done. 53:19 Have mercy, my friends. 53:21 This plan was established in Christ before time began, 53:26 before the foundation of the world. 53:28 2 Timothy 1:9, I love that verse. 53:30 But share with me in the goodness... 53:32 This is the end of verse 8. 53:33 It says, "But share with me in the sufferings 53:35 for the gospel according to the power of God." 53:37 Verse 9, "Who has saved us and called us 53:40 with the holy calling, not according to our works 53:44 but according to His own purpose and grace, 53:46 which was given to us in Christ Jesus," when? 53:50 "Before time began." 53:51 When was this plan established? 53:53 When was the everlasting covenant put into place? 53:55 When was the everlasting gospel put into place? 53:58 It wasn't when this world had begun, my friends. 54:00 It was well before this world had ever begun. 54:02 Jesus Christ stepped up to the plate. 54:04 He said, "Father, if anything goes South, 54:07 I want to put a plan in place, 54:08 where I step in, and I die for My people." 54:12 That's why I love 2 Corinthians 5:21, 54:15 beautiful verse, "For he made him, 54:17 who knew no sin to be sin for us that 54:20 we might become 54:22 the righteousness of God in Him." 54:24 So, my friends, we are saved not 54:26 because of our works, 54:27 not because of our righteousness, 54:29 not for your righteousness, 54:32 but for the righteousness of Christ 54:34 by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. 54:36 It is Jesus who died on the cross. 54:38 He completed the work. 54:40 What in the world are you going to add to that? 54:42 Amen. Wow! 54:44 It's powerful. Roll on. 54:47 Shelley Quinn, give us a summary of your day. 54:50 Well, I just have to say one thing. 54:52 Even Noah... 54:54 According to Hebrews 11:7, 54:58 "Even Noah became 55:00 the heir of righteousness by faith." 55:02 God's covenant relationship with His people has always been 55:08 about grace and law. 55:10 And the bottom line is this. 55:13 Everything about our salvation is by grace. 55:16 We can't return it, 55:18 but when God puts His law in our hearts, 55:22 He will even by grace cause us to obey 55:27 as He works in us to will 55:28 and to do His good pleasure. 55:29 Amen. Amen. 55:31 James? 55:32 For our good, I mean, that's the bottom line. 55:34 I think of Tuesday's lesson 55:35 God has given us the law for our good. 55:38 Paul says that in Romans Chapter 7, 55:39 "The law is good." 55:41 It's a good law from a good God, 55:43 who wants only what's best for us. 55:45 Amen. Yes, and Jill? 55:47 Wednesday talk about, 55:48 "Remember you are a slave in Egypt," 55:49 and I'm always reminded of Romans 5:8, 55:52 God demonstrated, commanded His love toward us 55:55 and that's while we were yet still even now sinners, 55:59 Christ died for us. 56:01 So there was nothing in ourselves to reach out and say, 56:04 "God love me. God changed me." 56:06 He demonstrated His love. He reached out first. 56:09 He loved us first and all we have to do 56:12 is reach out and respond to His love. 56:15 Amen. Beautiful. 56:16 We talked a lot about the everlasting covenant and, 56:19 you know, it's worth mentioning 56:21 over and over and over again because it's that important. 56:23 Hebrews 13:20-21, I just have to say this. 56:27 It says, "Now may the God of peace 56:29 who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead that 56:32 great shepherd of the sheep, 56:34 through the blood of the everlasting covenant." 56:37 And as Shelley has mentioned so many times, 56:39 when was that everlasting covenant 56:40 put into place? 56:42 Revelation 13:8, 56:43 "From the foundation of the world, 56:44 the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." 56:47 But it goes on to say in verse 21 of Hebrews 13, 56:50 "Make you complete 56:51 in every good work to do His will, 56:55 working in you 56:56 what is well pleasing in His sight." 56:59 And who does this work? 57:00 How is that accomplished? 57:02 "Through Jesus Christ, 57:04 to whom be glory forever and ever, Amen." 57:07 That's a two-hander. Amen. 57:10 That's right. 57:11 I hope we have made it abundantly clear. 57:14 One, God's law is eternal. 57:17 God's character is eternal. 57:20 God's grace is eternal. 57:22 We will need them throughout this life 57:25 until the day 57:27 we are perfected in His righteousness. 57:30 Romans 5, which each one of us has quoted a portion of it, 57:34 here's how we combined law and grace. 57:36 Romans 5:20, "Moreover the law entered 57:40 that the offense might abound 57:43 but where sin abounded, 57:47 grace abounded much more." 57:50 Praise God for His grace, 57:52 and thank Him for the strength to live 57:54 in harmony with His law. 57:55 Join us for the next lesson number eight about Choose Life. 58:00 Amen. |
Revised 2021-11-11