Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP210021S
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00:01 Hello, friends, welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
00:03 I'm John Lomacang. 00:04 I want to thank you 00:05 for taking the time to tune in every week 00:07 as we walk through the Word of God together. 00:10 This has been an exciting quarter. 00:12 The overall theme is The Promise, 00:14 God's everlasting covenant. 00:16 And lesson number eight is Covenant Law. 00:19 All you need to follow us is a Bible and a willing heart, 00:22 and also a copy of the Sabbath School lesson 00:24 if you so desire. 00:26 To get a copy, to download, go to absg.adventist.org 00:30 to download a digital copy 00:32 or go to your local Seventh-day Adventist church 00:34 and join in on an excursion together in a group, 00:37 if it's possible. 00:39 But if not, we thank you for joining us here 00:41 because we pray that 00:42 God's presence will be your guide. 00:44 God's Holy Spirit will be your teacher, 00:46 and God's Word will be the platform 00:48 on which you stand. 00:50 So join us now for Covenant Law. 01:23 Friends, welcome back to our Sabbath School lesson. 01:25 We are talking about the election of grace. 01:28 Something every one of us is tremendously in need of. 01:32 And we're going to talk about what is grace? 01:33 What application does it have 01:35 in context to talking about the covenants, 01:39 the everlasting covenant? 01:42 To my left though are my Sabbath School panelists 01:44 those who've been joining me. 01:45 Shelley, always good to have you. 01:47 I guess you saw my tie and decided 01:48 to wear a purple jacket. 01:50 I did. 01:51 It was an accident, wasn't it? 01:52 Yes. It's good to have you here today. 01:54 Good to be here. 01:55 Yes, Pastor Dinzey? 01:56 It's a blessing for me to be here as well. 01:58 And I'm looking forward to this lesson study. 02:00 Yes, and, Ryan, what could you say 02:02 about our lesson study today? 02:03 And it's going to be on fire as always. 02:06 I'm excited about it. 02:07 Okay, my good friend, Jill. 02:10 Thank you, Pastor John. 02:11 I'm ready talking about if, that's my lesson is if. 02:14 Wow, one... One word. 02:16 One word, two letters. Okay. 02:18 Well, if you would pray for us, then we can get going. 02:23 Holy Father, we come before You in the name of Jesus, 02:25 grateful for the gift of Your Word 02:27 and Your covenant of salvation, 02:29 which You extended from the very beginning, 02:31 Adam and Eve, all the way down through the history of time. 02:34 We ask right now 02:36 for the anointing of Your Holy Spirit, 02:37 that You would open up our minds and hearts 02:39 to receive what You have for us in Jesus' name. 02:43 Amen. Amen. 02:44 Thank you so much. 02:46 And by the way, if you don't have a Bible, 02:47 just go ahead and open it up and get something to write 02:50 because we like to communicate things 02:51 that may be of interest to you. 02:54 The election of grace, 02:55 we've been talking all week long 02:57 and actually all quarter long often. 02:59 Now this lesson number eight about the covenants, 03:01 the everlasting covenants, 03:03 the salvific covenants that the Lord established, 03:06 the Davidic covenant, the Mosaic covenant, 03:09 different covenants, the Noahic covenant. 03:12 We find that all through the Bible, 03:14 there's really only been one covenant 03:15 because there's only one God, 03:17 but He has confirmed and reaffirmed that 03:19 covenant from generation to generation 03:21 up until the point where we have the phrase 03:25 the New Covenant 03:26 in the Book of Hebrews Chapter 10. 03:28 And we find today that in all of this law keeping, 03:32 we have to understand that 03:34 without the law, 03:37 there will be no need for grace. 03:40 I want to make that very clear. 03:41 So when we talk about the covenant 03:43 and the Ten Commandments is, 03:45 in fact, the transcript of God's covenant, 03:48 but even more than that, 03:49 the transcript of His character. 03:51 We have to understand where there is no law, 03:55 there is no need for grace. 03:58 Now let me not run past that 04:00 because somebody watching might say, 04:03 but doesn't the Bible say 04:04 we're saved by grace through faith 04:06 and that not of ourselves. 04:08 It is a gift of God, 04:09 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 04:12 That's completely true. 04:14 And we embrace and believe that 04:16 because it is in fact God's Word, 04:18 But would you need grace if there was no law? 04:21 Let me give one quick illustration. 04:24 As I say, confession is good for the soul, 04:26 heart and the reputation. 04:27 A couple of years ago, well, actually in 2006, 04:30 I was driving to New York, 04:32 and I was going to clean out my dad's apartment. 04:36 He had passed away. 04:37 He lived downtown New York City and I was driving my SUV. 04:40 My wife was with me. 04:42 This was before they had those little portable GPSs 04:43 that you put on the dashboard. 04:45 As a matter of fact, 04:47 I had my big old honking laptop, 04:49 Ryan, right there in my center console. 04:52 And I was trying to look at my speed 04:53 and what direction to go. 04:55 It was an archaic, 04:57 they didn't have it on cell phones. 04:58 It was an older small dashboard GPSs, 05:02 but I'm looking at my laptop, 05:04 this big 12 inch screen driving, looking, driving. 05:07 And I kept going faster and faster and faster 05:10 through the state of Indiana, 05:13 I was going 87 miles an hour when I saw a highway patrolman 05:17 and he was blocked by this large trailer truck. 05:20 So as, as I came around the curve there he was, 05:22 and his lights came on immediately. 05:25 Well, I decided to slow down 05:27 because I knew he wasn't coming out 05:29 to give me a sandwich or anything. 05:31 He was coming out to have a conversation. 05:33 And I thought, well, I'm going to get an invitation today 05:35 to the courthouse in Indiana. 05:37 Not looking forward to it, but he pulled over and he says, 05:40 can I ask you a question? 05:41 Why are you going so fast? 05:43 I said, 05:45 "Honestly, officer, 05:46 I really wasn't looking at my speedometer. 05:48 I was looking down at my laptop." 05:49 And he looked over and he saw my laptop. 05:51 I said, 05:52 "I was trying to figure out what exit to get off next," 05:54 'cause I was getting close to the exit. 05:56 He said, "Do you realize how fast you were going?" 05:57 I said, "In the 80s." 06:00 He said, "I clocked you at 87 miles an hour." 06:05 License registration, it became to the point, 06:08 I gave him my license registration. 06:09 He said, 06:10 "Get your insurance card. I'll be right back." 06:12 Well, he came back and he tipped his hat back 06:14 and he said, 06:15 "And what's the emergency?" 06:17 I said, "Well really, there's no emergency, 06:19 but I'm going to New York. My dad passed away. 06:21 I'm clearing out his apartment." 06:22 And he looked up and he said, 06:23 "You know what? 06:25 You slow it down, we'll call it a day. 06:27 Is that all right?" 06:29 I said, "Thank you officer." 06:31 I was kind and cordial. 06:33 And he walked away, 06:34 gave me back my license and registration. 06:37 Now, did I say ugh? 06:42 No, I pulled off. 06:45 And I stayed about five miles an hour 06:47 under the speed limit for a long time, 06:51 because I knew that I had violated the law 06:55 and I just received grace. 06:58 So I want you to understand today 06:59 when we talk about the election of grace. 07:01 Grace has never been separated from the law of God. 07:05 As a matter of fact, 07:07 look at some very powerful passages 07:09 on the context of grace and law in the framework of salvation. 07:13 I want you to get that, 07:14 because the election of grace 07:15 is something that the Lord extends 07:17 to every one of us, 07:18 and the memory text for the week 07:20 is Deuteronomy 7:9. 07:22 Let's start with that. 07:24 Deuteronomy 7:9, the memory text of the week. 07:27 Notice what the Lord says very clearly. 07:30 And by the way, Deuteronomy the book is, 07:33 in fact, a second canonical representation 07:37 of the generation that grew up now 07:39 in the wilderness journey. 07:41 Exodus was, they were probably young kids 07:43 are not understanding very well, 07:45 or they probably weren't even born yet. 07:47 But now this book is to the new generation, 07:50 Deuteronomy 7:9, 07:53 "Therefore know that the Lord, your God, 07:55 He is God, 07:57 the faithful God 07:58 who keeps covenant and mercy 08:01 for a thousand generations 08:05 with those who love Him and," what? 08:07 "Keep His commandments." 08:10 That didn't even change 08:12 because Jesus, John 14:15 says, 08:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 08:19 That didn't change 08:20 this covenant to a thousand generations. 08:22 And I will tell you, 08:24 there was not a thousand generations 08:25 between this statement and the statement of Jesus. 08:28 So the covenant conditions haven't changed. 08:30 The Lord says, I will do whatever you want me to do, 08:33 not whatever, 08:34 "But I will fulfill my promises if you fulfill your obligation. 08:38 If you keep My commandments, 08:40 I will be the God who continues to extend to you 08:43 the mercy and the justice that you deserve." 08:46 But now let's go to 2 Peter 3:18. 08:49 Want you to see something 08:50 because we are saved by grace through faith 08:53 in Christ alone. 08:54 But do we make void the law through faith? 08:56 As one of our past lessons, I think Pastor Ryan Day says, 09:00 no, God forbid we establish it. 09:02 But I want you to see how we are growing 09:04 because we talk about salvation here 09:06 and the everlasting covenant of grace 09:08 as well as the everlasting covenant of law, 09:11 all is in the framework of our growth as Christians. 09:14 Look at this, 2 Peter 3:18, 09:17 "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord 09:21 and Savior Jesus Christ. 09:23 To Him be the glory both now and forever." 09:25 Want to make a very important point here. 09:27 We don't grow into grace, we grow in grace. 09:31 A fish doesn't swim into the sea, 09:33 it swims in the sea. 09:35 A plant doesn't grow into the pot, 09:37 it grows in the pot. 09:39 We are growing in grace, meaning we are in it already. 09:43 We don't get grace more and more every day, 09:46 we are growing in that grace. 09:48 So why do we need to grow in that grace? 09:51 Because we still have this frail thing 09:53 called the human flesh. 09:54 We are not glorified yet. 09:56 We are still being sanctified. 09:59 And so when it says, for by grace are you saved, 10:01 a better way of saying that, 10:03 for by grace, you are being saved 10:06 because Isaiah 25:9 says, 10:08 "He will save us." 10:10 Paul in the Corinthians to the Corinthians says, 10:13 "We are being saved." 10:15 So we need grace. 10:16 I know, you know, you need grace. 10:18 I know that every morning I wake up 10:19 before I put my feet in my shoes, 10:21 I got to pray. 10:23 Lord, give me grace today 10:24 that I can reflect Your character. 10:26 So I want to make sure that we can clearly see 10:29 that the author is making it clear that 10:30 we all need grace, but let's continue. 10:33 Let's go to another one. 10:34 2 Corinthians 12:9. 10:36 Let's look at the election of grace 10:38 and see it in a bounding beautiful way. 10:41 2 Corinthians 12:9, 10:44 The Lord is talking about this grace, 10:46 and why would we need grace? 10:48 Because as we drive, 10:50 there's this constant speed limit 10:52 that says to us, ah, 25 now 30, 40, 50, 10:58 it's continually changing. 11:00 And if we ignore the fact that law always exists, 11:03 we might be asking for grace. 11:06 2 Corinthians 12:9. 11:08 Shelley, do you have that? Yes, I do. 11:10 2 Corinthians, 12:9. 11:13 One of my favorites. 11:14 "He said to me, My grace," 11:17 this is Christ speaking to Paul. 11:19 "My grace is sufficient for you, 11:21 for My strength is made perfect in weakness. 11:25 Therefore most gladly 11:26 I will get rather boast in my infirmities, 11:29 that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 11:32 The Apostle Paul said, 11:34 "Hey, if there's anybody that you're looking for, 11:35 that has infirmities, I have it." 11:38 We all have infirmities. What is that weakness? 11:41 Now, why do we need grace? 11:43 A second most beautiful aspect. 11:45 The Lord is saying to us, you're weak, but I'm perfect. 11:49 My strength is perfect. 11:52 My, his strength is perfect. 11:54 Now watch this. 11:56 He covers us in his salvation. 11:58 He imparts to us a strength 11:59 that we don't even own or possess. 12:02 And then he says, 12:03 as weak as you are, I'm still strong. 12:06 His strength is made perfect in our weakness. 12:08 Now, why is Paul boasting? 12:11 Because when I know 12:12 I have access to a power that never fails. 12:15 When I know I have access to a righteousness 12:17 that God always sees as perfect, 12:20 and I'm covered by that. 12:21 It's like scaffolding. 12:23 It's like covering a house that's about to be fumigated. 12:26 We don't see the house, we see the covering. 12:28 When the Lord covers us with His righteousness, 12:31 we must say, thank God for His perfect salvation 12:35 that is made strong in my infirmity, 12:39 in my human weakness. 12:41 But what does the law have to do with anything? 12:43 Let's go to Romans 5:20. 12:45 Let's go to Romans 5:20. 12:47 And it's going to be a while 12:48 before I forget that illustration 12:50 that Pastor Ryan Day did with the cotton in his head. 12:52 But this is why he did it. 12:55 This is why he did it. 12:57 Romans 5:20. 12:58 The Bible says, 12:59 "Moreover the law entered 13:02 that the offense might abound. 13:05 But where sin abounds, grace abounds much more." 13:11 Now watch this. 13:13 I got pulled over 13:15 and I just found out 13:16 I was 22 miles over the speed limit. 13:20 According to the law, 13:23 20 miles over the speed limit 13:25 is good enough for them to take my license. 13:28 But the police officer said, 13:31 "You slow it down. We will call it a day." 13:34 You know, friends, when you fall, 13:37 our Savior, Jesus Christ says, 13:39 do you know, I have every right 13:42 to condemn you to death 13:45 because the wages of sin is death. 13:47 But what I'm going to do for you today, 13:49 because your infirmity is so clear to me, 13:51 in your weakness, 13:53 my strength is going to be made perfect. 13:54 That's the grace of God. 13:56 The election of grace is not saying 13:58 that you are a great sinner alone, 14:01 but the election of grace is saying, 14:03 I'm a greater savior than you are a sinner. 14:06 You see in the Ark of the Covenant, 14:10 the Ten Commandments of God are there, 14:13 but above the Ark of the Covenant 14:15 is the mercy seat. 14:17 Far greater than my sin is God's mercy. 14:20 That is the election of grace. 14:22 Amen. Thank you. 14:24 That perfectly sets up my day Monday, 14:27 Ties That Bind. 14:31 I love what Paul wrote to Timothy 14:33 in 2 Timothy 1:9-10. 14:35 We won't turn there, 14:37 but he said that 14:38 grace was given to us in Christ Jesus. 14:42 Before time began, 14:44 this is, he's alluding to Revelation 13:8, 14:48 "The Lamb who was slain 14:49 from the foundation of the world." 14:52 Where Hebrews 13:20 says, 14:54 "Christ's blood is the blood of the everlasting covenant." 14:58 So all of God's, as you said, 15:01 all of His covenants are a progressive unfolding 15:06 of this everlasting covenant of redemption. 15:10 Last week, we looked at Moses 15:13 and when he went up to the mountain 15:16 and God gave to Moses, 15:19 he'd already spoken 15:21 the Ten Commandments to the people. 15:22 But when Moses went back up to the mountain, 15:24 after they'd already heard that, 15:27 he received from the Lord, 15:32 what you will say are civil laws. 15:37 It was to... It was the constitution 15:39 for the new nation of Israel. 15:42 That's what it was. 15:44 And the Ten Commandments were the Bill of Rights. 15:48 It's how God that they were going to treat God 15:50 how they were going to treat one another. 15:53 And so, then it also had the ceremonial laws, 15:57 the sacrificial laws, the special Sabbaths, 16:01 you know, the annual Sabbaths. 16:03 I'm not speaking of the seventh day Sabbath, 16:05 but the festivals, the annual Sabbaths, 16:08 the drink offerings, meal offerings, et cetera. 16:12 This is found in Moses, Moses... 16:14 Exodus 20:22-23, 22. 16:20 So we read last week in Exodus 24:7 16:25 that Moses received this instruction. 16:28 And now Moses writes this, may be on papyrus or skin. 16:33 He writes this 16:35 and what it's called the Book of the Covenant. 16:37 And then we looked 39 years later 16:40 when he reiterates the Book of the Covenant, 16:43 it is now called the Book of the Law. 16:46 It's according to Deuteronomy 31:26, 16:50 he rewrites and reiterates 16:52 all of this in his final sermon. 16:54 And God tells him to put the Book of the Law 16:58 on the side of ark. 17:00 It was to stay in there as a witness against them 17:04 because it can, 17:05 it was the blessings and the curses, 17:11 but you've got the Ten Commandments 17:12 in the ark permanence. 17:14 The Book of the Covenant, 17:16 which is now the Book of the Law 17:18 on the side of the ark. 17:19 This is a temporary position 17:23 because it is the constitution for the new nation of Israel. 17:27 Now God says in Deuteronomy 29:13, 17:32 His purpose for the covenant was that 17:35 "He might establish the people 17:39 as a people for Himself, 17:42 and that He may be God to them." 17:47 However much we have stressed that salvation is by grace. 17:52 Grace is not a license to disobey. 17:56 Deuteronomy 4:13 says, 17:58 "He declared to you His covenant 17:59 which He commanded you to perform, 18:02 the Ten Commandments, 18:03 and He wrote them on two tablets of stone." 18:06 We saw last week that God wrote 18:08 these Ten Commandments both times, 18:11 the first time when Moses broke them 18:12 after the people broke the covenant. 18:14 But the second time, 18:16 and the commandments were written 18:17 on this stone tablets 18:19 on the front and on the back. 18:21 But they are the foundation 18:25 of God's government of love. 18:28 So the Ten Commandments, 18:31 as I said, are like the Bill of Rights 18:34 in the constitution of the Old Covenant. 18:37 It is how it defines love to the Creator 18:42 and love to your neighbor. 18:44 In the Ten Commandment 18:47 is also the heart of the New Covenant. 18:51 Let me share this with you. 18:52 Hebrews 8:10. 18:55 Speaking of the New Covenant, 18:57 God's law of love, 19:01 His instructions of love found in the Ten Commandments. 19:04 Hebrews 8:10, 19:06 He's speaking of the New Covenant, 19:08 He says, "This is the covenant 19:09 that I will make with the house of Israel 19:11 after those days, says the Lord. 19:13 I will put My laws in their mind 19:17 and write them on their hearts." 19:19 And then He's always saying, 19:20 "I will be their God, and they will be My people." 19:24 The Old Covenant, Moses was the mediator. 19:29 The New Covenant, Jesus is the mediator. 19:33 There's only one mediator between us and God 19:36 and that's Jesus. 19:37 The Old Covenant was the constitution. 19:42 It was laws 19:44 built on God's Ten Commandment principles 19:49 to govern the new nation of Israel. 19:54 Then in the New Covenant, 19:57 I mean the Old Covenant, 19:58 they get the constitution for Mount Sinai. 20:01 The New Covenant, 20:03 God's constitution is changed. 20:07 Those civil laws Christ came to magnify. 20:11 Where do we find the parallel 20:16 to the Book of the Covenant? 20:19 We find it on the Mount of Beatitudes. 20:24 Christ came 20:26 and He is now giving 20:28 a new constitution for a new Israel. 20:31 You know, Matthew, when he introduces the book, 20:36 the Sermon on the Mount, 20:38 He does it against the backdrop of Moses. 20:41 He's making a parallel. 20:44 And so Christ then gives us new 20:49 a new constitution. 20:50 Both covenants include the Ten Commandments, 20:54 and we have to remember, 20:57 the covenant is an arrangement. 21:01 God's covenants with a will, a testament. 21:04 That's why we call it the Old Testament, 21:06 the New Testament, 21:07 And the concept of an arrangement, 21:11 a relationship. 21:14 There's rules. 21:16 Aren't there boundaries in your relationship? 21:18 When you get married, you are taking one wife to you. 21:21 There are... See, boundaries define us. 21:26 They say what's acceptable and what's unacceptable. 21:29 And guess what? 21:30 Boundaries, we train people how to treat us. 21:33 So God is a boundary making God. 21:37 He said, 21:38 "These are the principles of love. 21:40 This is how you should love Me 21:42 with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength." 21:46 And then here's the principles of love 21:49 to your fellow human being. 21:51 This is the vertical grace, if you will. 21:54 And we, every partnership has boundaries, 22:00 rules, every marriage, 22:03 I mean, I can't imagine if JD's married me 22:06 and then just said the next week. 22:08 Well, I'm going to go out with so-and-so. 22:10 She appeals to me. 22:11 That wouldn't go over very well at all. 22:14 So, He makes these promises. 22:17 God makes all of the promises, 22:19 but then He asks us, 22:22 He invites us into relationship with Him. 22:25 I'll be your God. You'll be My child. 22:28 You'll be My daughter. 22:30 You'll be My son. 22:33 Come into relationship with Me. 22:36 And here's these boundaries. 22:39 Now, in the Old Covenant, 22:41 it contained various requirements 22:46 that were special, 22:50 are that were required for the special relationship. 22:53 But it's the same for the New Covenant. 22:55 And here's something that 22:57 I'm just gonna forget about my notes, 22:59 'cause I don't have time. 23:01 I remember when God started showing me 23:04 because you know, we talk about the ceremonial law 23:07 being nailed to the cross. 23:10 Well, so was the old civil law. 23:12 We no longer stone adulterers. 23:16 Praise God. 23:17 There'll be a lot of dead people 23:19 around in this day and age. 23:21 But, you know, people say, 23:23 "Oh, that Old Covenant looks impossible to keep." 23:26 Man, I'll tell you, how many times do you hear 23:29 the Sermon on the Mount? 23:31 And I've got this in a later one, 23:32 but Jesus came to magnify the law. 23:34 He said, you've heard it said that if you commit adultery, 23:39 you know, don't commit adultery. 23:40 I'm telling you, if you lust in your heart, 23:42 you're committing adultery. 23:43 You've heard it said that if you murder, it's wrong. 23:47 I'm telling you, if you hate your brother, 23:49 it's wrong. 23:50 So we've got to realize 23:54 that the reason it... 23:57 God let it look impossible 23:59 'cause the Sermon on the Mount looks impossible, isn't it? 24:02 I mean when you read it, 24:03 but that's because God wants us to understand. 24:08 We could never do it on our own. 24:11 It's always been His grace is sufficient. 24:13 His strength is made perfect. 24:15 And the new ceremonial laws, 24:17 Christ fulfilled all of those old laws. 24:21 It is the power of the cross. 24:23 It is Christ ministry in the heavenly places. 24:29 Amen. Thank you, Shelley. Thank you so much. 24:32 Well, we're going to take a short break 24:33 and come right back for Tuesday's lesson, 24:36 so don't go away. 24:43 Ever wish you could watch 24:44 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again, 24:47 or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 24:50 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com 24:55 A clean design makes it easy 24:57 to find the program you're looking for. 24:59 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 25:03 so you can follow along. 25:05 Sharing is easy. 25:06 Just click share 25:07 and choose your favorite social media. 25:09 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 25:14 Welcome back to our 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 25:17 I'm going to turn the time over to Pastor John Dinzey. 25:20 It's yours. Thank you very much. 25:21 Now we are in Tuesday's portion 25:24 and the lesson for Tuesday 25:27 is entitled Law within the Covenant. 25:31 So when you think of the word law, 25:33 most people are right away thinking of, 25:35 well, the police, traffic and maybe jail, 25:39 but the laws of the Lord 25:41 were meant for the good of the people. 25:44 And when you see in the Bible, 25:46 the word law in the Old Testament, 25:49 normally it is the word Torah, 25:51 which means instruction 25:54 and also means teaching. 25:58 So normally 25:59 when you talk to the Jews about it, 26:01 when they say the Torah, 26:02 they're talking about 26:04 the first five books of the Bible, 26:06 books of Moses. 26:08 A question is brought here in the lesson 26:09 that I like to bring out. 26:11 Why do you suppose God provided so much instruction for Israel? 26:15 And we are going to turn 26:17 to Deuteronomy10:12-13. 26:22 And the Bible says there, 26:24 "And now, Israel, 26:26 what does the Lord your God require of you, 26:30 but to fear the Lord your God, 26:32 to walk in all His ways 26:34 and to love Him, 26:36 to serve the Lord your God 26:37 with all your heart and with all your soul, 26:41 and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes 26:44 which I command you today for your good?" 26:47 See, the laws and instructions 26:50 that the Lord gave to the people of Israel. 26:53 It included as well as 26:55 the issues of social life, religious life, 26:59 and even dietary laws and health laws are there. 27:04 It also, there were laws to protect the land. 27:06 And I'm going to share some scripture very soon here 27:09 that where the Lord told the people 27:11 that even the land had to rest. 27:14 And if we were to practice this today, 27:15 our food would be more nutritious 27:17 than it is now. 27:19 You see, through the Jewish nation, 27:21 I'm going to bring this out from Colossians, not Colossians 27:24 but the book Christ Object Lessons, 27:26 page 286. 27:27 Notice, this is beautiful. 27:28 "Through the Jewish nation 27:30 it was God's purpose 27:31 to impart rich blessings to all peoples. 27:35 Through Israel the way was to be prepared 27:38 for the diffusion of His light to the whole world. 27:41 The nations of the world, 27:44 through following corrupt practices, 27:46 had lost the knowledge of God. 27:48 Yet in His mercy 27:50 God did not blot them out of existence. 27:52 He purposed to give them opportunity 27:55 for becoming acquainted with Him 27:57 through His church. 27:58 He designed that the principles revealed 28:01 through His people 28:02 should be the means of restoring 28:04 the moral image of God in man." 28:08 You see the, for example, 28:10 the laws that the Lord gave to the people of Israel 28:13 concerning a contagious disease, 28:16 that they have to be washed, 28:17 that they have to be separated from the people, 28:19 the things that they were sitting on 28:21 had to be cleaned, washed, san... 28:24 We use today the word sanitized, you know? 28:26 And these people, 28:28 when they had a contagious disease 28:29 were told to separate from the family, 28:31 separate from their home, 28:32 otherwise everyone in the home will be sick. 28:34 And before you know it, 28:36 the whole camp of Israel will have a contagious disease. 28:38 One of those diseases that was incurable, 28:40 they said was leprosy. 28:43 And so as you read about leprosy, 28:45 we'll see that it was highly contagious 28:47 and God placed before the people instruction 28:50 to protect them from this deadly disease. 28:54 Let's go to Leviticus 28:56 25:2-4. 29:00 And this is beautiful, what God told the people to do. 29:04 Notice, 29:05 "Speak unto the children of Israel 29:07 and say unto them: 29:08 'When you come into the land which I give you, 29:11 then shall the land keep a Sabbath unto the Lord, 29:14 Six years thou shall sow thy field, 29:16 six years thou shall prune thy vineyard 29:19 and gather in the fruit thereof. 29:21 But in the seventh year 29:23 shall be a Sabbath of rest unto the land, 29:26 a Sabbath for the Lord. 29:28 Thou shall neither sow thy field 29:30 nor prune thy vineyard." 29:32 So we see here that God wanted even the land to rest. 29:35 Why? 29:37 The continued planting and growing and sowing, 29:42 all of these things 29:44 eventually would deplete the soil of its nutrients. 29:47 So God said, "Let's give the land a rest." 29:50 One year of rest, 29:51 and then the soil could recover from the use. 29:56 Let's go to Deuteronomy 4:5-8 29:59 because there is a lesson for us 30:01 here that is of vital importance. 30:04 Surely this is Moses speaking. 30:06 "Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, 30:09 just as the Lord my God commanded me, 30:11 that you should act according to them 30:13 in the land which you go to possess. 30:15 Therefore be careful to observe them, 30:18 for this is your wisdom 30:19 and your understanding in the sight of the peoples 30:23 who will hear all these statutes, and say, 30:26 'Surely this great nation 30:29 is a wise and understanding people.' 30:32 For what great nation is there 30:35 that has God so near to it, 30:38 as the Lord our God is to us, 30:40 for whatever reason we may call upon Him? 30:43 And what great nation is there that has such statutes 30:47 and righteous judgments as are in all this law 30:50 which I set before you this day?'" 30:53 The laws that God gave to the people of Israel 30:57 were for their blessing and their protection. 30:59 You have heard of also the law of ordinances. 31:04 And we're going to talk briefly about that because, 31:07 and we're going to cover this 31:08 as we continue in this study of the, 31:11 this quarterly. 31:13 Notice what is written again 31:14 in the book Christ Object Lessons 31:16 concerning the commandments and the statutes. 31:19 Page 289, 31:21 "If they would keep His commandments, 31:23 God promised to give them the finest of wheat, 31:26 and bring them honey out of the rock. 31:28 With long life would He satisfy them, 31:31 and show them His salvation. 31:34 Through disobedience to God, Adam and Eve had lost Eden, 31:36 and because of sin the whole earth was cursed. 31:39 But if God's people followed His instruction, 31:42 their land would be restored to fertility and beauty. 31:46 God Himself gave them directions 31:48 in regard to the culture of the soil, 31:50 and they were to co-operate with Him 31:52 in its restoration. 31:54 Thus the whole land, under God's control, 31:56 would become an object lesson of spiritual growth, 31:59 spiritual truth. 32:00 As in obedience to His natural laws 32:03 the earth should produce its treasures, 32:05 so in obedience to His moral law 32:08 the hearts of the people 32:10 were to reflect the attributes of His character. 32:13 Even the heathen would recognize 32:14 the superiority of those 32:16 who served and worshiped the living God." 32:19 So, praise the Lord. 32:20 The laws were supposed to protect the people 32:23 and bless the people. 32:24 And because of time, I have to move over quickly 32:27 to talking about a separation between the laws of ordinances, 32:31 the laws of sacrifices, 32:33 these laws pointed to Jesus, our sacrifice. 32:37 They were of temporary benefit 32:40 because when people would sacrifice for their sins, 32:43 they were to consider and understand that 32:46 the Son of God was coming to die for them for their sins. 32:52 So these had temporary benefit 32:54 because they were a shadow of good things to come. 32:57 Now, I'm going to read to you from Colossians 2:14. 33:03 Notice what the Bible says there, 33:05 "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances 33:09 that was against us, which was contrary to us, 33:13 and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross." 33:16 Now, some people think 33:18 this is referring to the Ten Commandments. 33:20 No, it is not referring to the Ten Commandments 33:22 because the Ten Commandments 33:24 are not a shadow of good things to come, 33:26 but they are God, 33:28 a transcript of God's character. 33:30 Now, one of the pioneers, one of the ancient authors 33:35 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church 33:37 wrote something very interesting 33:38 concerning this particular text and is very interesting. 33:43 And I would like for you to hear, 33:44 it's from the History of the Sabbath, 33:46 page 138. 33:48 He says, 33:49 "The whole is declared 33:51 a shadow of good things to come, 33:53 and the body which cast this shadow is of Christ. 33:57 That law which was proclaimed by the voice of God 34:00 and was written by his own finger, 34:02 upon the tables of stone, 34:03 and deposited beneath the mercy seat 34:06 was all together 34:07 unlike the system of carnal ordinances 34:11 that was written by Moses in a book, 34:14 it was completely different, 34:15 and placed in the side of the ark." 34:18 Now notice what he says, 34:20 "It would be absurd 34:21 to speak of the tables of stone as nailed to the cross. 34:25 "You can't do it. They're made of stone. 34:27 And he says, 34:29 "Or to speak of blotting out what was engraved in stone." 34:33 Quite different from writing on papyrus, 34:37 or how do you say it? 34:38 Papyrus, quite different that you can blot it out. 34:41 You can burn it and you can blot it out. 34:44 So God's law was written on stone, 34:48 His Ten Commandments. 34:50 And so, I would like to point out to you 34:55 Deuteronomy 5:29, 34:57 notice this marvelous verse, 35:00 "All that they have such a heart in them 35:03 that they would fear me 35:05 and always keep all my commandments, 35:08 that it might be well with them 35:10 and with their children forever." 35:13 God's Ten Commandments continue today 35:16 to be a guide to guide us to Jesus, 35:20 but also to help us understand that God's law is eternal. 35:23 It cannot be changed. 35:25 They are transcripts of God's character. 35:27 Praise The Lord. 35:29 Thank you so much, Pastor Dinzey. Amen. 35:30 That sets me up great for Wednesday's lesson 35:32 entitled The Stability of God's Law. 35:36 And you know, 35:37 this is something that I think a lot of people struggle with 35:40 in the sense of, especially 35:42 the kind of the evangelical Christian society 35:44 that we live in today, 35:45 where there's so much, there's so much doubt, 35:49 you know, against the law of God 35:50 in the sense of how and what role it all it plays 35:53 within our Christian walk with the Lord. 35:56 And so the lesson actually starts off with a question 35:58 that I'm going to ask here, 35:59 and then we're going to answer that question 36:01 and build on it throughout this lesson. 36:03 So he asked, what truth about God 36:05 does the presence of God's law 36:07 in the covenant relationship 36:09 teach us about His essential nature? 36:13 And I love the answer it gives 36:14 because it's one of my favorite texts, 36:16 Malachi 3:6, 36:19 "I am the Lord." 36:20 He says, "For I am the Lord. I do not change." 36:23 King James says, "I change not," right? 36:26 God does not change in the sense that 36:29 you know, we can make on the fact that 36:30 God does not change in nature or in character. 36:32 He's the same God yesterday, today, and forever. 36:36 His standards are always the same 36:38 and the same divine loving God you have here 36:41 is the same wonderful, graceful God over here, right? 36:44 So you're seeing the same God in the... 36:45 That's why you hear a lot of Christians say, 36:47 you know, the God of the Old Testament 36:48 and you know, the Savior in the New Testament's 36:51 two different people that I see. 36:53 No, no, no. 36:54 If you, if you're reading the story of scripture properly 36:56 and you are allowing the Word of God 36:57 to speak to you, then, you know, 36:59 it's the same gracious, loving God all throughout. 37:02 It's the people that change, not the Lord. 37:05 And, of course, the people's changing. 37:07 Of course, their lack of obedience 37:09 calls the Lord to, 37:10 you know, go about changing some of His methods 37:12 and some of His approach, 37:14 but never His character, never His law. 37:16 And that's what this lesson is talking about. 37:18 The stability of God's law 37:20 that we see throughout Scripture. 37:21 Another great text that it presents here 37:23 in the lesson that I really enjoyed 37:25 was James 1:17. 37:28 Again, James 1:17 says, 37:30 "Every good gift and every perfect 37:33 gift is from above, 37:35 and comes down from the father of lights, 37:37 with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." 37:41 Again, it's implying 37:43 and very much solidifying the fact 37:45 that God does not change. 37:47 It's the same God throughout. 37:49 And the same thing can be said about His eternal law. 37:52 God's law is a part of the everlasting covenant 37:54 is a true gift indeed. 37:58 And so we have this to say that the, 38:00 this is the same eternal omniscient, omnipotent, 38:03 omnibenevolent God 38:04 revealing Himself 38:06 and His character to us constantly. 38:08 He is sharing with us the law, 38:11 which of course is His eternal kingdom 38:13 is governed by. 38:15 So right now, you know, 38:16 if we could particularly take a trip into heaven right now, 38:20 you would see that God's kingdom, 38:22 heaven is governed by the law of God. 38:25 And it's interesting because when you jump into, 38:27 we've mentioned here the Beatitudes, 38:29 the Sermon on the Mount. 38:31 Matthew 7:21-23, 38:33 actually reveals a little something here to us, 38:36 kind of gives us an idea 38:37 into the significance, the importance 38:39 and the stability of God's law within one's life. 38:43 Matthew 7:21-23. 38:46 We've read this many times in lessons past. 38:48 This is something that people often, 38:50 they don't forget this passage, at least I don't. 38:52 This was a very big passage in my growing, in my, 38:55 you know, my maturity in the Lord. 38:57 Matthew 7:21-23. 38:59 This is a part of the Sermon on the Mount. 39:01 And Jesus says, 39:02 "Not everyone who says to Me, 39:03 Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, 39:05 but he who does," what? 39:07 "The will of My Father in heaven." 39:10 And then He goes on to say, 39:11 "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, 39:12 have we not prophesied in Your name, 39:14 cast out demons in Your name, 39:16 done many wonderful works or wonders in Your name." 39:19 And then He says this in verse 23, 39:21 "And then I will declare to them, 39:22 'I never knew you, 39:24 depart from me you who practice lawlessness.''' 39:28 Now, the reason why I read all the way through to the end, 39:30 I'm going to back up there to the very first verse, 39:33 because it says there, not everyone who says to me, 39:36 Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom, 39:37 but he who does the will of My Father, 39:40 which is in heaven. 39:42 What is the will of God? 39:43 Well, the context of this particular verse here 39:46 kind of gives us an idea 39:47 because He's pronouncing upon those 39:49 that He's saying, I don't know you. 39:50 Why? Because those who practice lawlessness. 39:54 So what is the will of God for our life? 39:56 Psalm 40:8 gives us an indication of that. 39:59 When the Psalmist wrote, 40:00 "I delight to do your will, oh my God. 40:03 And your law is within my mouth." 40:06 So it is the will of God 40:08 that we be stable 40:10 and solidified and grounded in the fact 40:12 that His character 40:13 is basically transcribed within that law. 40:16 It is not, again, as we brought up many times, 40:19 you know, these rules and regulations, 40:20 you know, thou shalts and thou shalt nots, 40:22 and don't do this and don't do that. 40:24 But there are 10 promises that we see there 40:27 in which God is saying, I'm bestowing My will upon you. 40:30 If you are keeping My commandments, 40:32 if you're obedient to My law, 40:33 then you are following in My will. 40:37 Walter R. Beach in his book Dimensions in Salvation, 40:40 which was published by the Review and Herald. 40:43 And on page 143 of his book, 40:45 there was, it was published back in 1963. 40:47 This is what he says, powerful quote here. 40:49 He says, "The assurance that God is reliable 40:52 and dependable lies in the truth, 40:54 that He is a God of law. 40:57 His will and His law are one. 40:59 God says that right is right, 41:02 because it describes 41:03 the best possible relationships. 41:05 Therefore God's law is never arbitrary or subject 41:09 to whim and fancy. 41:11 It is the most stable thing in the universe." Why? 41:15 Because God's kingdom 41:17 is governed by God's law, right? 41:19 If you know, want to know who God is, 41:21 look at His law, it tells you exactly who He is. 41:24 And so if God's law cannot save a person, 41:27 which we learned that from previous lessons, 41:29 if God's law does not save a person from sin, 41:31 then why did He make it a part of the covenant? 41:33 Because we've talked about 41:35 how it's the heart of the covenant. 41:36 I love Amos 3:3. I love this. 41:39 It says, "Can two walk together unless they are agreed?" 41:45 So we learned last week in our, 41:48 and I did my little illustration last week 41:50 of how obviously God gave the law 41:52 so that the children of Israel would be able to see their sin, 41:56 not for it to save them. 41:57 They'd be able to see their sin 41:59 and see their need therefore 42:01 of the Savior to be cleansed from their sin. 42:02 And that is true. 42:04 But also God gives His law not as a means of salvation, 42:07 not as a means for us to be saved, 42:10 you know, by that law. 42:11 But it also here 42:13 is establishing the fact within the lesson 42:15 that God establishes or puts 42:17 this beautiful Ten Commandment law 42:18 within the overall covenant plan, 42:21 this covenant relationship plan, 42:23 because He wants us to be in agreement. 42:25 He wants us to be on the same page, right? 42:28 And this was Lucifer's problem. 42:30 This was ultimately what Lucifer's, 42:31 Lucifer had this problem when he was in heaven. 42:34 And we see the record of that when we go back to Ezekiel 28, 42:37 and also we can read there in Isaiah Chapter 14, 42:39 you know, but in Ezekiel 28, 42:41 it says that Lucifer was a covering cherub. 42:44 What was he covering? 42:45 What was he protecting? 42:47 What was he, you know, further establishing 42:48 and upholding in the kingdom of God? 42:50 He was one of those two covering cherubs 42:52 in the very presence of the Lord 42:54 that was upholding, establishing, protecting, 42:56 covering God's holy law. 42:58 But there came a point in which he said, 42:59 I don't agree with that anymore. 43:00 I want my own law. I want to do my own thing. 43:04 And so he basically rebelled against God. 43:07 He looked within himself 43:08 and begin to see his own beauty. 43:10 And he began to rebel against the governmental law of God. 43:14 And it's interesting 43:15 as I was doing a little bit of study, 43:17 I've come up with, come to this name 43:19 or to this name, many times in my studies in past. 43:21 But you know, I'm asking the question at this point, 43:24 does that same mentality 43:25 seem to be manifested within society. 43:27 And sometimes even within the church today 43:30 that I know there's the law of God over here, 43:32 but I just, I feel like 43:33 I'm going to do what I want to do. 43:34 And this was basically the concept of a man 43:37 by the name of Aleister Crowley. 43:39 If you've ever done your research on a man 43:41 by the name of Aleister Crowley. 43:42 He's known as the father of modern Satanism. 43:44 And he goes over to Egypt for his honeymoon 43:46 back in the early 1900s. 43:48 And he comes back saying, 43:49 I've received this incredible revelation 43:50 by some spiritual voice of some kind. 43:54 And he writes what is known as the Book of the Law. 43:56 And the whole thesis of that Book of the Law is 44:00 do what thou wilt is the whole of the law. 44:04 In other words, there's no balance, 44:05 there's no stability. 44:06 Do what you want to do. 44:08 There's nothing that grounds us to moral standards. 44:10 And you know, the difference 44:12 in understanding the differentiation 44:13 between what is right, what is wrong, 44:15 what is evil, what is good, what is bad. 44:18 So Matthew 24:12 also clearly tells us that 44:23 in the last days, 44:24 this would be the same issue 44:26 prior to the second coming of Jesus. 44:28 And it says there Matthew 24:12, 44:29 "And because of lawlessness, 44:31 the lawlessness will abound, it says, 44:34 the love of many will grow cold." 44:36 And we're seeing that indeed in society today. 44:39 But you know, God's law is stable 44:41 and we can have stability within the law of God 44:43 to approach it in its right context, 44:45 not as a means of salvation, 44:47 but to see it as that great mirror 44:50 that shows our need of the Savior, 44:52 that points us to Jesus. 44:54 I love what Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-40. 44:56 It said, 44:58 "Jesus said, unto them, 44:59 'You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, 45:01 with all your soul and with all your mind. 45:03 This is the first and great commandment.'" 45:05 But then in verse 39, He says, 45:07 "The second is like, 45:08 and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. 45:10 On these two commandments 45:12 hang all the law and the prophets.' 45:14 And we know that, yes, indeed, 45:16 if you take those first four commandments, 45:18 as Shelley brought out earlier 45:19 and you take those last six commandments 45:21 and you look at those in proper context. 45:25 You'll see the first four points us 45:27 to our love and our service for God. 45:29 And, of course, the last six, 45:31 our love and our service for man. 45:33 God's law is stable. 45:34 And in Christ, we are stable as well. 45:36 Amen. 45:37 Thank you so much each one of you. 45:39 What an incredible lesson Covenant Law. 45:42 The role of law in our lives as Christians, 45:45 not just for the children of Israel, 45:47 but us today. 45:48 My lesson is just one word. 45:50 That's the title, If. 45:52 And so, I want to start with an if then statement. 45:56 Now an if then statement 45:58 is also known as a conditional statement. 46:01 We have a hypothesis followed by a conclusion. 46:05 We would say, if this happens, then that will happen. 46:09 This is not going to happen unless you have this. 46:12 This is the condition. 46:14 You could say if you work overtime, 46:17 you'll be paid time and a half. 46:18 Now not everybody's paid time and a half, are they? 46:21 You have a condition. 46:22 You have to work overtime to be paid time and a half. 46:27 What about this one? 46:28 I'll wash the car if the weather is nice. 46:31 The condition is what? 46:32 The weather needs to be nice. 46:34 If the weather's nice, then I wash the car. 46:38 I'll be a millionaire when I play monopoly. 46:42 The condition is 46:44 when I play monopoly, I will be a millionaire. 46:47 There is a condition there. 46:50 If then statements. 46:52 Let's look at if then statements 46:53 for the covenant. 46:55 Exodus, 19:5, 46:57 we're going to jump through several verses 46:58 very quickly here. 46:59 Exodus 19:5, 47:01 "Now, therefore, if," here's the condition, 47:04 "If you will indeed obey My voice 47:06 and keep My covenant, 47:07 then you shall be a special treasure to me 47:10 above all the people, 47:11 for all the earth is mine." 47:14 If you obey, 47:15 then you will be My covenant people. 47:18 Jump over to Leviticus. 47:19 Leviticus 26:3-9. 47:22 We're not going to read all of those verses, 47:25 but it begins with an if that conditional statement, 47:29 "If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments 47:32 and perform them, then", 47:34 and then it goes an entire list of things 47:37 that God is going to do. 47:38 You jump down to verse 9. 47:39 "I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, 47:42 multiply you and confirm My covenant with you." 47:46 So the condition is, 47:48 if you walk in My statutes and My commandments, 47:51 then what? 47:52 I will give you rain. 47:54 Your land and trees will be fruitful. 47:55 You will eat bread. 47:56 You will dwell in the land safely. 47:58 You will not be afraid. 48:00 No evil beasts or evil men will be around you. 48:02 You will be victorious in battle. 48:04 You will be fruitful and multiply. 48:06 And I will confirm My covenant with you. 48:10 God did the same thing with Abraham. 48:12 Genesis 26:4-5. 48:16 I will make your descendants. Now this one's backwards. 48:19 This one starts with what's going to happen, 48:21 then it goes to the condition. 48:23 "I will make you descendants multiply 48:25 as the stars of heaven. 48:27 I will give to your descendants all these lands 48:29 and in your seed, all the nations of the earth 48:31 shall be blessed." 48:32 Now here's the if, 48:34 "Because Abraham obeyed My voice, 48:37 kept My charge, My commandments, 48:38 My statutes, and My laws. 48:40 You see if Abraham obeyed God's law. 48:43 If he kept His statutes, if he kept His covenant, 48:46 then God promised to multiply his descendants. 48:50 He promised to give him land. 48:52 He promised to bless the entire earth 48:54 through his seed. 48:56 And, of course, specifically the one seed the Messiah. 49:00 One more if then covenant statement. 49:02 Deuteronomy 28, 49:04 we call this the law of blessings 49:06 and cursings. 49:08 Deuteronomy 28. 49:09 We're not going to read all those verses, 49:10 but it starts in verse 1. 49:13 "Now, it shall come to pass, 49:14 if you diligently obey 49:16 the voice of the Lord, your God, 49:18 to observe carefully all His commandments, 49:20 which I command you today. 49:22 And that the Lord, your God 49:24 will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 49:26 And all these blessings 49:28 will come upon you and overtake you because," 49:31 there's another if, 49:32 "you obey the voice of the Lord, your God." 49:35 And then all of these blessings, 49:36 it takes you all the way down to verse 14. 49:39 So if you obey the voice of the Lord, your God 49:42 and obey His commandments, 49:44 what's God going to do? 49:46 He will set you on high, 49:48 above all the nations of the earth. 49:50 He will bless you in the city and bless you in the country 49:53 and bless the fruit of your body 49:54 and your produce and herds. 49:56 He will bless your basket and your kneading bowl, 49:58 bless you when you come in and when you go out. 50:01 The Lord will defeat your enemies. 50:03 The Lord will bless your finances. 50:05 The Lord will establish you as His special people. 50:08 The Lord will give you rain. 50:09 The Lord will make you the lender, 50:11 not the borrower. 50:14 The Lord will make you the head and not the tail. 50:16 If you read that passage, 50:18 all of those are in that passage 50:20 in Deuteronomy Chapter 28. 50:24 The condition, the if portion, 50:27 the obedience portion is still an act of grace. 50:33 The covenant is not forced. 50:34 It's freely entered into by the people. 50:38 The obligations follow, 50:39 not as a means of earning that covenant blessing, 50:42 but as an outward manifestation 50:45 of walking in covenant with God. 50:48 The condition, which is obedience 50:50 is by grace through faith. 50:52 I want to talk for just a moment 50:53 on the two garments I always call them 50:55 that we have the privilege and opportunity to put on, 50:59 the imputed righteousness of Christ 51:01 and the imparted righteousness of Christ. 51:04 The first one, the imputed is justification. 51:07 That is by grace we are saved through faith. 51:12 Abraham, this is Genesis 15:6. 51:14 He believed God, and it was accounted, reckoned, 51:18 imputed to him for righteousness. 51:21 Now he had not engaged in works 51:23 because circumcision did not even enter 51:26 until a couple chapters later. 51:28 That was not even part of that. 51:30 We'd see that Abraham believed God. 51:33 It was by faith, 51:35 righteousness by faith justification. 51:38 When he believed God, instantly he was covered. 51:41 He was clothed with Christ's perfect garment 51:45 of righteousness. 51:47 At that moment of justification, 51:49 you and I stand before the Father 51:51 as if we have never sinned. 51:54 2 Corinthians 5:21. 51:57 I love this. 51:59 "He made him, God made Jesus, 52:01 who knew no sin to be sin for us, 52:05 that we might become 52:08 the righteousness of God in Him." 52:11 I always call that the double imputation, 52:13 meaning my sin is imputed to Christ. 52:16 He had no sin, but He took my sin, 52:19 and His righteousness is imputed 52:23 or reckoned to my account. 52:26 Then we see the imparted righteousness of Christ. 52:28 Now this is sanctification. 52:31 The first justification is our title for heaven. 52:34 Sanctification is our fitness for heaven. 52:38 This imparted righteousness of Christ. 52:40 If you look at Revelation 19:8, talking of the church, it says, 52:44 "To her, it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, 52:47 clean and bright for the fine linen," 52:50 excuse me, 52:52 "is the righteous acts of the saints." 52:54 Now, when you first read that you think, oh, wow. 52:57 Okay, I was saved by grace, 52:59 this was the imputed righteousness of Christ. 53:01 He covered me and now all of a sudden, 53:03 I'm in my second garment, 53:05 the imparted righteousness of Christ 53:07 is my righteous acts. 53:09 No, it's Christ working in me, 53:12 both to will and to do of His good pleasure. 53:17 It's Colossians 1:27, 53:19 "To whom God would make known 53:20 what is the riches of the glory 53:22 of this mystery among the Gentiles, 53:24 Christ in you, the hope of glory." 53:26 It's Romans 6. 53:29 Romans 6:16 talks about how we surrender. 53:33 Whoever we choose to obey as a master, 53:36 that slave, you could say 53:38 we are whether of obedience 53:40 leading to righteousness or disobedience. 53:43 So every morning when you wake up, 53:45 we have a choice. 53:46 Am I going to make a choice and serve Jesus? 53:49 And if I do, He comes in 53:52 and the power of the indwelling spirit 53:55 does the works 53:57 as I am connected with Him. 53:59 It's a moment by moment, not just in the morning, 54:02 day by day surrender to Him 54:06 that does that work of righteousness 54:09 and transformation in my heart and in my life. 54:14 Now I want to touch on my closing moments 54:16 on one thought, 54:18 the if then statement, 54:20 you might say, okay, I'm walking in righteousness. 54:22 I'm walking in every, all the light I know. 54:25 I'm choosing Jesus, 54:27 but I haven't experienced all those covenant blessings 54:29 that were read about in Deuteronomy 28. 54:32 If the promises are not fulfilled, 54:35 it is all, is it is not always a result of failure 54:41 on the part of the obedient one. 54:43 Sometimes it's because we live in a world of sin. 54:47 John 10:10, "The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy." 54:50 Jesus said that 54:51 "He came that we would have life 54:53 and have it more abundantly." 54:56 Sometimes as the world of sin that we live in 54:58 sometimes is that God can be glorified. 55:01 I think of John 9 and the man who was born blind 55:03 and the disciples said who sinned, 55:05 this man or his parents. 55:06 Jesus said neither. 55:08 It's that God could be glorified, 55:10 sometimes it's so that 55:12 God's grace can be revealed in greater ways. 55:16 2 Corinthians 12:9. 55:17 "He said to me, my grace is sufficient for you. 55:21 My strength is made perfect in your weakness." 55:25 Sometimes it's so that we can bring greater fruit 55:29 to the glory of God. 55:31 John 15, 55:32 "Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes 55:35 that it may bring forth more fruit." 55:38 Amen. 55:39 Thank you so much, Jill and Ryan, 55:41 Pastor Dinzey and Shelley. 55:43 And I'll give each of you a chance 55:44 to summarize your day. 55:46 Well, the title of this message was 55:49 Ties that Bind from Monday's lesson. 55:51 And I'm just sitting here thinking 55:53 the real tie that binds us God's love 55:56 is the compelling force behind His grace. 56:01 We are saved by grace, 56:03 but He, the instructions of love and liberty, 56:09 the law of liberty are the Ten Commandments. 56:12 And when people live by those commandments, 56:15 that is the tie that binds in the Old Covenant, 56:18 it's the tie that binds in the new. 56:21 Amen and amen. 56:22 You know, if the Ten Commandments 56:24 were nailed to the cross, 56:25 then it will contradict Hebrews 10:16, 56:28 "This is the covenant that I will make with them 56:30 after those days, saith the Lord, 56:31 I will put my laws into their hearts, 56:33 and in their minds will I write them." 56:35 Amen. 56:37 There's just a little note here 56:38 on Wednesday's lesson. 56:40 It says, 56:41 "God's law was and is the purpose 56:43 of the covenant relationship to bring the believer 56:46 through God's transforming grace into harmony 56:48 with His will and character." 56:51 If then statements 56:52 we're called to walk in obedience, 56:55 and that obedience is obtained through the power and grace 56:58 of the Lord Jesus. 56:59 Wow. 57:01 We've talked about God's covenant 57:03 and we are continuing on the everlasting covenant, 57:06 the promises of God. 57:08 And we thank you for tuning in, 57:10 but as we close 57:11 talking about the election of grace 57:12 and the election of Israel, 57:14 we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, 57:17 God's own special people 57:19 that we should show forth the praises of Him 57:21 who called us out of darkness into this marvelous light. 57:24 Join us next time for Covenant Sign. 57:27 God bless you until then. |
Revised 2021-05-20