Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP220010S
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00:01 This week on 3ABN Sabbath School Panel,
00:02 we are going to be taking a journey 00:04 into the throne room of God 00:06 because this week's lesson, 00:07 lesson number 10 is entitled 00:09 "Jesus Opens the way Through the Veil." 00:13 And so, my friends, we encourage you, 00:14 grab your Bibles, get your friends, your family, 00:17 co-workers, enemies, everyone together 00:19 because we are going to be studying 00:20 and continuing through the Book of Hebrews this week. 00:23 You may not have a copy of the study, 00:25 we want to tell you how you can get a copy 00:27 because it's never too late. 00:28 First of all, we always encourage you 00:29 to go to your local Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:31 and find someone to study with. 00:33 Find you a church group, a small group 00:35 that you can go deeper and to converse and to talk 00:38 and to learn these things together 00:40 or you can go online to 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com 00:45 Again, that's 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com 00:49 and you can access a copy for free online. 00:51 My friends, we thank you for joining us each week, 00:53 but we're not quite through. 00:55 We're gonna continue through our study in Hebrews. 00:57 So don't go anywhere. 00:58 We'll be right back in just a few moments. 01:30 Hello, friends, as always, 01:32 we want to welcome you for joining us. 01:34 And thank you for joining us on 3ABN 01:36 Sabbath School Panel. 01:37 My name is Ryan Day. 01:39 This week, we're on lesson number 10. 01:42 We're continuing through our study, 01:44 in this quarter, first quarter of 2022. 01:46 We're studying the Book of Hebrews 01:48 and the overall title is 01:50 "In These Last Days the Message of Hebrews," 01:53 and it has been a phenomenal study has is not? 01:55 Had has. 01:56 Each and every week, we've all just been in awe 01:58 of how much we've learned 01:59 and how much we've grown through this study. 02:00 Because really, as we have brought up several times 02:03 in this series of studies the Book of Hebrews 02:05 is all about Jesus Christ pointing to Jesus Christ 02:09 as our high priest, 02:10 and He is indeed in the Most Holy Place. 02:13 Today, we're going to be talking about 02:14 how Christ has opened the way through the veil 02:17 and He's made a way for us 02:19 to approach God right through the blood of Christ. 02:21 We're going to be talking about that this week 02:23 on lesson number 10. 02:24 But before I go any further, 02:25 I want to introduce our panel members. 02:27 To my direct left, we have Pastor John Dinzey, 02:30 always a blessing to have you, my brother, 02:32 And it is a blessing for me to be here. 02:33 Amen. Praise the Lord. 02:35 And, of course, Miss Shelley Quinn, 02:36 always a joy to have you as well. 02:38 I wish we had about twice as much time 02:40 as we did so we could all interact 02:42 because of fabulous lessons. 02:44 Amen. Praise the Lord. 02:46 My brother from another mother, Pastor James Rafferty, 02:50 always a blessing to have you. 02:51 Hello, good to be here, Pastor Day. 02:53 Amen. 02:54 And, of course, my pastor, Pastor John Lomacang, 02:56 always a pleasure to have you as my brother. 02:58 You know, we are growing in our understanding of Hebrews 03:01 and I believe this is going to be another step 03:02 on the rung of the ladder 03:04 of getting to understand the depth 03:06 of what Christ has done for us. 03:08 Amen. Amen. 03:09 As always, we dare not dive into a study of God's Word 03:13 until we have asked for the Holy Spirit to lead us. 03:16 And so, I'm going to ask Pastor John Lomacang 03:18 if you would have a prayer for us? 03:19 Sure. 03:20 Gracious Father, loving Lord, 03:22 You are continually unfolding in Your beauty to us, 03:26 and Lord that Your goodness, 03:29 that leads us to repentance. 03:31 Father, we thank You for this beautiful picture 03:34 that has been presented through the Book of Hebrews, 03:37 as we look back to find courage to go forward. 03:40 And we pray that as we now walk humbly, 03:43 through this revelation, 03:45 that our hearts will be merged into Your heart 03:48 that we will find an increase gratitude 03:51 in our lives 03:53 and that we would reflect Your glory 03:54 only by your strength and grace. 03:56 So be with us now 03:58 in the impartation of this lesson, 04:00 and may the glory be given to You as the clarity 04:04 is accomplished by Your Spirit 04:06 working through us in Jesus name. 04:09 Amen. Amen. 04:11 Thank you, Pastor. 04:12 This week's memory text is found in Hebrews 9:24. 04:17 I'm reading from the New King James Version. 04:19 And the Bible says, 04:20 "For Christ has not entered the holy places, 04:23 made with hands, which are copies of the true 04:27 but into heaven itself, 04:29 now to appear in the presence of God for us." 04:35 The lesson brings out that when the disciples returned 04:37 from the Mount of Olives 04:39 right after Jesus had ascended to heaven, 04:41 they were filled with joy and triumph. 04:44 Their master and friend had ascended to a position 04:46 of power over the world 04:48 and had invited them to approach God in his name 04:51 with the absolute confidence 04:53 that God would respond favorably 04:55 to their prayers 04:57 and we see that in John 14:13-14, 05:00 but even though they continued in the world 05:02 attacked by the forces of evil, their hope was strong. 05:06 Amen. Is our hope strong? 05:07 That's what we need to be asking today. 05:09 Our hope is strong in Christ. 05:12 They knew that Jesus had ascended 05:14 to prepare a place for them. 05:16 And we read that of course, 05:17 where Christ promises it in John 14:1-3, 05:20 they knew that Jesus was the captain 05:23 of their salvation 05:24 and that He had opened a way 05:26 into the heavenly homeland through His blood. 05:28 We talked about that last week, 05:30 the blood of Christ paved the way and made a way. 05:33 And, of course, it goes on to say 05:34 the ascension of Jesus to heaven 05:36 is central to the theology of Hebrews. 05:39 It marks the beginning of Jesus' rule 05:41 and the beginning of His high priestly ministry 05:44 in our behalf. 05:45 Finally, and more important, 05:47 Jesus' ascension marks the moment 05:49 that the New Covenant, 05:51 which provides the means through 05:52 which we can approach God boldly through faith 05:55 has been inaugurated. 05:58 It is our privilege now to approach God 06:00 with confidence through Jesus 06:02 and the merits of His righteousness. 06:05 Praise God for that. 06:06 Sunday's lesson is entitled Jesus Before the Father. 06:11 We know that Christ when He paid that price 06:14 when He was sacrificed on the cross of Calvary, 06:17 of course, He slept in the grave, 06:19 and then He was resurrected. 06:20 And He was here for a time but when He ascended now, 06:22 He goes before the Father. 06:24 In fact, He went before the Father 06:26 even before His ascension, 06:27 as we're gonna see today. 06:28 But Hebrews 9:24 06:30 is where we're going to start our journey today. 06:32 The lesson has us going directly to Hebrews 9:24. 06:36 Notice what the Bible says here, 06:37 "For Christ has not entered the holy place made with hands, 06:41 which are copies of the true but into heaven itself, 06:45 now to appear in the presence of God for us." 06:50 You see, God had instructed Israel, 06:52 that their male should go three times 06:54 every year up to Jerusalem 06:56 to appear before the Lord with an offering. 06:59 And, of course, the appointed times 07:00 were the Feast of Passover. 07:02 That's one or unleavened bread as it's also known, 07:05 the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost, 07:07 and of course, the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles, 07:10 as it may be known to some, 07:11 you can find this in Exodus 23:14-17, 07:15 as well as Deuteronomy 16:16. 07:19 It says, Passover celebrated Israel's deliverance 07:23 from Egypt, 07:24 Pentecost celebrated the barley harvest, 07:26 and by the time of the New Testament, 07:28 it was associated with the giving of the Law 07:31 at Sinai, 07:32 the Feast of Booths, or Tabernacles 07:34 as you may know it, 07:35 celebrated God's care for Israel 07:37 during their sojourn journey in the desert. 07:40 According to the New Testament, though, 07:42 all of the Old Testament feasts are also prophetic 07:46 or also have a prophetic significance. 07:48 Jesus fulfilled the pilgrimage feasts. 07:51 In other words, the males had to go 07:53 actually present themselves. 07:54 He fulfilled the pilgrimage feast 07:56 prophetic significance 07:58 with amazing accuracy. 08:00 He died on that day for the preparation 08:02 of the Passover at the ninth hour, 08:04 the moment in which Passover lambs 08:06 were sacrificed. 08:08 We read a little bit about this in Exodus 12:3-6, 08:11 you kind of get an idea that this was also prophetic 08:14 from the perspective 08:15 that when God gave the instruction for them 08:17 to take the Passover lamb 08:19 and to put its blood over the doorposts. 08:22 Let's go there and read that. 08:23 Exodus 12:3-6, 08:25 we see there that Christ also fulfilled this as the Lamb 08:28 who would become sacrificed for the world, 08:30 the one complete sacrifice. 08:32 Notice Exodus 12:3-6, it says, 08:34 "Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: 08:37 'On the tenth of this month 08:38 every man shall take for himself a lamb, 08:40 according to the household of his father, 08:42 a lamb for a household. 08:43 And if the household is too small for the lamb, 08:45 let him and his neighbor next to his house 08:48 take it according to the number of the persons, 08:51 according to each man's need 08:53 you shall make your count for the lamb. 08:55 Your lamb shall be without blemish, 08:59 a male of the first year. 09:00 You may take it from the sheep and from the goats. 09:02 Now you shall keep it 09:03 until the fourteenth day of the same month. 09:07 Then, of course, the whole assembly 09:09 of the congregation of Israel 09:10 shall kill it at twilight." 09:11 Now Jesus fulfilled this because Jesus was that lamb, 09:14 His ministry was approximately three and a half years long. 09:17 Well, in this case, when they would go out 09:19 on the 10th day of the month, 09:20 and they would keep it 09:22 for approximately three and a half days 09:23 until twilight, 09:25 on the 14th day that was about three and a half days, 09:27 Jesus fulfilled that we see the greater fulfillment 09:30 in great detail in Matthew 27:45-50, 09:35 because Jesus is hanging on a cross, 09:37 this is His last moments and notice what the Bible says. 09:40 It says, "Now from the sixth hour 09:41 unto the ninth hour, 09:43 there was darkness over the land. 09:45 And about the ninth hour 09:46 Jesus cried out with a loud voice, 09:47 saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' 09:50 That is, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?' 09:54 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, 09:57 said, 'This Man is calling for Elijah!' 10:00 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, 10:01 filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, 10:04 and offered it to Him to drink. 10:06 The rest said, 'Let Him alone, 10:08 let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.'" 10:11 And in verse 50, "And Jesus cried out again 10:13 with a loud voice, 10:14 and yielded up His spirit." 10:15 He died at the ninth hour 10:18 fulfilling that same Passover requirement 10:21 that we see there within the feast itself. 10:23 Jesus was resurrected on the third day 10:25 and ascended to heaven to receive assurance 10:28 that his sacrifice had been accepted. 10:30 We see this in John 20:17 as well as 1 Corinthians 15:20. 10:36 In fact, we can read that really quickly. 10:37 John 20:17 confirms this. 10:40 It says, "Jesus said to her," 10:41 speaking to Mary Magdalene on His resurrection day, 10:44 "Do not cling to me 10:45 for I have not yet ascended to my Father, 10:47 but go to my brethren and say to them, 10:48 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, 10:51 and to my God, and your God.'" 10:53 And then, of course, 1 Corinthians 15:20, 10:56 it goes on to confirm Christ as the firstfruits for it say, 10:59 "But now Christ is risen from the dead 11:01 and has become the firstfruits of those 11:04 who have fallen asleep." 11:05 Which is why this message continues to say 11:07 that when the priest was to wave the sheaf 11:09 of rye or barley as the firstfruits, 11:12 Christ was the fulfillment of that 11:14 when He ascended to the Father 11:15 on that resurrection day to be the firstfruits. 11:18 Then He ascended, okay, 40 days after, 11:22 later to sit at the right hand of God 11:25 and inaugurate the New Covenant on the day of Pentecost. 11:28 Now we see this ascension in Acts 1:9-11 11:33 there where it's, you know, the disciples are there 11:35 in the Mount of Olives, and Christ 11:36 ascends up, He's ascending into the heavens. 11:38 And then, of course, we see even greater picture of this 11:41 from a heavenly perspective. 11:43 By the time you get to Revelations Chapter 4 and 5, 11:45 you're in the throne room. 11:48 John sees this great throne room scene, 11:50 the father seated on the throne, 11:52 and the four living creatures, and the 24 elders, 11:54 they're worshiping God day and night, saying, 11:56 "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, 11:58 who was and is to come." 12:00 And then in Chapter 5, 12:01 there's this great dramatic scene 12:03 where, of course, the Father has the scroll in His hand, 12:06 and no one is worthy to open it but yet, 12:09 one of the elders says to John 12:10 after he's weeping because he sees almost 12:12 as if there's no hope. 12:13 But yet he says, "Do not weep. 12:15 Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed." 12:18 And we read, notice in Revelation 5:6 12:20 which is a testament to what Christ did 12:23 when He ascended. 12:24 Forty days after, when He ascended into heaven, 12:27 of course, we know 10 days later 12:28 Pentecost happens, 12:30 the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit happens 12:32 but Christ goes in kind of as the war hero, right? 12:34 He's the war hero, He has overcome death, 12:38 He has overcome sin and the grave. 12:40 And now He ascends into the presence of the Father 12:42 as the only one worthy 12:44 to take the scroll from the hand of the Father, 12:46 and begin to open those scrolls. 12:48 And notice what Revelation 5:6 says, it says, "And I looked, 12:50 and behold, in the midst of the throne, 12:52 and of the four living creatures, 12:53 and in the midst of the elders 12:55 stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, 12:59 having, notice, seven horns and seven eyes," 13:01 and then don't miss this part, 13:02 "which are the seven Spirits of God 13:04 set out to all the earth." 13:06 We know that when Christ came in, 13:08 Christ set out the Holy Spirit 10 days later 13:11 that fell on the disciples on the day of Pentecost. 13:13 In fact, notice what Acts of the Apostles 13:15 page 38 And 39 says about this, 13:17 powerful quote here. 13:19 It says, "Christ's ascension to heaven was the signal 13:22 that His followers 13:23 were to receive the promised blessing. 13:26 For this, they were to wait 13:27 before they entered upon the work. 13:30 When Christ passed within the heavenly gates, 13:32 He was enthroned amidst the adoration 13:34 of the angels." 13:35 Boy, what a scene that would have been to see? 13:37 What a celebration? 13:38 "As soon as the ceremony was completed, 13:41 the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in rich currents, 13:44 and Christ was indeed glorified even with the glory, 13:48 which He had with the Father from all eternity. 13:52 The Pentecostal outpouring was Heaven's communication 13:55 that the Redeemer's inauguration 13:57 was accomplished." 13:59 I love that. 14:00 "According to His promise, He had sent the Holy Spirit 14:03 from heaven to His followers, 14:05 as a token that He had, 14:07 as Priest and King, 14:09 received all authority in heaven and on earth, 14:13 and was the Anointed One over His people." 14:16 So, my friends, Jesus, and from this perspective, 14:19 from Sunday's lesson, 14:21 in presenting himself before the Father, 14:23 now He has finally opened away. 14:26 He presents a way for us to also be made 14:29 to the Father as He brings in that blood sacrifice 14:32 that perfect sacrifice. 14:34 Again, as always, as I like to end with, 14:36 we for that reason should continue 14:37 to look unto Jesus, 14:39 the author, and finisher of our faith. 14:41 Amen. Amen. 14:42 Amen. 14:44 Well, my part is Monday, 14:46 and the title is God's Invitation. 14:48 My name is John Dinzey, 14:49 and I hope you are ready to continue this study. 14:52 And this part of the lesson takes us 14:55 into an experience revealed in Hebrews 12:18-21. 15:00 Before reading that, I like to read something 15:02 that is directly from the lesson. 15:03 And it says when God called Israel from Egypt, 15:06 His plan was to create a personal, 15:08 intimate relationship with them. 15:11 So let's read here in Hebrews 12:18-21. 15:16 And it says, "For you have not come to the mountain 15:18 that may be touched and that burned with fire, 15:22 and to blackness and darkness and tempest." 15:24 He's talking to the people 15:25 reading the Book of Hebrews. 15:27 Notice, "For you have not come to the mountain 15:29 that may be touched and that burned with fire, 15:31 and to blackness and darkness and tempest, 15:33 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, 15:36 so that those who heard it begged 15:38 that the word should not be spoken to them." 15:41 And it continues, "For they could not endure 15:44 what was commanded them." 15:48 And then it continues, 15:50 "And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, 15:53 it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow. 15:56 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, 16:00 'I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.'" 16:04 This was an experience 16:07 that I would say, unforgettable. 16:11 Now the lesson states, 16:12 when God called Israel from Egypt, 16:14 He wanted them to understand 16:16 that He was the Mighty God that delivered them. 16:20 And in Exodus 19:3-4, 16:23 this message was given to Moses from God, 16:27 "And Moses went up to God 16:28 and the Lord called to him from the mountain saying, 16:30 'Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, 16:33 and tell the children of Israel: 16:35 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians 16:38 and how I bore you on eagles' wings, 16:40 and brought you to Myself.'" 16:43 Signifying that He wants them to be His people 16:46 and that He would be his God. 16:48 Now, in Exodus Chapter 19, beginning in verse 5, 16:52 the Lord explains to Moses what the people need to do, 16:58 because He wanted to have a special encounter with them. 17:01 Notice in verse 5, "Now therefore, 17:03 if you will indeed obey 17:04 My voice and keep My covenant, 17:06 then you shall be a special treasure to Me 17:08 above all people, 17:10 for all the earth is Mine. 17:11 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests 17:14 and a holy nation. 17:16 These are the words 17:17 which you shall speak to the children of Israel." 17:19 And now notice, moving on to Exodus 19:9, 17:23 "And the Lord said to Moses, 17:25 'Behold, I come to you in a thick cloud, 17:27 that the people may hear when I speak with you, 17:32 and they leave you forever.'" 17:33 So this experience was supposed to also to solidify Moses 17:37 before the people as a person 17:39 that God spoke to because Moses would come to them, 17:42 the Lord has said this 17:45 and they basically had to take him at his word, 17:47 but now they're going to see a visible manifestation 17:51 of God speaking to Moses, 17:54 before this mount, 17:55 for them to have this experience, 17:57 they had to prepare, 17:59 beginning in Exodus 19:10, 18:02 "Then the Lord said to Moses, 18:03 'Go to the people and consecrate them 18:06 today and tomorrow, 18:08 and let them wash their clothes.'" 18:10 There has to be a preparation 18:12 before they came before the presence 18:15 of the Lord. 18:16 And then it says in verse 11, 18:17 "And let them be ready for the third day. 18:20 For on the third day the Lord will come down 18:24 upon Mount Sinai 18:25 in the sight of all the people." 18:27 Wow. 18:29 I imagine that when Moses told 18:31 this to the people, the people, what? 18:33 We're going to be seeing the majesty of the Lord. 18:38 We're going to clarify a little bit more about this, 18:40 Exodus 19:12," 18:44 You shall set bounds for the people all around, 18:47 saying, 'Take heed to yourselves 18:48 that you do not go up to the mountain 18:52 or touch its base. 18:53 Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.'" 18:57 And verse 13, "Not a hand shall touch him, 19:00 but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow, 19:03 whether man or beast, he shall not live. 19:05 When the trumpet sounds long, 19:07 they shall come near the mountain." 19:11 They were to come near the mountain. 19:13 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people 19:16 and sanctify the people and they washed their clothes. 19:18 And he said to the people, be ready on the third day 19:22 and notice what Moses also tells them, 19:24 "Do not come near your wives." 19:26 They had to prepare fully 19:28 for this momentous occasion unforgettable. 19:32 Now, I am moving now to Deuteronomy Chapter 4 19:37 which explains a little bit of what happened 19:39 during that time. 19:41 In Deuteronomy 4, beginning in verse 10, 19:43 especially concerning the day you stood 19:46 before the Lord your God in Horeb 19:48 when the Lord said to me, gather the people to me, 19:51 and I will let them hear my words, 19:53 that they may learn to fear Me all the days 19:57 they live on the earth, 19:58 and that they may teach their children. 20:01 Then you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain 20:04 and the mountain burned with fire 20:07 to the midst of heaven with darkness, cloud, 20:10 and thick darkness and the Lord spoke to you 20:13 out of the midst of the fire. 20:15 You heard the sound of the words 20:17 but saw no form. 20:21 You only heard a voice." 20:23 So this, when the Lord came down, 20:25 this mountain began to shake, 20:27 there was a great amount of smoke. 20:29 It seemed like if the mountain was on fire, 20:32 as the Lord descended upon it. 20:34 It's interesting what happens 20:36 as you continue reading 20:38 in the Book of Deuteronomy 4:15, 20:40 notice this, because something had to be clear 20:44 before the people. 20:45 Verse 15, "Take careful heed to yourself, 20:49 for you saw no form, 20:51 when the Lord spoke to you at Horeb, 20:52 out of the midst of the fire, 20:54 lest you act corruptly 20:56 and make for yourself a carved image, 20:59 in the form of any figure, 21:01 the likeness of male or female." 21:03 The people were accustomed to worshipping idols in Egypt, 21:07 in Egypt so this had to be made clear to them. 21:10 You're not to make any image, any form 21:12 that would represent God in any way, shape, or form. 21:16 Deuteronomy 33:1-3, very interesting, 21:20 now beginning in verse 1-3, 21:22 "Now this is the blessing with which Moses, 21:25 the man of God blessed the children of Israel 21:27 before his death. 21:29 He said, 'The Lord came from Sinai, 21:32 and dawned on them from Seir. 21:34 He shone forth from Mount Paran, 21:37 and he came with 10,000 of saints, 21:40 from his right hand came a fiery law for them. 21:44 Yes, he loves the people. 21:47 All His things are in your hand, 21:48 they sit down at your feet, 21:50 everyone receives your words.'" 21:52 When the Lord comes down upon the mount. 21:54 Then eventually Moses goes up into the mountain, 21:58 and God proclaimed the Ten Commandments 22:02 with majesty the mountain was shaking. 22:04 And as the mountain was shaking and smoking, 22:07 the people were trembling. 22:09 The lesson says God's manifestation 22:11 of His holiness at Mount Sinai 22:13 was to teach the people to learn to fear 22:16 or respect Him. 22:18 The fear of the Lord leads to life, 22:20 wisdom and honor, Deuteronomy 4:10, 22:23 also Psalms 111:10, 22:25 Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 9:10. 22:28 And I'm going to read Proverbs 10:27 quickly, 22:30 it says, "The fear of the Lord prolongs days." 22:33 What? 22:35 The fear of the Lord prolongs days, 22:36 if you stand in awe, 22:38 if you reverenced the Lord, 22:40 and follow the Lord with all your heart, 22:42 it will prolong your days, 22:44 but the years of the wicked will be shorten. 22:48 And so it is best to fear the Lord 22:51 and follow Him. 22:53 They were also to learn that God is a merciful God. 22:56 He gave them His laws, 22:58 His commandments that helped them understand 23:01 that God is a holy God. 23:03 In Exodus 20:18-20, the Bible says, 23:07 "Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, 23:09 the lightnings, the flashes, the sound of the trumpet, 23:11 and the mountain smoking, 23:13 When the people saw it, 23:14 they trembled and stood afar off. 23:16 Then they said to Moses, 23:18 you speak to us, and we will hear, 23:20 but let not God speak with us lest we die. 23:23 And Moses said to the people, 23:25 "Do not fear for God has come to test you, 23:27 and that his fear may be before you 23:29 so that you may not sin. 23:32 So the people stood afar off of Moses drew near 23:35 the thick darkness where God was." 23:37 Now, let's take it to the present time 23:41 because remember, 23:42 we read that we then come to that mountain, 23:45 but notice in Hebrews 12:22, 23:48 "But you have come to Mount Zion, 23:50 and to the city of the living God, 23:52 the heavenly Jerusalem, 23:54 to an innumerable company of angels." 23:56 Look at Hebrews 12:24, 23:58 "To Jesus, the Mediator of the New Covenant, 24:01 and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things 24:04 than that of Abel. 24:05 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. 24:08 For if they did not escape or refused Him 24:11 who spoke on earth, 24:13 much more shall we not escape 24:15 if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 24:18 whose voice then shook the earth, 24:20 but now he has promising yet once more, 24:23 I shake not only the earth but also heaven. 24:27 Now, this yet once more indicates 24:28 the removal of those things 24:30 that are being shaken as the things that are made, 24:33 that the things which cannot be shaken 24:36 may remain." 24:38 So God is holy, 24:39 and He wants His people to be holy, 24:41 and by His grace, 24:42 we're going to take the righteousness 24:44 of Christ upon us, 24:46 and we praise the Lord that we can have God as our Father, 24:51 and live eternally. 24:52 Amen. 24:53 Thank you so much, Pastor Dinzey. 24:55 It was a very clear study. 24:56 Thank you so much, brother. 24:57 All right, my friends. 24:59 Well, don't go anywhere 25:00 because we're just gonna take a short break, 25:02 and we'll be right back in just a moment. 25:07 Ever wish you could watch a 3ABN 25:09 Sabbath School Panel again, 25:11 or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 25:14 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com 25:19 A clean design makes it easy 25:21 to find the program you're looking for. 25:23 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 25:27 so you can follow along. 25:28 Sharing is easy. 25:30 Just click share and choose your favorite social media. 25:33 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 25:37 Hello, friends, welcome back to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel 25:41 and we're gonna pass it over to Miss Shelly Quinn 25:43 for Tuesday's lesson. 25:44 I'm very excited about Tuesday's lesson. 25:48 If I can find where you're hiding it. 25:50 I'm Shelly Quinn 25:52 and this lesson is called The Need of a Veil. 25:57 That in the temple between the Holy Place 26:01 and the Most Holy Place, 26:03 well, actually there were three veils, 26:05 one into the courtyard, one into the Holy Place. 26:08 But then there was this veil 26:11 between the Holy and the Most Holy 26:14 that served to separate God's presence. 26:19 It was a boundary, 26:21 it separated God's holy presence 26:24 from the common people. 26:27 Now it was a boundary to all humanity, 26:31 except on the Day of Atonement, 26:33 the high priest would go behind the veil. 26:37 So to the high priest, it wasn't a boundary, 26:42 it was a form of access, it served as an entrance. 26:46 That was the only way into God's presence. 26:50 So when we think about this, 26:53 let's look 26:54 and consider Hebrews 10:19-22. 26:59 It says, "Therefore, brethren, 27:03 having boldness to enter the Holiest," 27:07 that's the Holy of Holies, "by the blood of Jesus." 27:12 Oh, do you hear what he's saying? 27:14 We've got permission to go into the Holy of Holies 27:18 now by the blood of Jesus, 27:21 "by a new and living way, 27:25 which he consecrated for us 27:28 through the veil, 27:31 that is, His flesh. 27:34 The veil was the flesh of Jesus. 27:40 The sacrificial death of Jesus 27:43 opened the way for us to come boldly 27:46 before the throne of Christ of God 27:49 that we can find mercy and grace 27:52 in our time of need. 27:54 Think about this. 27:55 God came down in the person 28:00 that He was incarnated, 28:02 He became the person of Jesus Christ. 28:05 He was the seed of the woman 28:07 promised in Genesis 3:15. 28:10 He was the only begotten, 28:13 the unique Covenant Son of God. 28:17 He was the Covenant, 28:21 the answer to the promise for us 28:24 and in His flesh, 28:27 He died to satisfy the requirement of the law, 28:30 give us complete forgiveness, 28:33 and make atonement for our sin. 28:35 I think this is fascinating here. 28:38 When it says that 28:40 He opened a new and living way. 28:44 The word new was derived, 28:48 the original word it's derived from the word 28:51 that meant freshly slain. 28:55 Isn't that fascinating? 29:04 We needed a new way 29:05 because it wasn't provided by the Old Covenant, 29:07 you know, but the Levitical system, 29:11 the whole thing was symbolic of Jesus Christ. 29:15 So let's look at Hebrews 10. 29:17 We're gonna back up a little and look at 5-7. 29:21 It said, "Therefore, when He, Christ came into the world, 29:26 He the Messiah said: 29:28 'Sacrifice and offering You did not desire.'" 29:32 God wasn't happy with all those sacrifices and offerings. 29:36 He always said obedience is better than sacrifice 29:40 but then He says, "But a body, 29:43 you have prepared for Me. 29:45 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin, 29:49 you had no pleasure." 29:51 But when God came down and took on our flesh, 29:55 He prepared that body 29:57 so that He can become the Covenant Son, 29:59 Jesus Christ. 30:01 And then he says, "Then I have said, 'Behold, 30:05 I have come in the volume up your book, 30:09 it is written of Me 30:12 to do Your will, O God.'" 30:16 So His perfect life, made Him, made Jesus Christ, 30:21 the perfect new representative of mankind. 30:25 He is the last Adam. 30:27 And the way for us 30:30 was opened as His body, 30:34 His flesh was torn on the cross, 30:38 that's when the temple veil, 30:40 tore from top to bottom. 30:44 So the tearing of His flesh, this was like the veil, 30:49 the veil of the temple was symbolic 30:53 of the flesh of Jesus. 30:56 So going on Hebrews 10:21, 30:59 "And having a High Priest over the house of God, 31:04 let us draw near with a true heart, 31:09 in full assurance of faith, 31:12 having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience 31:16 and our bodies washed with pure water." 31:20 You know, only Christ can be that sympathetic High Priest 31:26 because He was tempted in every way 31:29 as we are, yet without sin. 31:32 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, 31:34 "That God made Him who knew no sin, 31:37 to be sin for us 31:39 that we might become the righteousness of God 31:41 in Christ Jesus." 31:43 How exciting is that? 31:45 Here's what the quarterly, 31:46 I wanted to read this from our quarterly. 31:50 Jesus, as our priest has also been our veil. 31:56 Through His incarnation, 31:58 God pitched His tent in our midst. 32:03 In the beginning was the Word, 32:04 the Word was with God, the Word was God. 32:07 And John 1:14 said, 32:09 "The Word became flesh and tabernacled, 32:12 pitched His tent among us." 32:16 He said, "He pitched His tent in our midst 32:18 and made it possible for us to contemplate His glory." 32:23 That's like Hebrews 1:3 says, 32:25 "He was the exact representation 32:28 of the Father, of the God. 32:30 He made it possible for a holy God, 32:34 to live in the midst of an imperfect people." 32:39 Emmanuel, God with us. 32:42 He had to be, but you know, Hebrews 12:9, 32:45 it says, "Our God is a consuming fire," 32:48 somewhere in there. 32:51 Think of this, God is holy, God is love. 32:56 So, God is sinless, 32:59 when it says that He is a consuming fire. 33:02 God's love consumes sin. 33:06 That's why we can't stand in His presence. 33:09 If I were to come without the robe 33:11 of Christ's righteousness 33:12 into the presence of God, 33:14 it would just be, I would be vaporated, 33:18 vaporized, vaporated. 33:20 I'm making up new words. 33:22 I mean, that's why the brightness of His coming 33:24 is going to destroy the wicked 33:27 if you don't have that on. 33:29 So 1 Timothy 2:5-6 says there's only one Mediator. 33:34 It's that perfect High Priest, Jesus Christ, 33:36 who became like a sin in every way, He's merciful. 33:40 There's only one mediator between God and men, 33:45 the man Christ Jesus, 33:46 who gave Himself a ransom for all, 33:50 this perfect God-man 33:53 bore God's just wrath against sin, 33:57 and He's the only one that can reconcile us. 34:00 Now, John 14:6, Jesus said, "I am the way, 34:05 the truth, and the life. 34:08 No one comes to the Father except through Me." 34:11 I could not find the source of this, 34:14 but in the past I have studied on the sanctuary, 34:17 not the sanctuary, but the temple. 34:19 The three entrances to the temple. 34:22 The outside gate was called 34:25 the door of truth. 34:28 The door that went into the Holy Place 34:31 was called the way of truth of life. 34:34 No, it was the door of life was the outside gate, 34:37 the door to the Holy Place. 34:39 The entrance to the Holy Place was called the door of truth 34:44 and the entrance to the Most Holy Place 34:47 was the door of the way. 34:50 I'm the way, the truth, and the life, 34:51 but the life, the truth, and the way. 34:54 So Jesus said, in John 10:9, he said, 34:59 "I'm the door, if anyone enters by Me, 35:02 he'll be saved, he'll go out and pasture." 35:05 You know, doesn't that remind you of John 14:1? 35:08 There is a door open in heaven. 35:10 So God invites us now to come boldly 35:15 before His throne. 35:16 And I just have to say this. 35:19 God has high standards. 35:21 You remember in Leviticus 10, the Levitical system, 35:26 when Nadab and Abihu, who were two common priests, 35:31 they were the sons of the high priest, Aaron. 35:34 What did they do? 35:36 They came before the God. 35:37 They offered strange fire and they got vaporized 35:42 or in Shelly Quinn's language vaporated, 35:46 but what we have to remember 35:48 is God's got standards. 35:51 Christ met them all. 35:52 And He's our only way, 35:53 He's the veil into the Holy Place. 35:55 Amen. Amen. 35:56 Revelation 4:1, door open in heaven. 35:58 Love it. 35:59 He is the door. 36:01 My name is James Rafferty, 36:02 and I get to continue the same theme 36:04 that Shelly was introducing the new 36:07 and living way through the veil. 36:08 We're looking at the same verses basically, 36:10 Hebrews 10:19-22. 36:13 I don't get to share that new insight that you shared. 36:16 That was something I hadn't heard before. 36:20 So let's look at Hebrews 10:19 36:22 and we'll just read the verses 36:24 and just some thoughts that we can bring out of them. 36:26 It says, "Having therefore, brethren, 36:28 boldness to enter into the Holiest 36:31 by the blood of Jesus, 36:33 by a new and living way 36:35 which He has consecrated for us through the veil, 36:38 that is to say, his flesh." 36:40 Verse 21, "Having a High Priest over the house of God, 36:43 let us draw near with a true heart 36:46 in full assurance of faith, 36:48 having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, 36:51 and our bodies washed with pure water." 36:54 I love this boldness to enter 36:57 into the heavenly sanctuary, by what? 36:59 By Christ's blood, His perfect life, 37:02 His sacrificial death. 37:03 That's the blood of Jesus, 37:05 not just what was spilled, but what was lived. 37:06 There's life in the blood. 37:08 And then it says, by a new and living way, 37:10 that is His flesh. 37:11 So again, pointing to His flesh, 37:13 His life, His perfect life, 37:15 that fulfilled the law of God in our behalf, 37:18 that gives us, it says, boldness 37:21 to come with full assurance to draw near. 37:24 Remember what John's shared earlier 37:26 about Exodus 20:20. 37:29 You know, the people were afraid. 37:30 And Moses says, "Don't be afraid, 37:33 but let God's fear be in you." 37:35 There's a fear that leads us away from God. 37:37 And there's another fear that leads us away from sin. 37:40 And God wants to put His fear in us 37:43 so that we would not be afraid of Him 37:44 like Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, 37:46 but we would be afraid of sin. 37:48 And so God is telling us here 37:49 in these verses that we can draw near, 37:51 we don't need to be afraid, we can have full assurance, 37:53 we can have true hearts 37:54 because we're sprinkled from an evil conscience, 37:57 we have our bodies washed with pure water. 38:00 All that the Lord has said Jesus has done 38:04 and He was obedient 38:06 and we have him as our advocate, 38:08 as our mediator. 38:09 He is our righteousness, 38:10 and therefore we need to come to Christ. 38:12 When we withhold ourselves from God 38:14 and we don't have boldness to come to God, 38:15 what we're basically saying is, we don't believe in Jesus. 38:18 We're not trusting in Jesus if we're not bold, 38:20 but when we come to the throne of God 38:22 holiest because of Jesus, 38:24 because of His help, because of His grace 38:26 in our time of need. 38:29 The author of Hebrews here in Wednesday's lesson says 38:32 the Book of Hebrews argues, 38:34 I shouldn't say the author of Hebrews, 38:36 I should say the author of the quarterly, right? 38:37 Yes. 38:38 The Book of Hebrews argues 38:40 that Jesus has entered into the heavenly sanctuary 38:42 and invites us to follow His lead. 38:44 This idea agrees with a conception introduced 38:48 before that Jesus is the captain 38:50 and the forerunner of believers, 38:52 Hebrews 2:10, Hebrews 6:19-20, and Hebrews 12:2, 38:55 the new and living way is the New Covenant 38:58 that Jesus inaugurated 39:00 with His sacrifice and ascension. 39:03 The expression new and living contrasts 39:06 with a description of the Old Covenant 39:10 as obsolete and growing old, 39:13 Hebrews 8:13. 39:14 It is the New Covenant, 39:16 which has provided forgiveness of sin, 39:18 has put the law into our hearts. 39:20 It makes us possible for us to approach God 39:22 with confidence because He says, 39:23 I'm going to be their God, 39:24 they're going to be My people. 39:26 We don't need anyone else to teach us. 39:27 God wants to teach us. 39:29 And He wants us to have that connection with Him, 39:31 not because of ourselves or anything we have done, 39:33 but because of what Jesus has done for us 39:37 by fulfilling all of the covenant obligations. 39:41 All that the Lord has said, we did in Christ, 39:46 and we're obedient in Him. 39:48 And what does that mean? 39:49 Well, Jesus did it, 39:50 but He didn't do it apart from us. 39:52 He did it as us. 39:53 He was humanity. 39:55 He was the second Adam. 39:56 We were all born from the first Adam. 39:58 That's what we came from, that's why we're here. 40:00 And now we get the opportunity to be born again. 40:04 That's right. 40:05 1 Peter 1:23, says, 40:08 "We're not going to be born of corruptible seed 40:09 but of incorruptible seed." 40:10 Right? 40:12 John 1:12-13 says, "We're not born of flesh, 40:14 we're not born of the will of man, 40:16 we're not born, but we're born of Christ." 40:18 And you know what? 40:20 When you are born, you inherit from your parents, 40:24 whatever it is, 40:25 whatever baggage it is that they give to you. 40:27 Well, we see this in Hebrews Chapter 7, 40:29 it's really interesting here, 40:31 Paul kind of takes a little bit of a side here 40:32 in verses 7-8 or 8-9, he says... 40:42 "And here men that die receive tithes, 40:44 but he that received them of whom it is witnessed 40:46 that he lives." 40:47 Excuse me, I'm going to go to verses 9-10, 40:49 "And as I may so say, Levi also, 40:52 who received tithes paid tithes in Abraham. 40:56 For he was yet in the loins of his father, 40:58 when Melchizedek met him." 41:00 So get what Paul is saying here. 41:02 He's saying, When Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, 41:06 Abraham had in his loins, 41:09 in his ancestry, the tribe of Levi. 41:12 And Levi comes along later, 41:13 and Levi is actually accounted as paying tithes to Melchizedek 41:18 because he was of the ancestry of Abraham. 41:21 When you are in Christ, 41:23 you get everything that Christ did. 41:26 Everything that Christ did, you get credited for it. 41:29 That's the whole point of Christ 41:30 becoming the second Adam, 41:32 He's the second head of the human race, 41:33 but you only get that if you can say 41:36 that you are adopted 41:38 into the family of Jesus Christ, 41:39 that you are born again, 41:41 that you have accepted Christ as your Savior, 41:43 that you are in Christ. 41:45 And this is not just in a temporal way, 41:46 of course, we're all in Christ in a temporal way. 41:48 We all get life and breath and all things through Calvary, 41:51 every water spring, 41:52 every loaf of bread is stamped with the cross of Christ, 41:55 but it's more than just temporal. 41:56 It's not just the air we breathe. 41:58 It's not just this temporal life 41:59 we live for threescore and 10. 42:01 God has put in Christ, our eternal life, 42:04 and He will not force that upon us. 42:06 God has forced us in a sense, 42:08 He's given us 42:09 this probationary life in a sense, 42:11 without our consent, 42:12 but He's not going to give us eternal life 42:13 without our consent without our choosing. 42:15 And so, our option, our obligation right now 42:19 is to make a decision. 42:21 And remember that decision 42:22 is what comes up in the judgment. 42:24 Have we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior? 42:27 The lesson quarterly in the very last page 42:31 of Wednesday's lesson talks about this. 42:33 Is it Wednesday's lesson I'm on? 42:34 Yes, it is. 42:35 Jesus ascension before God has inaugurated 42:37 a new and living way for the people of God. 42:39 Zachariah 3 mentions 42:41 that Satan was in the presence of God to accuse God's people 42:46 who were represented by the high priest Joshua. 42:48 This accuser is the same that raised questions about 42:52 Job's loyalty to God in Job 1 and 2. 42:54 With the sacrifice of Jesus, 42:56 however, Satan has been cast out of heaven. 43:00 Now it is that Jesus intercedes for us 43:03 and through His sacrifice and faithfulness 43:05 claims salvation for us. 43:07 So we have this accuser, and this accuser is saying, 43:08 you know, these guys were born of the first Adam 43:12 and they've got this fleshly nature 43:13 and their natural inclination 43:15 is not to be in harmony with Your commandments. 43:17 And Jesus says, yes, I know all that 43:19 but I came in that same nature 43:21 and I obeyed God's commands, 43:23 I delighted to obey His commandments 43:25 and they've actually accepted Me 43:27 as their personal Savior. 43:28 They were born of the first Adam 43:29 but now they're born again in the second Adam, 43:31 and I've given them the gift of my righteousness. 43:33 Wow. 43:35 They're not perfect. 43:36 They're not sinless. They're not righteous. 43:37 You know, 1 John 1:8-10 tell us, 43:42 "If any man says that he hasn't sinned 43:44 he's deceiving himself. 43:45 He's calling God a liar." 43:47 But verse nine, this is the gospel sandwich, 43:48 verse 9 says, "But if we confess our sins, 43:51 He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins, 43:53 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 43:55 We have an advocate, 1 John 2:1 says, 43:58 "If we sin, we have an advocate," 44:00 not when we sin, not when we sin. 44:01 That's not what the Bible says. 44:03 The Bible says, "If we sin, 44:04 we have an advocate with the Father, 44:05 Jesus Christ, the righteous 44:07 and He's the propitiation for our sins, 44:09 but not for ours only, 44:11 but also for the sins of the whole world. 44:14 Friends, you have an advocate, 44:17 you have been born into the first Adam, 44:19 God wants you to accept your heritage, 44:20 your inheritance in the second Adam. 44:22 This is the inheritance, 44:24 and no weapon that is raised up against you, 44:26 no tongue that's raised up against you is going to prevail 44:29 when you have Jesus Christ 44:31 and His righteousness as your advocate. 44:33 Don't be afraid of judgment. 44:35 Don't be afraid of coming to God, 44:36 like the Jews were in the Old Testament, 44:38 like the Hebrews were in the Old Testament. 44:40 Don't be afraid of coming to the mountain. 44:41 Moses wasn't afraid. Why? 44:42 Because he saw God. 44:44 And he knew what we're talking about. 44:45 He knew who Jesus was, his advocate, his savior, 44:49 his righteousness, and he says, 44:51 I've got to come to God. 44:52 You know, when we look at ourselves, 44:53 we're like, I gotta run as far away as possible 44:56 but when we look to Jesus, 44:58 you see, because Jesus says, The Lord rebuke you, Satan, 45:01 that's Zechariah Chapter 3, Lord rebuke you, even the Lord, 45:05 this is a brand plucked from the fire, 45:07 put upon him a robe of righteousness, 45:10 put a fair miter on his head, he's going to be mine, 45:12 and he's going to live for me. 45:15 And that's the beauty of entering into the veil. 45:18 That's the beauty of coming to Jesus Christ with boldness, 45:22 with full assurance, 45:23 having our conscience sprinkled with pure water, 45:27 that we have the water 45:28 and the righteousness of Jesus Christ 45:29 that we can step into this veil. 45:31 What accusations that the quarterly asks, 45:34 could Satan make against you before God, 45:36 if he were allowed to? 45:38 Well, there's a whole list of accusations. 45:40 Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 says 45:42 that we're going to have to give account 45:44 for our entire lives, 45:45 everything we've done, whether it's good or evil, 45:47 whether it's secret, 45:48 is going to be brought into account 45:50 in the Day of Judgment 45:51 and the only way you're going to be able to stand 45:53 before the accusations of Satan, 45:56 who has a perfect account of all of our sins, 45:59 is by trusting in the righteousness 46:01 of Jesus Christ. 46:03 I pray that that will be your plea. 46:05 Amen. Thank you, James. 46:07 Mine is They Will See His Face. 46:08 Let me dive into the fastest 10 minutes 46:10 you've ever had. 46:11 Hebrews12:22-24. 46:13 Let's look at the declaration of the writer of Hebrews 46:16 about the Christian. 46:18 "But you have come to Mount Zion 46:19 and to the city of the living God, 46:21 the heavenly Jerusalem, 46:23 to an innumerable company of angels." 46:26 Verse 23, "To the general assembly 46:28 and church of the firstborn 46:30 who are registered in heaven, 46:32 to God the Judge of all, 46:33 to the spirits of just men made perfect, 46:36 to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant, 46:39 and to the blood of sprinkling 46:41 that speaks better things than that of Abel." 46:45 The question is, how, and in what sense 46:48 have we come to the city of God? 46:51 The answer is simple by faith. 46:53 Hebrews 11:1, 46:54 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, 46:57 the evidence of things not seen." 46:59 Our faith substantiates 47:01 that the promise that God has made 47:03 will be carried out. 47:04 He said, we're going to be there by faith. 47:06 We are there through the person of Jesus Christ. 47:09 The Apostle Paul asserted the very same thing. 47:11 He said it's all by faith. 47:13 We are by faith, 47:14 not only there through the person of Christ, 47:16 but by faith we know that one day 47:18 we will be there physically. 47:20 And the Apostle Paul ties 47:21 into that very same faith walk in Philippians 3:20, 47:25 he says, "For our citizenship is in heaven, 47:28 from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, 47:31 the Lord Jesus Christ." 47:33 He says we're already there. 47:34 We're citizens there when you leave the country 47:36 where you are still citizens of America. 47:39 Wherever you live, wherever you go, 47:41 when you leave, you come back to where your citizenship is. 47:44 Paul is saying we haven't been there yet, 47:46 but we're already citizens. 47:47 Amen to that. 47:48 But he goes on to say, 47:50 but like Abraham, we have to wait. 47:52 Hebrews 11:10, "For he waited for the city, 47:56 which has foundations, 47:57 whose builder and maker is God." 47:59 Like Abraham, we have to wait, 48:01 like Abraham, we are citizens, but it's by faith. 48:04 Abraham believed God, 48:06 therefore it was accounted to him for righteousness. 48:09 And he's called the father of the faithful. 48:11 We have the same God, 48:12 the same God he believed is the same God we believe, 48:15 Abraham believed God. 48:17 Paul says I believe God. 48:19 Believing God is quite different 48:20 than believing in God. 48:22 If you believe God, you believe in the Son of God. 48:25 You believe in God, believe also in Me. 48:27 You can't believe God 48:29 if you don't believe in the Son of God, 48:31 it is impossible. 48:32 But the faith walk is what makes us citizens, 48:35 and by faith, we are already in our heavenly home. 48:38 After requesting to see God, 48:40 notice what God responded to as He spoke to Moses. 48:44 Exodus 33:20, He says, but He said, 48:49 "You cannot see my face, 48:50 for no man shall see me and live." 48:53 Why? 48:55 As Shelley said in Hebrews 12:29, 48:57 "For our God is a consuming fire." 48:59 He said to Moses, "If you see Me, 49:04 you are ashes to ashes, dust to dust. 49:07 Nobody's going to see me and live." 49:08 So the question is, 49:10 then who did Jacob wrestle with? 49:13 And said, I saw God face to face and lived. 49:15 He wrestled with the person of Christ 49:18 as a representative of the Father. 49:20 And how do I know that? 49:22 Look at Revelation 6:16-17, when the Bible says, 49:26 Let me touch that first, when the Bible says, 49:27 our God is a consuming fire, 49:30 that fact plays itself out perfectly 49:33 as to why the wicked said what they did, 49:36 or will say what they're going to say 49:38 when the Lamb of God appears visibly to all humanity 49:42 at a second coming. 49:44 Notice what they say, to verify 49:45 that our God is a consuming fire. 49:47 Revelation 6:16-17. 49:49 And it says, "And said to the mountains and the rocks, 49:52 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him 49:54 who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 49:58 For the great day of His wrath has come, 50:00 and who is able to stand?" 50:02 Wow, the great day of His wrath. 50:04 God is a lamb but can you, 50:06 do you know of a lamb that has wrath. 50:08 When the Lord comes back, 50:09 those who are not clothed in His righteousness 50:12 will be consumed by His presence, 50:15 because Jesus would have been exalted and glorified 50:18 to be Almighty God the Son, 50:21 the victorious one over even death itself. 50:24 John wrote to continue to emphasize this point 50:27 that we have not seen the Father yet. 50:28 In John 1:18. 50:30 He says, "No one has seen God at any time. 50:34 The only begotten Son, 50:35 who is in the bosom of the Father 50:37 has declared Him." 50:38 Well, how could He do that? 50:40 How could the Son declare the Father? 50:41 Genesis 1:26, the creation of man, 50:44 the Bible says, "Let us make man in Our image, 50:47 according to Our likeness." 50:49 So here's the point. 50:50 The image of the Son is the image of the Father, 50:53 the image of the Father is the image of the Son, 50:56 but what's the difference? 50:57 When Jesus condescended, 50:58 He came in human form to reflect the image 51:03 of the non-human Heavenly Father, 51:06 He came to show humanity who the Father is, 51:10 and He's just like His Father in image and in form, why? 51:13 Because He says, "Let us make man in Our image." 51:15 But what changed? 51:17 He came in the form of human flesh. 51:21 A body thou has prepared for me. 51:23 He came through the person of Mary, 51:25 but still He came to show in life in character, indeed, 51:28 who the Father is. 51:30 That's why Hebrews 1:3 says, 51:31 "Who being the brightness of His glory, 51:34 and the express image of His person, 51:37 and upholding all things by the Word of His power, 51:40 when he had by himself purged our sins, 51:43 sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." 51:47 The expressed image through the Son, 51:48 we were able to see who the Father is. 51:50 That's why Jesus said 51:52 to Doubting Thomas in John 14:9... 51:59 "Have I been with you so long 52:01 and yet you have not known Me, Philip?" 52:04 And look what he says, 52:05 "He who has seen Me has seen the Father, 52:08 and how can you say, show us the Father, 52:11 love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, 52:15 meekness, patience, 52:17 the healing God, the loving God." 52:19 People think that God is this mean guy, 52:21 and Jesus is this really nice guy, 52:24 but let me remind you, 52:25 the seven last plagues are in the New Testament, 52:28 they're not in the Old Testament. 52:29 The consummation of wickedness 52:31 is in the New Testament permanently. 52:33 But in the Bible, in the Old Testament, 52:34 the Bible says, long-suffering, 52:36 abounding in goodness and mercy, and truth. 52:39 That's the same one. 52:40 God the Father is just like the Son, 52:42 the Son is just like the Father. 52:43 He came to show us the Father 52:45 through the life that He lived. 52:47 So while it is true, that we are not in heaven, 52:50 by grace through faith, 52:51 through the living person of Christ, 52:53 we are already there. 52:55 The Apostle Paul verifies that in Ephesians 2:5-6, 52:59 notice what it says, this is powerful, 53:03 "Even when we were dead in trespasses," 53:07 speaking of what Jesus did, "made us alive with Christ, 53:12 by grace you have been saved." 53:14 And then he says in verse 6, "And raised up together, 53:18 and made us sit together 53:20 in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." 53:23 Today, Jesus is sitting and we're sitting with Him. 53:27 By faith, we're sitting with Him, 53:29 but one day we're going to get a chance 53:30 to sit with Him. 53:32 How do I know that? 53:33 Revelation 3:21, the declaration that John made 53:38 of the future benefit of the saints, 53:40 he says, "To him who overcomes, 53:43 I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, 53:46 as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne." 53:51 That's a future benefit where they are by faith 53:54 but one day we're going to feel the throne 53:56 as we sit in it 53:57 through the person of Jesus Christ. 53:58 One day we're going to sit where Jesus is building 54:02 that throne for His children to sit. 54:05 Five times in the Bible Jesus made it clear 54:09 that the saints are not yet there. 54:11 Five times He says, 54:13 where I'm going, you cannot come. 54:15 Here's one of those, John 13:33, "Little children, 54:19 I shall be with you a little while longer, 54:22 you will seek Me and as I said to the Jews, 54:26 where I am going, you cannot come. 54:28 So now, I say the same thing to you." 54:31 But where's He going? 54:33 John 14:2-3, 54:35 "In my Father's house are many mansions, 54:38 if it were not so I would have told you, 54:39 I go to prepare a place for you. 54:41 And if I go and prepare a place for you, 54:44 I will come again and receive you to Myself 54:46 that where I am there you may be also." 54:49 The place is being prepared by faith we are there 54:51 but one day we're gonna walk through the gates 54:54 into the New Jerusalem. 54:55 I love the songwriter, 54:57 we're gonna walk into Jerusalem, just like John. 55:02 I love that statement because one day, 55:04 I'm going to enjoy the physical touching 55:06 of the throne, and the city that the Lord 55:08 has gone to prepare for every one of us. 55:10 That's why Isaiah says these words in Isaiah 25:9, 55:14 "It will be said in that day, 'Behold, this is our God, 55:19 we have waited for Him, and He will save us. 55:22 This is the Lord, we have waited for Him, 55:24 we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation. 55:28 Amen.'" We're waiting for that. 55:30 One day, we're waiting with Abraham, 55:31 we're waiting with Paul, 55:33 we're waiting with the disciples, 55:34 we're waiting with the faithful, 55:35 who were preferential to die that one day 55:38 they may have a better resurrection. 55:40 But here's the beautiful challenge, 55:42 if we are there by faith, how should we live? 55:46 Colossians 3:1, 55:48 "If then you were raised with Christ, 55:50 seek those things which are above 55:53 where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God." 55:56 If we are going to be citizens there, 55:58 how should we think? 55:59 Colossians 3:2, "Set your mind on things above, 56:03 not on things of this earth." 56:05 The ascension of Jesus is a fact 56:08 and one day our occupation of heaven will be a fact. 56:11 Praise God. 56:12 We look forward to a great, wonderful future. 56:15 Praise the Lord. 56:16 We can roast some veggie links down there 56:17 on that fire you got started. 56:19 Praise God. Amen. 56:20 Praise the Lord. 56:22 Well, my friends, we've come to the end of this study. 56:24 We have some final thoughts from our panel members. 56:26 Yes, in 1 Timothy 6:16, "We are told that 56:30 God dwells in unapproachable light." 56:32 But in Revelation 21:3, it says, 56:35 "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 56:37 'Behold, the tabernacle, God is with men, 56:39 and he will dwell with them 56:40 and they shall be His people. 56:41 God Himself shall be with them and be their God.'" 56:44 Praise the Lord. 56:45 We're going to have that wonderful opportunity. 56:47 Amen. 56:48 Jesus opened the way through His body for us 56:51 to go to the Holy of Holies directly 56:52 to the throne of grace. 56:54 God boldly, go boldly, He's inviting you. 56:57 Amen. 56:59 The Bible says, "I'm crucified with Christ. 57:01 Nevertheless, I live yet not I, but Christ lives in me." 57:06 Amen. 57:07 And I joined with Job in the comment he made 57:10 because one day I'm looking forward 57:11 to this experience being mine. 57:13 Job 19:27, speaking about seeing God, 57:16 "Whom I shall see for myself, 57:19 and my eye shall behold and not another. 57:21 How my heart with Job's yearns within me for that day." 57:26 Amen. Amen. 57:28 Praise the Lord. 57:29 You know, Christ has opened a way through the veil 57:32 unto the Father's presence 57:33 and as we were studying this, 57:36 what was coming to my mind was 1 John 1:9, 57:38 which I learned apparently, 57:40 8-10 is the gospel sandwich according to Pastor James. 57:43 But 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, 57:47 He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, 57:49 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 57:52 My friends, Jesus is in the Most Holy Place, 57:54 and we could just give our heart to Him today, 57:56 that would make all the difference. 57:58 Join us next week for lesson number 11, 58:01 which is entitled, 58:02 Jesus, Author and Perfecter of Our Faith. 58:06 We'll see you next week. God bless. |
Revised 2022-02-03