Lesson 8 | Covenant Law (Qtr. 2, 2021)

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] welcome to hope sabbath school an in-depth interactive study of the word of god we're in the middle of a series called the promise god's everlasting covenant our topic today could sound a little boring but it isn't covenant law is about a loving god wanting to protect us in that relationship that transforms our lives and i'm excited today because one of our team tricia lee is going to be leading the study and it's really exciting to see young adults stepping up and teaching the word and we know that many of you are doing the same we'd love to hear from you if you're leading a study group you can write to us at sshope hope tv.org we'd love to hear how god's blessing your ministry and i want to welcome our team too hello to the team here we are we're waving you know i was just looking at the team take a look doesn't this team look like the world i mean we look like we're from every nation kindred tongue and people and that's one of the amazing things about hope sabbath school in more than 200 countries around the world is that we're all part of the family of god amen why i just want to use my favorite hebrew word hallelujah and some of you have written to us and we want to just say thank you and uh you can write share with us how god's blessing you through his word thank you to uruka iruka who writes from nigeria iruka that's a first for me i'm an ardent follower of your interactive bible study from nigeria continue your good work someday i will meet you all at the feet of jesus amen i like that our master teacher till then may the grace of god be with you all your brother in christ iruka well thanks for writing to us from nigeria and we're glad that you are part of our family but we're also glad for the invitation to meet you at the feet of jesus henry writes from kenya we have a lot of hope sabbath school members in kenya my name's henry and he says i've been greatly blessed by your hope sabbath school program may the almighty god be with you always and give you the peace of christ shalom well henry thank you for writing to us you know shalom is a wonderful hebrew word that that is a deep kind of peace isn't it when we you know in the new testament they would say grace that's kind of a new testament word and peace from god our father and the lord jesus christ here's a handwritten note from michigan in the united states travis you're from michigan this is from a donut oh britney you're also from michigan let the team give a wave to this anonymous donor because we don't tell who who they are but i really enjoy watching your programs on your youtube channel god is blessed god is blessed by your interaction that's an interesting thought isn't it god is blessed by your interaction and your sharing of the word with the holy spirit's anointing i am also blessed rights the donor and wanted to be a part of your ministry by giving a contribution though this is a small amount i am trusting the lord to multiply it for his work and i'm hoping there will be many more times i will be able to send an offering god bless you all thank you for your courage to share and a gift of forty dollars amen i just think that's so beautiful and you know thank you for affirming courage because trisha lee's teaching today and i remember traditionally the first time you taught you were a little nervous but god has given her the holy spirit anointing and here she is now an experienced teacher of the word well here's a note from verlin oh no that's an email excuse me from teresa in new york in the united states she says i'm from the beautiful island of saint lucia in the west indies but i've been living in new york for the past 39 years hope sabbath school has been such a blessing i've been watching for a number of years and really appreciate the interaction of the panel how they make the bible so easy to understand we say praise god amen i am a sabbath school teacher and always use your outline when i have to teach well teresa that's awesome i've got my outline here when tricia is going to be teaching you can share it with your whole team and you have a road map that can help you in your study so we're glad you're using that outline in your class may the god continue to bless you as you reach millions with the word of god and souls are one for christ your sister in christ teresa isn't that beautiful thanks for writing to us beautiful island of saint lucia as home but now in new york city in new york i think i'd want to go back to saint lucia but you know there's a mission field everywhere isn't there one last note from jessula jessula is a young lady and doesn't tell me where it's written from so jessula you'll have to send us a note and say i'm from and give us your country by the way when you write to us at sshope hopetv.org don't forget to put your country or if you're in the u.s give us your state and uh that you're here in the u.s jesus writes i'm writing to let you know how much i enjoy hope sabbah school i really appreciate the ministry it's very uplifting encouraging spiritually minded especially with everything going on in the world today is that true yeah wow she continues my church has been closed for almost a year but thanks be to god it could have been worse thank god for his forgiveness may our lives thank god for his blessings without him i don't know where we'd be thank you may god continue to bless you well jesus thanks for writing to us wherever you are and thanks to all of you for being part of our hope sabbath school family right now we need your help we need you to sing we're not allowed to sing in the studio because of the restrictions but we have a beautiful theme song from psalm 105. oh give thanks to the lord call upon his name let's sing it together [Music] [Music] talk about his wondrous words [Music] seek the lord in his strength seek his face ever more remember his marvelous works which he has upon his name all give thanks to the thought [Music] it's a wonderful thing to call upon the name of the lord especially as we study the bible tricially so why don't you lead us in prayer as we begin let's bow our heads heavenly father thank you so much for your covenant law thank you so much for your covenant love please bless us as we open your word and study these important themes in christ and we pray amen amen so we are continuing lesson number eight an exciting series talking about the covenant and today's topic is covenant law covenant law let's start off by answering the question why would god choose the descendants of abraham to be his special people why them let's start answering that question in deuteronomy chapter seven we're going to read verses seven through eight and we're going to find first of all the reason the reason that's not the answer why he did not choose them brittany would you please read that for us yes and i'll be reading from the new king james version deuteronomy chapter 7 verses 7 and 8. the lord did not set his love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people for you were the least of all the peoples but because the lord loves you and because he would keep the oath which he swore to your fathers the lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of bondage from the hand of pharaoh king of egypt amen so travis what was the reason it's like a double negative why did he not choose them it wasn't because it wasn't because they were more numerous or they were more number than anybody else it was because he loved them he loved them he loved them he loved them and he wanted a special purpose for them let's keep reading and determine what that is let's go to exodus chapter 19 verse 6 exodus chapter 19 verse 6 and let's find what that beautiful purpose was that he had for this group gladys i'll be reading from the new international version exodus 19 verse 6 and he says you will be for me a kingdom of priest and a holy nation these are the words you are to speak to the israelites ah you'll be a kingdom of priests let's let's hold on there let's see if we can understand a little bit more what that means let's low over to isaiah isaiah chapter 60 isaiah chapter 60. we're going to be reading a lot of scripture today with this study but that's great isaiah chapter 60 and let's read the first three verses we're trying to understand the purpose god had for the descendants of abraham also known as the children of israel why he called them king would you read those three verses sure i'll be reading from the english standard version arise shine for your light has come and the glory of the lord has risen upon you for behold darkness shall cover the earth and thick darkness the peoples but the lord will arise upon you and his glory will be seen upon you and nations shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising amen amen now we know the light that's shining through them is the light from god but what is really what is the message what is the purpose that we're hearing god wants them to be a nation of priests but he's talking about this light shining what's the purpose that we're gathering here i'm going to share the gospel i mean because we know that throughout the ages satan tried to like paint a bad picture of god but then through this people god is actually revealing himself and the working that he's doing through them in their hearts to show like no god is a god of love and he cares for all of us amen amen pastor specially i thought it was important that you pointed out it doesn't say a kingdom with priests but a kingdom of priests which means everyone has a special ministry we don't say well that's trisha lee's no no we all have a special ministry and of course we know that's true for the spiritual descendants of abraham too amen amen harold you said an important word you said the gospel the gospel kim what is that good news oh that jesus came to forgive everyone of their sins amen and at that time he wasn't there yet but that jesus a messiah would be coming that's right so through this special nation he wanted them to be what representatives of him important important truths all right so was this just limited to the descendants genealogical line of abraham you're shaking your heads no am i included in that are you included in that let's find out how let's go to galatians chapter 3 verse 29 and let's find out how that divine purpose extends to all of us today galatians chapter 3 verse 9 travis looks like you're there would you read that for us verse 29 verse 29 and i'll be reading from the new king james version and if you are christ then you are abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise heirs according to the promise the same promise but by faith we are believing and claiming that same promise that we too can be lights to share that good news with others praise god and so what special purpose does god have is it different than the purpose he had um for the children of israel has it changed what does it look like for us today brittany it looks like us having first we need to have that personal relationship with god and then when we have that we're able to share what god has done in our lives with others and we're able to say look if god can do that for me he can do that for you absolutely brittany you're right and let's see in first peter chapter two just how right you are first peter chapter two in verse nine it looks like gladys you're already there yes all right we're gonna understand that that divine purpose has extended to us through faith amen to us go ahead gladys read that for us no international version first peter chapter 2 verse 9 and he says by you are a chosen people a royal priesthood a holy nation god's special possession that you may declare the praises of him who call you out of darkness into his wonderful light amen so we're hearing this some of the same language from isaiah that there's darkness and light needs to shine there travis so this meant a lot to me as i understood the sanctuary and the job of the priest because the priest was in the god's plan of salvation was um was shown to us through the sanctuary message in on earth and the priest was involved in the salvation of the sinner from the beginning unto the end and so when i'm thinking of a priest it's like god just doesn't want us to be a light and then walk away but he actually wants us to get involved and take and be a light continually to our neighbors and to the people around us from introducing them to jesus all the way till jesus would come again or until um until we die amen start to finish ministry harold what's your oh i just wanted to add that um in the old testament the invitation uh to like be partakers of god's priesthood was not just like uh only to israel because in isaiah 56 uh verse i believe is uh verse at the end of verse 7 it says for my house shall be called the house of prayer for all nations amen so the invitation for everybody to participate in basking in god's grace was like for everyone of course the israelites being the ones who promote that to everyone it's a good point if i have a special important message that i need to get to an individual i'm going to send that message through a trusted individual i'm going to choose someone who i know is going to take that message and share it completely now we know that if we look through history there were times that the children of israel even us today we don't always reflect that message perfectly but what a privilege what a privilege and to think that god calls us a holy nation i don't what is that holiness where does that holiness come from from god from god god working in us just like you said running working in us to shine through us gladys for something holy something set apart separated so god has separated us you know so we can we can show what like brittany was saying what he has done for us to the world so that's the same call that he gave to the people of israel to be the light in the world where they lived there is still darkness in the world today and god needs lights faithful lights to represent him all right let's let's continue thinking about this theme of covenant and let's refresh ourselves our our memory we've been talking about covenant um a lot this series that's our theme but let's remind ourselves when we're talking about a covenant um a good synonym would be an a contract or an agreement an arrangement and often contracts they have terms and they have conditions and we're talking about covenant law today if we are talking about the law of the covenant this covenant law what exactly what precisely are we talking about when we say covenant law what law is that the love of the law of god which is the ten commandments the ten commandments the ten commandments now there's something special about the laws and terms and contracts for a covenant it really sets out what the expectations are for both parties or any party that's involved but there's something really unique and special about the ten commandments it doesn't just lay out requirements for action it's also in a way a promise it's also a promise let's look at two verses that help us to understand that a little bit deeper let's turn to jeremiah chapter 31 jeremiah chapter 31 verses 33 and 34 while someone's turning there can another volunteer turn to hebrews chapter 10 verses 16 and 17. we're going to read two verses that are going to help us understand the very unique nature of this covenant law unlike any other law or set of laws that we have on earth or we've ever known requirements but also a promise all right jeremiah chapter 31 verses 33 and 34 harold would you read those verses please and i'll be reading from the new king james version and it says but this is the covenant that i will make with the house of israel after those days says the lord i will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts and i will be their god and they shall be my people no more shall every man teach his neighbor and every man his brother saying know the lord or they all shall know me from the least of them to the greatest of them says the lord for i will forgive their iniquity and their sin i will remember no more amen amen i'll forgive their iniquity and their sin i'll remember no more let's look at one more verse a set of verses in hebrews chapter 10 verses 16 through 17. brittany would you read those for us yes i will and i'm reading from the new king james version hebrews chapter 10 and you said verses 16 and 17 this is the covenant that i will make with them after those days says the lord i will put my laws into their hearts and in their minds i will write them then he adds their sins and their lawless deeds i will remember no more what from those verses tell us that this is a promise of god what is god promising to do for us write the law in our hearts harold he'll actually write the law in our hearts what does that mean well i mean how can i put this basically having the same mind as god because we are so far away from god that we have even like forgotten like what is that thing to live like righteously what is to have love but we see that the commandments is kind of giving a picture of god who who is god in actuality so basically that law is being imprinted in us so we become also loving as he is loving i mean that's how i take it so you're saying there's a difference between doing a loving act or dis and desiring wanting to do that loving act it's flowing from my heart gladys yeah usually as a teacher you would you want the kids to learn something by heart and when you say that you learn something by heart it's like you become sacred nature so that's what god wants the law to be so much part of us that it becomes who we are that we it will be second nature obeying will be second nature amen travis so the book of jeremiah describes the heart as being deceitfully wicked and it says who could know it so we don't even know our own heart so there has to be a transformation because if if we're going to follow our own hearts it's it's not going to turn out well and so god is is writing his law in our hearts so that our actions and our thoughts become fall in line in harmony with his character amen i see two promises here not just that god is promising to change my heart brittany do you want to i was just going to say the second promise is he's going to wash away the sins yeah we are christians and believers because we are trusting jesus christ to do what he promised to cleanse us from sins to forgive us to um to make us right with him but this promise says that we will also have changed hearts it's a beautiful beautiful promise i think there's a third uh promise what's the third promise [Laughter] they shall know me ah that's very much it's not just knowing about him but a relationship a saving loving like harold said a loving relationship with him where even in a marriage i'm not thinking well what i'm what's the what are the things i can get away with and what what am i not supposed to get away with but but it's all motivated by love and i think that loving relationship is at the very foundation of the covenant amen when was the last time you thought about the ten commandments this way as a promise not just a a set of laws and requirements for us but also god showing us what he will how he will hold up his end of the bargain to wash us to cleanse us to transform us to be more like him let's keep reading let's keep looking at some more verses about this covenant law let's go to deuteronomy the book of deuteronomy let's go right to deuteronomy chapter 4 and we are going to read verses 13 and 14 deuteronomy chapter 4 verses 13 and 14. i'll then ask someone to head over to chapter 10 for us so let's start in uh deuteronomy chapter four um brittany um would you please read those verses deuteronomy chapter 4 and verses 13 and 14 i'll be reading from the new king james version so he declared to you his covenant which he commanded you to perform the ten commandments and he wrote them on two tables of stone and the lord commanded me at that time to teach your statutes and judgments that you might observe them in the land which you cross over to possess all right let's head over to chapter 10 and we're going to read verses 12 and 13. we're still in deuteronomy chapter 10 verses 12 and 13. kim would you read those for us sure i'll be reading from the english standard version and now israel what does the lord your god require of you but to fear the lord your god to walk in all his ways to love him to serve the lord your god with all your heart and with all your soul and to keep the commandments and statutes of the lord which i am commanding you today for your good amen so here's the question we're talking about covenant we're talking about covenant law we're talking about the unique nature of this lots of promise and yet we call it and even here the ten commandments that we are required to keep commanded to keep why are we commanded to keep these requirements why are they requirements after all god loves us why are we being commanded to do these things after all god has a promise to change us travis well in exodus chapter 20 it starts out i am the lord your god who brought you out of the land of egypt out of the house of bondage and so when i look at the ten commandments now it's like god brought this people from slavery to freedom and now he's giving them a list of things that keep them free and i feel like it's the same for us today because keeping the law is actually freedom when i don't break the law of my land i don't go to jail so i'm actually free when i fall in harmony with god's law so he gives them a set of guidelines to keep them free and free not just from physical bondage but from the physical spiritual mental emotional bondage of sin the worst bondage that there is why else are we is god commanding them to do this britney well the verse that was just read said it's for our own good right to protect us so if you think about a parent and child relationship a parent knows things that could harm their child and they set boundaries like don't touch the stove or don't run out in the street when a car is coming because they love them and they care about them so it's the same thing with god's commandments he doesn't want us to get hurt he doesn't want us to die amen thinking back over into uh deuteronomy chapter 4 those first verses 13-14 he says observe them in the land you cross over to possess now thinking back to the purpose for choosing the descendants of abraham why might he want or why would it be important for them to keep these commandments as they go into the land that they're crossing over to possess harold actually that is answered in deuteronomy chapter nine and verse four oh let's turn there let's turn there deuteronomy nine and verse and verse four okay jittery nine verse four oh right and and i'll be reading from the new king james version and it says do not think in your heart after the lord your god has cast them out before you saying because of my righteousness the lord has brought me in to possess this land but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the lord is driving them out from before you so basically god is basically teaching the children of israel hey this is how love looks like and i'm giving you these instructions the commandments now please show these other people to know how to love as well because these people are wicked so this is this is how we actually get to like experience god's love with other people who are wicked and praying that their hearts will be transformed as well when we think about that light shining in the darkness it's impossible not to see it if you're in a dark room and someone lights a candle it starts to dispel that darkness god wanted them to live these requirements visibly so the other nations their neighbors could see you know god did many miracles for them for them they were not you know a nation of warriors they were former slaves they didn't have a history of combat but god was blessing them in mighty ways and it would draw the attention of anyone and they'd wonder what makes them so different but if they take a look at their lives and don't really they look just like us then they'll think oh well their god must be just like our gods too but that different lifestyle was going to be a light to point back to god travis i'm thinking as we're talking about lights and being a witness john chapter 1 verse 5 that light came into the world and the world could not comprehend it but it really means the world could not darkness could not extinguish it so as long as they had the law of god and they followed that they would have been a light to the end of the world because darkness could not have put it out it could not have suppressed it and when they started doing wicked things and contrary to that then the light starts to fade because they're not sharing that light anymore let's look at psalm 119 verse 172 and this is a beautiful declaration a beautiful declaration about this covenant law also known as the ten commandments a law that we don't have to think of with any type of negative attitudes but we can have very positive warm feelings about all right psalms 119 verse 172 brittany would you please read that for us sure and i will be reading from the new king james version psalm 119 verse 172 my tongue shall speak of your word for all your commandments are righteousness all your commandments are righteousness and i was thinking of another scripture song where it says he leads me in paths of righteousness it would make sense if god is righteous that he would want to lead his children in the past of righteousness that's in psalm 23. um and and as you said then we reflect the beauty of his character we reflect arise shine for your light has come we reflect the light of his glory as we follow his way amen beautiful let's look at one more psalm let's go to psalm 19. psalm 19 verse 7 through 11. psalm 19 verses 7 through 11. travis will you read those verses for us and i'll be reading from the new king james version the law of the lord is perfect converting the soul the testimony of the law is the lord is sure making wise the simple the statues of the lord are right rejoicing the heart the commandment of the lord is pure and lighting the eyes the fear the lord is clean enduring forever the judgment of the lord are true and righteous altogether more to be desired are they than gold yea then much fine gold sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb moreover moreover by them your servant is warned and in keeping them there is great reward now this sounds like the words the testimony of someone who has experienced this who has learned this come to know this by experience greater than rewards there's great reward but it's better than gold what do you think um what do you think brought the psalmist to pen and write these words that the law of the lord is it's perfect that it makes us wise that we can rejoice in it travis he's this the same writer that that wrote taste and see that the lord is good so i'm guessing this has to be experienced well i don't have to guess i can read that it was experience he knew what sin was about but he knew what mercy was about too gladys well i think that like travis was saying once you have that experience with god like if you look through the life of david he went through so much up and down but that trust and friendship with god always remained so he saw what happened when he was when he broke the cove the covenant and then that god was still there waiting for him and once you know he repented he went back into that fellowship so he could tell clearly you know how much the law of god is good amen pastor and i think that great reward that it talks about is not that god will save us or love us as travis pointed out he's already saved us and he loves us with an immeasurable and unfailing love the great reward is all of the good things that come in the context of that covenant relationship we're not we're not blocking them we're not hindering the blessings god wants to give amen it's easy to look at a set of laws and just think oh these these laws are here to restrict me but we are reading and learning from people with experience that these laws this covenant law is for our good amen that it helps us and benefits us um i'd love to hear from you can you share a time when you began to view the law of god the ten commandments as a blessing and not as a burden or maybe i should ask have you always viewed it as a blessing maybe i should start there have you always viewed it as a blessing and if not when did that change for you when did that change well for me my relationship with the sabbath you know i grew up in a christian home so for me the sabbath was like you know i knew honor your father and mother everything was like easy of course i'm not going to commit adultery or kill somebody but the sabbath i always felt like it was a burden at the beginning when i was little you know the way that it was taught to me but as i grew older and then i came to to to be you know a worker and i just had like when the sabbath came it just became like wow thank you jesus and it has been such an experience just to experience that for myself instead of being told you have to go to church you have to do this but see it as a delight on my own experience so you reaped physical rewards from being able to rest from your labor can you share did you benefit spiritually by following that command of course because you you set your mind apart from the worries you may have like a very big burden on a friday just something happened to you and when the sabbath hours are drawing near and you enter in that relationship into that rest with the lord your spirit is renewed and it doesn't matter what the world it's like like a space in time like a bubble that you turn on and you're like oops goes away and i'm in here with my god and it's just like everything changes your perspectives your thoughts and maybe when you come back on sunday to the same problem you see it with different eyes because you spend that time with god praise god that's beautiful gladys travis i wish my experience was the same but it wasn't as a young as a young child i grew up um thinking that um if i didn't keep the commandments that god was going to get me and that actually when my parents separated at about 15 i was afraid of god and i turned into a rebellious young man because i thought i'm not going to be good enough anyway you know and so when i came to the realization that god would write his law on my that on my heart and in my mind that it wasn't him saying do this or else it was him inviting me into a relationship where he would enable me to do this whoa that just changed my life i don't know how many times i've shed tears over the very thought because my whole perspective of who god was changed completely and now instead of a god who's saying you better or else i saw god with his arms open ready to receive me and pick me up where i would fall and take me along this journey where i would have joy where i would have peace or i could share that with others where you could be free that's beautiful thank you both for sharing that i am sure that there are people watching this who if if not themselves they might know someone who sees the ten commandments as a burden or as restrictive or as something that's not really needed today um let's look at some verses and and see if we can understand or at least answer this question you know why what do we need most in this troubled world what commandments do we need most in this in the darkness in the darkness let's turn over to the book of matthew matthew chapter 22 matthew 22 and let's read verses 37 through 39 i told you we'd have a lot of scriptures today that's good that's good we're digging in matthew chapter 22 verses 37 and 39 brittany would you read those verses for us and we're answering the question what do we need most what commands do we need most today i'll be reading from the new king james version matthew chapter 22 verses 37 37-39 jesus said to him you shall love the lord your god with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind this is the first and great commandment and the second is like it you shall love your neighbor as yourself what do we need today love god love others and you know bible students have recognized that that's a summary to love god with all your heart is the first four commandments you know i if i'm loving my neighbor as myself i'm certainly not going to kill my neighbor steal from my neighbor commit adultery with my neighbor's spouse covet it's it's a great summary and i think jesus gives us a precious gift by kind of stepping back and saying let me make this very simple very simple when you see this covenant law written in your heart it's really summarize the two great commandments love god with all your heart where you're certainly not going to have other gods idols take his name in vain or ignore that special day that he's given to fellowship with him and and if you love your neighbors yourself these other commands will become i think as gladys said what a miracle second nature that i just want to do that which pleases god amen amen it's so interesting for you know someone who might consider the law as a restriction or as a burden on them you know who would ever want to be stolen from or who would want someone to lie on them or to to murder them or to disrespect them if they have children it's it's interesting that it's easy to look at the law from one perspective on this side but if we do just what jesus said love your neighbor as yourself you can view that law as something beneficial as well when we all participate in that so let's keep studying so you know this covenant law it's terms and conditions if you would but a blessing for us and certainly a promise from god and let's look at some verses how do we know that god is going to keep his end of the bargain if you would how do we know that he is the covenant keeping god let's go to the book of malachi chapter three malachi chapter three we're going to read verses six and seven and this is important because this isn't just a law and an agreement that was made in ancient times that we happen to come across stumble across because it's recorded is it really still applicable for us today will god hold his end of the bargain malachi chapter 3 uh verse 6 and 7 gladys would you read those verses for us sure i'm reading from the new international version malachi malachi chapter 3 verses 6 and 7. i the lord do not change so you the descendants of jacob are not destroyed ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and i have not kept them return to me and i will return to you says the lord almighty but you ask how are we to return beautiful question and a beautiful promise you know we mentioned travis you mentioned earlier that oftentimes the children of israel messed up we mess up too but look at how god is promising that he's right there when we return to him he doesn't run away from us he's not tired of us he doesn't say oh there you go again breaking my laws it's impossible for you let me turn my back he does not do that when we are open and willing to accept that mercy and grace he's ready to forgive ready to welcome us back travis well i'm just thinking the first part of the verse he's the those two verses he says i am the lord who doesn't change and this is the children of israel so if god doesn't change you're absolutely right we can make that application today he's the same if we return to him he will return to us let's look in hebrews chapter 13 verse 8. hebrews chapter 13 verse 8 god does not change he is the same harold would you read the verse for us yes and i'll be reading from the new king james version it reads jesus christ is the same yesterday today and forever amen we don't have time to do a deep study of this but we know our great lawgiver was christ he is the same yesterday today and forevermore he didn't come to do away with that law that covenant law the ten commandments he has not changed his mind on the blessings that he has in store for us through that promise and that is beautiful assurance for us when we read these these laws the ten commandments even when we see the struggles of people long ago we don't have to be discouraged or think to ourselves well if they struggled with it and i'm struggling with it why should i continue down this with this covenant law because god is faithful and remember this law is unique in that it's also a promise not that god will keep us where we are but that he is transforming us to be more like him to be more like him let's go to matthew chapter 5 verses 17 through 18 since our god our covenant-making god is the same yesterday today and forevermore what can we expect concerning that law what can we expect let's find the answer in matthew chapter 5 verses 17 and 18. travis would you read that for us and i'll be reading from the new king james version do not think that i have come to destroy the law or the prophets i did not come to destroy but to fulfill for assuredly i say to you till heaven and earth pass away one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled amen so two things we see here he says i did not come to destroy the law or the prophets now when we're talking about the law we know we're talking about the ten commandments when jesus says i did not come to destroy the prophets right but to fulfill do we know what he's talking about any thoughts travis the writings would be the writings of the of the the writings that they had at that time concerning himself the messianic promises the prophecies that were pointing to him he's literally saying i am messiah i have come to fulfill the promise of salvation to you not just that but because i'm the covenant keeping god i have not changed the law it's still the same promise that i can change your hearts through the power of the holy spirit i can change your lives to be and to fulfill this law of love to love god with all our heart soul and mind to love my neighbor as myself so knowing that jesus himself puts such a high emphasis he's he's pretty much equating the law with with his own fulfillment of prophecy as our savior what do you say to a friend who says that you know those commandments are obsolete i don't need them we don't need them i can i can live my life by by reason and by love i'll just love people i don't need rules i don't need these restrictions to tell me how to do it how do we answer someone who who thinks that we shouldn't laugh at them no we shouldn't laugh but how do we answer how do we answer that question harold well my question will be our answer with a question like so by what standard are you basing that love and that reason because that can be different but for many people then love doesn't doesn't have a consistent meaning so you can love a dog you can love a hot dog i can love you know a hairstyle the reason that you might love might be different than another person there's no standard right so that would be my question okay so good question travis want to add to that well i just think uh when just building on what harold said is that if um our love doesn't fall in line we just learned that our our heart is deceitfully wicked above all things if it doesn't fall in line with god's ideal then then our ideal might be actually hurting somebody without us even recognizing okay great great points brittany want to add to that yeah i was just going to ask a couple more questions to the friend one would be where in the bible does it say that god's law is done away with because we just read this verse that says you know jesus came to fulfill so where do you find that but the other question would be what is your understanding of the purpose of god's law because it sounds like maybe they don't understand that it is a promise from god it is for our good it's something that god does inside of us so maybe they don't understand the purpose of god's law and by us being at that light and being a witness we can share the blessings that we are experiencing by being in this covenant relationship with the lord pastor you know the text that came to my mind tricially i would say i think it's good to use your brain and to love those are good things the challenge is back to the sinful heart that travis mentioned proverbs 14 says in verse 12 there's a way that seems right i'm using my reason it seems right but the end is the way of death so um yes use your reason but your reason should take you to god your covenant-making god who loves you who knows isaiah 46 the end from the beginning i'm not putting my brain in neutral when i say i'm choosing to come into alignment with the covenant-making god amen and and in terms of love he wants me to love much more than i thought i could he wants me to love god with all my heart and to love my neighbor like i love myself so i would agree with that person but but share with her or share with him that the scripture guides us regarding the use of my reason amen i love what you mentioned travis by saying that we might try to love someone and we could end up hurting them not realizing it even love and reason tells us we need instruction how do i know how do i know how god wants to be loved how do i know how anybody else wants to be i ask them or if they've already told me then that's what i should do that's the way to love that person if i want to love my husband and i know he likes cake i can use my reasoning and say well you know i'm going to keep giving him carrot cake he could hate carrot cake but i'm gonna keep giving him carrot cake because i love him so much but if i know he wants vanilla cake when i know he wants vanilla cake am i still being loving by giving him carrot cake no you love and reason want us lead us to seek out what that person is interested in in this case what god has required of us right and he has told us he showed us what is right he has showed us how to do that god is so good yes um let's keep going let's keep going we're coming down to the the wrapping up this study and um let's read two verses and we're going to see what they both have in common again we're thinking about covenant law let's go to exodus chapter 19 verse 5 exodus 19 verse 5. um and while someone's going there can i get another volunteer to head over to leviticus chapter 26. we're going to start an exodus and then somebody else can head over to leviticus chapter 26 we will read both these verses and we'll see what they have in common so first exodus 19 verse 5. gladys looks like you're there would you read that for us i'm reading from the new international version exodus chapter 19 verse 5. now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all nations it will be my treasured possession although the whole earth is mine okay let's look at the second verse in leviticus um leviticus chapter 26 verses three through eight it looks like brittany you're there would you read those verses i'll be reading from the new king james version leviticus chapter 26 verses 3 through 8. if you walk in my statutes and keep my commandments and perform them then i will give you rain in its season the land shall yield its produce and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit your threshing shall last till the time of vintage and the vintage shall last till the time of sowing you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land safely i will give you peace in the land and you shall lie down and none will make you afraid i will rid the land of evil beasts and the sword will not go through your land you will chaste your enemies and they shall fall by the sword before you five of you shall chase a hundred and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight your enemies shall fall by the sword before you beautiful promises what do we see uh similar similarities between those two passages that we read promises for what there's there's condition if you keep the commandments this is the this is what will happen afterwards okay what are those things were they positive yes okay they were positive they were things that a nation would want to chase your enemies for your harvest to be fruitful to be blessed to be blessed uh some people hearing fall by the sword could think oh there they're going killing people again but actually if you read stories where they fully trusted god the enemies turned on each other the enemies who said we don't believe in god they turned on each other and you know i think of gideon's band they were just blowing trumpets and holding up torches you know so god god is an awesome god wanting to to say back to using my brain follow god's way it is the best way it's the best way here's the question though does observing these commandments earn us his blessings or do they keep us connected so that we can receive those blessings you're nodding the other it's one yeah one or the other are they doing all these things so they can be a mighty nation and conquer their enemies kim no they're not um they're doing so it goes with the second thing that you said tricially that we obey god to keep us connected to receive his blessings there's nothing we can do to earn god's love or favor or his blessings well let's read and see for ourselves in deuteronomy 5 33 let's turn to deuteronomy 5 33 deuteronomy 5 33 and whoever is there first we're still going through the word [Laughter] still going through the word oh kim looks like you're there would you read that for us sure i'll be reading from the english standard version you shall walk in all the way that the lord your god has commanded you that you may live and that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess amen someone said earlier brittany i believe it was you that a loving parent gives rules to protect um and to keep their child safe certainly the law of god his commandments his statutes um many other requirements and that were given to the people were things for their own good but i want us to tie back to the purpose what was the purpose again remind us of the purpose again for enter like why did god choose these people the kingdom of priests a kingdom of priest to represent him to represent him you know part of me feels as though and maybe correct me if i'm wrong but you know you kind of lose that privilege of being god's representative when you're not living and looking like him that in a way it's like you know i can't trust you to be this awesome nation to your neighbors in front of everyone when you're not going to point them to me so not only does breaking god's law put us outside of the protection of god not only does breaking god's law put us on dangerous ground because now we're living sinful dark lives but we're also forfeiting that honored position we're forfeiting that being separate that being holy we're going to look just like everyone else have the same problems that they have and and and the like that we we are stepping outside of god's protection i thought of the words of jesus traditionally i think it's very powerful that would be like when jesus said do not put your light under a basket the light's not going to shine it's not going to shine it's not going to shine let us wrap up our study by going to philippians chapter 2 verse 13. philippians 2 verse 13. and when we think about this law we think about all the experiences not even of of the children of israel think about our own experiences sometimes we've we've had our ups we've had our downs but again we have a covenant keeping god amen who gave us a covenant law that's also a promise and let us read how he fulfills that promise in us brittany please read that verse for us philippians 2 verse 13 says for it is god who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure isn't god amazing he doesn't just give me this beautiful promise this law he also gives us the power and the ability to love him because he knows that imperfect me and perfect you we can't do it right but he also promises to come right alongside us and to help us be in covenant with him what a blessing and thank you so much for studying with me today thank you you know i love that last text philippians chapter 2 verse 13. it's god who works in you right before that it says work out your own salvation and fear and trembling that's the way it used to be shared with me but the way we do that as tricia lee has taught today is to enter into that covenant relationship with god who's already redeemed us and loves us with an immeasurable and unfailing love it is god that god that awesome god who works in us to will and to do according to his good pleasure my friends i just want to use my favorite hebrew word hallelujah god is so good let's pray that our hearts will be fully open to our covenant faithful covenant god today let's pray father in heaven you are faithful to your covenant and you invite us as travis said with open arms not with folded arms and a stern look but with open arms loving us with an immeasurable unfailing love to enter into that saving covenant with you god thank you that you will also work in us to transform us that to do your will will be a joy of our hearts and as the miracle happens as the light of your glory shines may we give all of the honor and glory to you in the name of jesus amen amen well thanks for joining us for hope sabbath school today what a series the promise god's everlasting covenant but my friend don't just think about that accept that covenant love relationship with god and then go out in the joy of the lord and be a blessing to those around you [Applause] you

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Length: 58min 30sec (3510 seconds)

Published: Sun May 16 2021