Covenant of Faith.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] Good morning. Have a seat. Thank you so much for being here. My name is Steve [0:04] I am one of the pastors here at a village church usually on Sundays if you come here [0:10] I’m gonna be the one standing up here [0:11] Of course [0:12] There’s every once in a while where I’m tired or something and I just take a day off and I don’t come like couple weeks [0:17] Go, my wife had a baby

[0:18] So I took that Sunday off for better or worse and ever since then I’ve never been the same and I’ve never gotten as much [0:23] sleep [0:24] I do have a he was four weeks old Friday [0:28] I mean and it’s weird because when you because we’d been married for about four and a half years and [0:35] And we didn’t have any children and then she got pregnant and then she gained all that weight [0:40] And then all of a sudden she had to go to the hospital and then when we left the hospital we had one more

[0:45] Come home with us and and people tell you you know [0:49] It’s weird because for nine straight months when I would talk to mothers or fathers [0:53] They would always say this one phrase to me you just wait [0:57] You just wait as if something like in my DNA would change and I would be a completely different person and [1:04] And the key is I’m still the same Steve that I’ve always been but I now know [1:10] Just like a just a shred of what they were talking about because it’s like now

[1:16] Instead of just you know sleeping that seven to eight hours [1:20] Regularly, you know with no interruptions now [1:24] There are all these interruptions, and they’re different every night like a couple of nights ago [1:28] There were none and it was like oh heaven then then at 5 a.m. [1:32] There was one and so instead of starting my day like 630 the day started at 5 and there was just no sleep to [1:37] Be had after that and then last night there was this interruption at 2 and then there was another interruption at 3 and then at

[1:44] 430 and then once again at 530 and so you have days like today where it’s like man [1:50] I’m really glad I have energy drinks because just so y’all know this is totally chemically induced energy this morning [1:57] I have not had a lot of sleep, but if you’re if you’re a parent out there [2:01] You’re like oh you just wait years to come [2:04] It’s gonna get worse because they’re gonna start teething and then they’re gonna get sick, and I haven’t experienced any of that [2:11] So you’re right. I am just waiting

[2:13] Because I have no idea what I have in store for myself with with childhood and a lot of people have more than one [2:20] And right now I’m kind of looking at it. I’m like why?

[2:24] Why would you want to do this again? You know for one time? [2:27] It’s a pretty good experience, but and you know but no we want we put Lord willing [2:32] We want to have a few more, but just gonna hit repeat and do this all over again [2:36] I don’t know and I’m not even doing anything [2:39] Well, yes, there’s nothing I can do she does everything you know she she’s the one that feeds it [2:44] Not me because you know I have nothing that he can eat, but uh you know

[2:48] So if you’re offended by that I’m sorry welcome to welcome to the village if you thought that offended you you just wait [2:56] You just wait. I said that to you now now you have something to wait for like me [3:00] But last week [3:02] We were still in our series on Galatians [3:05] And we’re going through the book of Galatians and the thing about going through an entire book of the Bible [3:09] It’s not like some you know preaching other things where it’s like you kind of preach on what you want to preach on

[3:16] And I think that’s what the way a lot of churches do it is like the preacher [3:19] You know he’s comfortable with these verses [3:21] And so he preaches on these verses, but when you go through an entire book of the Bible at a time [3:26] There are just these sections where it’s oh, I have to preach that today [3:32] Some people aren’t gonna like to hear that that’s not comfortable [3:35] I’m not you know I’m not there yet where this is concerned

[3:39] And so I think that’s why I really like going through a book through books [3:43] Rather than just like you know hitting a verse here and a verse there is [3:47] Because going through an entire book of the Bible nothing is left unsaid [3:53] It goes directly into my life, and it’s like a mirror where I’m confronted where my faith is so weak and [4:02] I hope you’re able to have the same experience as I am and last week [4:06] We started looking at the life of a man named Abraham from the Old Testament

[4:11] And Paul uses him in Galatians 3 as this testament to the fact that man can do nothing [4:20] To earn acceptance by God and man does nothing to further God’s plan [4:27] But rather it’s only in our belief that God will actually fulfill his promises that there is any power [4:35] whatsoever and the thing that made Abraham great [4:41] Wasn’t his actions it was his faith and

[4:47] Paul points it out, and he says look back to the Old Testament where it clearly says that Abraham [4:53] Did not receive righteousness by his works, but rather simply by his faith [4:58] It was by his belief in God that his life was revolutionized [5:03] And he became the father of many nations or to even put it more clearly [5:07] It’s through the family tree of Abraham in the book of Matthew [5:11] That Jesus is born that the very Son of God that many of us believe to be our Savior and our God and our King

[5:19] He comes from the very lineage of Abraham [5:23] And what we’re gonna do this week is we’re gonna pick up a couple of verses that we talked about last week [5:28] Because there’s really no way of not kind of including them in what Paul’s gonna talk about today [5:34] Because where Paul’s going today is Paul actually turns into a little bit of a preacher [5:39] Because Paul’s kind of Paul and Peter are like the original [5:43] dynamic duo of preaching in the New Testament where the Christian Church is concerned and what Paul’s gonna do in the rest of the

[5:49] verses is he says I’m gonna give you a human example of [5:53] How to understand this and so Paul gives us just some kind of tangible ways that we can understand what he’s actually [6:00] saying about Abraham [6:02] But before I get you there [6:04] I want to just kind of tell you a little bit about my life because I think that [6:08] That the the journey that I’ve sort of taken of faith and the journey that I’ve taken in

[6:13] Church my life can kind of help us [6:16] understand this thing about [6:18] faith and works and where the law of God fits in faith in Jesus because I think that’s a struggle that many of [6:25] us have and [6:27] Mainly found in the Ten Commandments that we kind of have a problem [6:31] Because these Ten Commandments stand out as this kind of beacon of morality and God says this is my standard

[6:38] And then we say but isn’t it grace? [6:42] Okay, so grace gives us acceptance with God [6:45] But then we have to work as hard as we can meet this standard and no matter how hard we work [6:50] We still find ourselves blowing it a lot [6:53] And we’ll tell a lie or we’ll get jealous and do that thing of coveting even though we don’t even use the word coveting [6:58] So you know when I memorize that like the age of five I had no idea what it was and I was like

[7:02] I better not do it because that’s number ten. It’s the last one so it must be pretty important [7:07] But no matter how far we go in life [7:09] We find ourselves kind of breaking these laws breaking these commandments, and it kind of reminds me of my childhood [7:17] Where I grew up in church? I’ll admit that you know I have no dynamic story of [7:23] Coming to Jesus you know through like drug addiction or anything. I’ve never touched drugs honestly [7:28] I’ve gone 29 years and a lot of you are like well. I was offered it every day on the bus stop

[7:34] Nobody ever said hey Steve want to do some crack [7:37] Nobody ever said that nobody ever offered me anything so I’ve gone all this time. I have no great [7:43] You know transformation out of drug addiction. I have more of a transformation out of religion [7:49] That’s where my transformation really came from [7:52] Because when I was growing up I went to a church [7:55] That was it was pretty strict and if you’re like a church person you could call it a little bit legalistic

[8:02] But it only Christians know what legalistic means [8:05] It means that it teaches you that if you do a B and C. God will bless you with B [8:12] but if you break a B and C. God’s going to curse you with E and [8:17] That’s kind of it [8:18] You know not because my parents did it to me [8:20] But because of just all of the teachings that I had surrounding me that was the understanding

[8:24] That I had of what faith really was because I would look at some people in my church [8:29] And I would say they obviously get it, and I’m going to call them the shirt and tie guys [8:35] They got it [8:38] But then there was this other group of guys that weren’t the shirt and tie guys [8:43] And they would just kind of come in and it looked like they weren’t having the great day everyone else had and they were the ones [8:49] That everyone gossiped about and everybody was like oh, they haven’t been here in like two months welcome them back

[8:53] Maybe they need a little Jesus this week [8:55] They didn’t get it [8:57] So I had these two camps of you get it or you don’t get it and my [9:02] Understanding of church was is that once you become an adult. That’s your choice

[9:09] You’re either going to be the people that get it and you’re good enough [9:14] Or you’re going to be the people that don’t get it, and you’re not good enough [9:19] Because God loves the people that get it, but he hates the people that don’t get it and [9:25] Those people that don’t get it they might get into heaven, but they’re just going to skate in [9:30] By the edge of their teeth we even sing songs about it [9:34] You think I’m kidding

[9:36] No, you can’t get to heaven in a miniskirt [9:41] No, you can’t get to heaven in a miniskirt [9:45] No, you can’t get to heaven in a miniskirt because God don’t like those girls that flirt all my sins are washed away [9:51] I’ve been redeemed I sang that in children’s church [9:54] I sang it at youth camp and so I grew up and if I ever saw a girl in a miniskirt [9:58] I was oh God hates her

[10:01] Wow, God’s not happy with her [10:03] She’s going to hell [10:05] She better put a dress on and you’re like oh, that’s silly you’re an adult now, so you know better [10:11] You’re right, but I didn’t then and I still look back and I know some people that never got over that misunderstanding

[10:20] and so when they got older and [10:23] They they were they began to kind of understand this difference between right and wrong and when you grow up [10:29] Focusing on wrong wrong wrong wrong when you start going through adolescence and you get freedom [10:38] you kind of start to experience Adam and Eve syndrome and [10:42] You know Satan is close at hand and he whispers in your ear. Did God really say [10:48] You can’t do that

[10:50] And so you’re like [10:52] Mom and dad aren’t around anymore to beat me [10:55] You know that preacher’s not here [10:57] No ushers gonna tap me on the shoulder today [11:00] So I’m just gonna try it this once and then some people try it and then the guilt that comes through trying it [11:07] Some people never recover and they’re like obviously because I did it

[11:11] I’m one of the ones that don’t get it and [11:14] The only hope that I have for the rest of my life is when I was five at youth camp [11:18] I said a prayer and [11:20] Maybe that’ll get me into heaven [11:22] And so I grew up with this cosmic misunderstanding of God where I was like man if I work really hard [11:29] And I’m good enough

[11:31] Maybe just maybe I’ll get the blessings of God [11:34] but if not, I will never have the life that God wanted for me and [11:40] Maybe you are somewhere with me in this journey [11:45] And you’re kind of like I saw you know I kind of feel you [11:48] But I don’t I still don’t understand because there seems to be this cosmic gap [11:53] Between the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament. Have you ever struggled with that?

[11:59] That he seems to have a different posture in the New Testament than he had in the Old Testament in the Old Testament [12:04] He’s killing people and then the New Testament. He’s like what now I give you a sacrifice of my son [12:09] Now I die for you and it’s like these are two different stories [12:14] But the funny thing about this passage of scripture is that Paul uses this as an example of [12:23] The graciousness of God and the love of God and so when we find ourselves in Galatians [12:30] We’re in this strange book where he’s saying the wrath of God and the promises of God and the law of God

[12:37] Actually revealed to us the love that God has for us [12:42] And so we pick up where we left off last week in Galatians turn with me to Galatians chapter 3 [12:47] Or it’s gonna be up here on the screens. I’m gonna start reading in verse 11

[12:55] Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law

[13:03] That just gives you a hang up right there. It’s like wait a second [13:07] So what’s the point of the law? [13:08] What’s the point of those ten commandments if I can’t be good enough isn’t that how the people of Israel got to heaven [13:14] Because they were obedient and then when they were disobedient God sent them to hell [13:19] For the righteous shall live by faith, but the law is not of faith [13:25] Rather the one who does them shall live by them

[13:30] In other words, you’ll live by them [13:32] If you break them you’re cursed by them if you obey them you’re blessed by them [13:37] But basically if you’ve been tracking with us all the way through the book of Galatians one of Paul’s main points is nobody’s ever [13:44] obeyed them all [13:46] So it’s kind of like one of those judge not let’s you be judged things for the judgment that you have for other people [13:51] We placed upon yourself. It’s one of those things where it’s like look if you want the law to be the measuring stick of your life

[13:58] Good luck [13:59] This Paul’s point right there [14:02] Then he says in verse 13 the gospel the hope that all of us have Christ meaning Jesus [14:10] Redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us [14:16] For it is written cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree [14:20] So that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles or everyone

[14:27] That’s not in Israel. We most of us at least are probably Gentiles [14:32] So that we might receive the promised spirit through faith [14:37] All right, and then he’s gonna jump right in and he’s gonna explain it in verse 15 [14:42] He says to give a human example or in other words Paul saying I realize that might be a little confusing [14:49] So let me put it to you this way. He says brothers even with a man-made covenant [14:54] No one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified

[14:58] Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring it does not say into off springs [15:06] referring to many but referring to one and [15:09] To your offspring who is Christ? [15:12] This is what I mean the law which came four hundred and thirty years afterward does not annul a covenant [15:18] Previously ratified by God as to make the promise void for if the inheritance comes by the law [15:25] It no longer comes by promise, but God gave it to Abraham

[15:29] by a promise [15:31] Alright now that we break that down for you. Okay [15:36] Paul is saying [15:40] Christ redeems you from the curse of the law because the law never existed to get you closer to God [15:48] What the law did was he saying the law? [15:51] Revealed to you your massive sin and then Jesus comes and Jesus saves you from your sin

[15:58] And he redeems you from the curse that the law put on to you [16:04] Because the law existed to show us that we were sinful and to drive us back [16:11] To the promise of God to Abraham [16:14] So that we would understand we need God we’re bankrupt we can’t do it without his blessing [16:23] He saying the law came to drive back to the original promise [16:27] We put another words like Paul did he said let me give you a human example

[16:30] Let’s say we’re playing a basketball game [16:32] Let’s say we start a basketball league even though if you have ever seen me jump that would be such a massively terrible idea [16:39] I would never start a basketball league good luck with all that if we started a basketball league [16:44] And we make a set of rules [16:46] Let’s say okay [16:47] We’re gonna look at the NBA playbook and we’re gonna make those the rules and we’re gonna start playing and

[16:52] Then all of a sudden in the third quarter things are going great. It’s a fun game the referee steps in and says okay

[17:00] Stop everything [17:01] new rules [17:04] Now you have to shoot the ball backwards [17:07] It does not count unless it is shot backwards [17:10] And I guarantee you as many sports fans as I probably have in here [17:14] You would be so mad and you would be so furious you would shout out that is unfair. That’s unjust

[17:20] You can’t change the rules halfway through the game

[17:26] Paul is saying if you think that the law of God which we commonly refer to as the Ten Commandments [17:32] But actually there’s like six hundred and thirty nine of them at all [17:35] Paul says if you think that the law of God is what gets you close to God [17:40] You’re accusing God of being totally unjust

[17:44] You’re accusing God of being totally unfair you’re accusing God of coming into the game [17:51] 430 years after he started the game and saying I’m gonna change the entire rules [17:56] I’m gonna change the playbook [17:58] It’s no longer by my promise that you’re gonna receive righteousness rather [18:02] It’s gonna be by your actions that you are saved

[18:08] See the key that you need to understand is that God’s plan has never changed [18:14] God has never changed the way in which he decides and he declares to know us [18:21] And he declares to be known by us [18:24] And you may be throwing up some objections right there and say well it seems to have changed [18:28] Somewhere throughout scripture it seems like during scripture there were some times when he changed it [18:33] You can’t tell me that the Ten Commandments were not changed

[18:36] They are not a change in the game [18:39] But the question that you have to ask yourself is what is the purpose of the Ten Commandments [18:43] Look back at verse 16 really quick [18:47] He says now the promises were made to Abraham into his offspring [18:50] It does not say into offsprings referring to many but referring to one [18:54] Into your offspring who is Christ

[18:59] And then he goes in and he says to make it more simple the law came 430 years after the promise of God

[19:08] What he is saying is that when God made this promise to Abraham [19:13] You need to have more than just a microscopic view [19:17] Because I think that’s how we look at the Bible and I think that’s how we start getting confused [19:22] Is we think that they are all separate [19:24] There are 66 different books in what we have for the Bible [19:29] There are 66 different books

[19:32] There are 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament [19:34] And the way we read them is that they are totally all different stories [19:38] And we start getting in them and they are disjointed [19:41] And here is a promise that applies to this guy [19:43] And here is a promise that applies to this guy but it does not apply to me [19:46] And then I have the New Testament and that applies to me in part but then I can’t use this

[19:50] And then we take these token verses and we are like I am going to base my life on this one verse [19:54] And I am probably going to take it totally out of context anyway [19:58] And that is how we read the Bible

[20:00] No, no, no, no, no [20:02] If I were to go buy a Tom Clancy book [20:05] A Tom Clancy novel, some of you may have heard of him, he is an author [20:08] And I read page 700 because he writes like these 5000 page books for some reason [20:13] I have never read one, they are just so long [20:15] And I go to page 700 and I read it and I am like

[20:19] Some crazy stuff, there is a fight and somebody shot a guy with his M16 [20:23] And then I close it and I am like okay I think I get the story [20:27] Would I even come close to getting the story? [20:30] No, because it has an introduction, it has a plot, it has a theme, it has main characters [20:35] It has a climax and then it has a conclusion [20:39] That is the Scriptures

[20:42] The Scriptures is one story [20:46] Where God starts and then he moves [20:49] It is the story of God’s redemptive history with man [20:53] And when you have this promise in the book of Genesis [20:57] Chapter 12, he never does away with that promise [21:01] When he looks at Abraham and he says like we talked about last week

[21:03] I am going to bless you, I am going to bless those who bless you [21:06] I am going to curse those who curse you, I am going to take out of you [21:09] And make a mighty nation [21:12] And then Genesis 15 when Abraham is filled with doubt [21:14] And he looks to Abraham and he says Abraham go outside [21:17] And Abraham comes out of his tent and he looks up and God says Abraham

[21:20] Look at those stars, I am going to take you and out of you [21:24] The stars in heaven, that is how many descendants you are going to have [21:29] I promise you Abraham I am going to build a great nation coming out of you [21:35] What he is giving us is a glimpse [21:39] As to what the rest of the story is going to unfold [21:43] And then he spends the rest of the Old Testament

[21:46] Because that is just the beginning baby [21:48] And then he spends the rest of the Old Testament [21:50]

[21:54] And then he spends the rest of the Old Testament [21:54] And then he spends the rest of the Old Testament

[22:00] And then he spends the rest of the Old Testament [22:02] And then he spends the rest of the Old Testament

[22:04] And then he spends the rest of the Old Testament [22:06] And then he spends the rest of the Old Testament [22:06] And then he spends the rest of the Old Testament [22:09] And then he spends the rest of the Old Testament [22:11] And then he spends the rest of the Old Testament [22:13] What does he do? Paul says right there

[22:15] Don’t you understand that promise that God made to Abraham [22:19] He took Abraham and if you follow his family tree [22:23] Out of Abraham comes Jesus [22:27] Out of Abraham comes Jesus [22:27] The Savior of the world [22:29] When God tells Abraham I am going to make you a great nation

[22:34] He is not simply talking about Israel

[22:39] He is not [22:42] I may have blown some of your theology [22:45] I may have offended you right there and I am sorry

[22:49] What does Paul say he is talking about? [22:52] What does Paul say he is talking about? [22:52] Don’t listen to me, listen to Paul [22:54] He is talking about Jesus [22:57] Because he says in Jesus he takes Abraham’s promise [23:01] And he gives it to the Gentiles or in other words

[23:04] He gives it to the whole world [23:07] God was not so small minded [23:10] That he just wanted these people [23:12] That came out of Israel [23:13] God wants everyone [23:17] And when he says in Genesis chapter 12

[23:20] Great nation, he does not give up on it [23:23] In the book of Exodus when Moses comes down [23:25] And sees the golden calf and sees Israel worshiping it [23:28] He does not give up and then say well I have got to change everything [23:31] I am going to make a lot of rules so that then they can know me [23:34] Because obviously this promise thing did not work out

[23:38] What he does with the Ten Commandments [23:40] And what Paul is talking about right here is [23:42] He gives us this law and then that law is supposed to drive us [23:47] To total dependence on God [23:51] Because we realize [23:53] That we cannot make it on our own

[23:57] We are desperate for a God [24:00] Who will forgive and a God who will change our lives [24:05] The Ten Commandments were never meant [24:09] To be a pathway to God

[24:14] Never

[24:16] That may also be a little bit of a changer [24:18] Because if you go in a lot of houses [24:20] Especially a lot of church houses like if you go up in my house [24:23] We have this plaque and the Ten Commandments [24:26] And when you walk by it you are like reminded [24:28] Of the moral fiber that you are supposed to have

[24:31] As a person of God

[24:36] And I am not trying to mock that [24:38] I am not trying to mock my home [24:40] But what I am trying to say is the Ten Commandments are not a statute [24:43] That we are to look at and say that is what makes me a good person [24:47] The Ten Commandments are something that we look at and it breaks our heart

[24:53] Ten Commandments are something that we look at [24:55] And shows us our drastic bankruptcy

[25:00] Something that we look at and say [25:03] I can’t get close to God even if I try [25:08] Because if you go out past those ten [25:10] And take all 639 of them [25:15] We are condemned

[25:18] We are condemned [25:19] We are condemned [25:22] Because as we go through the Old Testament [25:25] And that picture begins to unfold [25:28] And we find that humanity [25:32] Is full of lies

[25:34] Full of deceit [25:37] Full of arrogance and pride [25:40] And we continually turn to worship other gods [25:43] Other than Him [25:44] You cannot pass commandment number one [25:48] You may be thinking that you live your life

[25:50] And you never put anything before God [25:52] You put everything before God every single day just like I do

[25:58] We all do [26:00] Our gods aren’t these Asherah poles [26:02] And these altars to bail like they were in the Old Testament [26:05] Instead reach in your pocket and pull out a dollar bill [26:08] That’s our God

[26:12] Our 401K [26:13] That really tanked last year [26:15] That’s our God [26:17] You realize that in the past year [26:20] The number of antidepressants needed in this country shot through the roof [26:23] You want to know why depression is running rampant in our society right now?

[26:28] Because we are losing money

[26:33] And that is what our entire society [26:34] Has been built on [26:36] We are bankrupt [26:39] And Paul says that’s the point [26:42] The point of the law is our drastic bankruptcy [26:47] But continue to track with him

[26:50] When he tells us this [26:52] Look in verses 17 and 18

[26:57] He says this is what I mean [26:59] The law which came 430 years afterward [27:02] Does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God [27:05] So as to make the promise void [27:07] For if the inheritance comes by the law it no longer comes by promise [27:11] But God gave it to Abraham by a

[27:15] Promise [27:17] What he’s saying is if you can muster up the courage [27:20] To obey the law

[27:23] Then it’s not a promise anymore [27:26] We are all about standing on the promises of God [27:29] Right? [27:31] But when you try to muster up the energy to live this moral life [27:34] And you are going to base your entire life on morality [27:37] What it does is it says I don’t believe in the promises of God

[27:41] I believe in me being good enough [27:44] Then he keeps going [27:45] And he says why then the law? [27:48] It was added because of transgressions [27:51] Until the offspring should come to whom the promise has been made [27:55] And it was put in place through angels by an intermediary

[27:59] Now an intermediary implies more than one [28:02] But God is one

[28:06] This is what he’s saying [28:09] He’s saying that the law [28:11] It came because [28:14] Of sin

[28:17] When God gave his promise [28:19] He looked at Abraham and guess what he saw [28:21] He saw a sinful man [28:23] He saw somebody steeped in sin [28:26] He saw somebody just like you and I [28:29] He saw us

[28:31] And he gives Abraham this promise [28:34] Even when he’s in sin [28:37] And then he begins to play this story out [28:41] With Abraham where Abraham sins and then comes back to God [28:44] Sins and then comes back to God [28:46] And then Israel sins and then comes back to God

[28:48] And then Israel is in captivity [28:51] And they’re under this Egyptian reign [28:53] And this promise keeps going through Israel [28:56] Where they’re like a redeemer will come [28:57] Someone will come and will save us [29:00] We must follow God

[29:01] Because of this great sin that we have within us [29:08] And then God raises up Moses [29:10] Moses is not that smart [29:12] He’s this guy that murders somebody [29:14] Runs out into the mountains, becomes a herder of animals [29:18] Marries a couple of ladies

[29:19] And then God comes to him in a burning bush [29:21] And says Moses [29:25] And Moses says why is this bush burning

[29:29] God says remove the sandals from your feet [29:32] Because you’re on holy ground [29:33] If there was anything special about Moses [29:36] Why would he have to take his sandals off?

[29:40] Why would he have to prepare himself to come into the presence of God? [29:44] God doesn’t choose these men [29:46] Because there’s anything special about them [29:47] God chooses these men because he wants to [29:50] And because he’s going to use their lives as a plan [29:53] And Moses goes kicking and screaming for the rest of his life following God

[29:57] But he believes in the holiness [30:00] And righteousness plan of God

[30:05] And then he goes and the people of Israel come out [30:08] And then when the people of Israel are in the wilderness [30:10] They’re continually turning from God [30:12] And God says they don’t realize their desperate need of me [30:16] This is something that he had always planned [30:18] Slowly unfolding the story piece by piece

[30:22] And then when God finally has [30:25] This group of people he says now I will reveal to them [30:29] He gives them the commandments [30:31] And then they live the rest of their lives [30:34] And they become a nation and then they continually break these laws [30:37] All over the place

[30:40] And then he finally reveals to them [30:42] You think that you’re the hope of the world [30:45] But you are not [30:46] He tells them [30:50] You are not the obedient servant [30:52] you’re the disobedient servant, but out of you the point of my promise to Abraham

[30:57] was that I’m going to rise up an obedient servant and his name will be [31:01] called Emmanuel or God with us.

[31:13] The law came to show our need for redemption.

[31:25] God gives Moses this law and he gives it to his people and look at what they do [31:32] with it. In first century Israel these people that Paul is actually talking to

[31:39] they forget about the promise to Abraham and they’re like that’s a good [31:42] promise but now we must live by this law and this is how we get to God. [31:48] God is saying you have perverted the law and we continue to do it to this day. [31:58] We set up these giant steeples and these giant monuments to how good some of us [32:06] are and how bad the other ones are and the point of the law is that none of us [32:13] are good. All of us are equally bad and you may be saying no you’re wrong I’ve

[32:22] been good enough my whole life. I’ve been better than some other people. I [32:29] haven’t been as sinful as some other people. Notice what Paul says about that [32:34] elsewhere when Paul is asked about his goodness. Paul says you got to understand [32:39] I’ve been the Hebrew of the Hebrews you’ve been obedient to the law I’ve [32:43] been more obedient to the law. You fasted one day I fasted three. I’ve been in [32:50] I’ve been beaten for the gospel. I’ve been stone for the gospel. I’ve been whipped with a cat of nine tails for the gospel.

[32:57] I’ve got the 40 lashes minus one. I was left for dead a couple of times. [33:03] I was adrift at sea without a boat a couple of times. I’ve been in prison. [33:07] I’ve been hungry. I’ve fought for my life. He said I’ve done all of that but I [33:13] would forsake it all because none of that has earned me anything where God is [33:18] concerned because the only thing that earns me the righteousness of God is all [33:23] that I have in Christ Jesus who’s the Son of God who loved himself and gave

[33:28] himself for me. Then at the end of his life Paul who’s surely sacrificed [33:34] everything at the very end of his life he’s probably grown more than I will [33:38] ever grow. He knew more about God and had forgotten more about God than I’ll [33:43] probably ever think about God and Paul gets to the end of his life and he’s on [33:47] his deathbed and he writes to Timothy he says Timothy I am the chief of sinners.

[33:58] If you’re looking at the law of God and you’re looking at the Ten Commandments [34:01] and saying I’m better than other people you’re not believing the promises of [34:06] Christ because the law of God stands as a monument of our drastic dependence of [34:12] Christ and you need to put that up as this mirror not to show you how good you [34:20] are but to show you how much you need Christ because you see God makes this [34:27] promise in Genesis and then he unfolds it and then through the New Testament God

[34:32] makes it clearer and clearer and clearer. That’s the point and then he finally says [34:38] these promises that I’ve been making all along all the promises of Scripture [34:43] find their fulfillment and find their yes in Jesus. Jesus is the fulfillment of [34:52] all of the promises of the Old Testament all of the promises of the New Testament [34:56] 2nd Corinthians 1.20 actually puts it this way it says all of the promises [35:01] that I’ve been made literally find their yes in Jesus and you’re like but what

[35:08] about the law what does that say about the law 2nd Timothy 2nd Timothy or 1st Timothy [35:14] chapter 1 excuse me it’s 1st Timothy chapter 1 verse 9 actually says the law [35:19] was not given to the just but rather to the unjust. In other words the law was [35:24] not given for the obedient people to show them how obedient they are but [35:28] rather it’s given to the unjust for how to show them how disobedient they are and [35:32] when you’re questioning who the just and the unjust is are you a human are you

[35:36] alive and are you breathing you’re probably the unjust without God. Hebrews [35:41] chapter 7 verses 18 and 19 God Paul excuse me writes probably Paul we don’t [35:48] really know who wrote that book Paul or somebody else wrote in chapter 7 verses [35:52] 18 and 19 he says that it is useless to use the law to make yourself perfect but [36:04] it shows the hope of drawing near through Jesus. You’re like but how does [36:15] the law lead us to Jesus because the law is not the pathway to God the law

[36:24] are signposts showing us that we’re on the wrong path and that a Savior has [36:34] come to direct us to the actual path. Jesus is the pathway to God not your [36:46] righteousness and you’re like I get that I get saved through Jesus and then Jesus [36:52] makes it so that I have enough power and I have enough morality so that I can [36:56] follow the law no he doesn’t. You’re still bankrupt. What do you mean? What do [37:07] you mean I’m still bankrupt? I use this as an example this morning. We are

[37:13] obedient not because it gives excuse me not because it makes us anything or not [37:20] because we can do this we are obedient because of what Jesus did for us. I use [37:26] communion as an example today as I’ve used before but not this exact example I [37:30] want to show you through communion what I’m talking about. See in the bread we [37:38] have what is referred to by Jesus and by Paul as broken body of Jesus. Through [37:46] this juice we have what is referred to as the blood of Jesus. First century

[37:52] Christians were actually called cannibals. It says Jesus’s body was broken [38:00] for you. Jesus’s blood was shed for you. When Adam and Eve sinned in the book of [38:06] Genesis God tells them go kill a lamb and instead of wearing those fig leaves [38:10] I want you to wear the wool of that lamb and find a spotless one. And so they kill [38:17] it and they do it and the blood is shed and then when God is revealing the law [38:22] and they build the tabernacle what God does is he says you must shed blood and

[38:27] the place must put it on the different places and the shed blood represents a [38:32] blood that is shed for you. When blood exits the body it’s disgusting to us [38:40] because life is leaving the body and if too much blood leaves your body you die. [38:45] You’re dead. Blood stands as a monument to the filth of sin in God’s eyes. But [38:55] here’s the key that you need to understand this is why we take Union. [38:59] Paul says do it as often as do it as often as you do it. Pro you proclaim the

[39:07] death of Christ until he returned. When you take this body you take the sacrifice of God into your body.

[39:20] It represents that. When you drink this you’re drinking the life of Jesus that was shed for you. [39:30] It represents that. Because you see when Jesus hung on that cross and when he bled his own blood [39:36] his blood covers our sin. And when we drink this what it represents it’s a [39:45] picture of us taking Jesus’s life into our life. When we eat this bread it’s a [39:55] picture of the brokenness that the law reveals to us and the fact that Jesus [40:00] was a man who had never sinned. His body was broken for us and he breaks his body and he gives us his body and says I was broken so that you don’t have to be.

[40:14] And we take that into ourselves because we don’t just need forgiveness of sins and then we’re ok. [40:20] We need sin taken away. That’s called expiation in theology. [40:29] Taken out of. Our sin is taken from us and it’s laid onto Jesus.

[40:36] But we also need what’s called imputation. We need something different than we already have put into us. [40:44] We don’t have. We need the life of Christ.

[40:51] And when Paul says as often as you do this you proclaim the death of Christ until he comes. [40:59] Proclaiming is your proclaiming I have taken the life of Christ into my life. [41:04] No longer depends on my actions but it totally depends on the actions of Jesus and I accept that into my life. [41:13] And this stands as a picture. There’s nothing salvific about drinking juice. [41:18] There’s nothing that’s going to save you about eating bread. But what it represents is that this is absolutely true and I believe it. [41:26] So I will proclaim the death of Christ until he comes again to take me to the presence of God where I’ll worship for ever.

[41:37] So what we’re going to do now is I’m going to pray for us. [41:41] And if you believe that this morning, if you trust in Christ for your salvation, if you have, [41:48] I want you to come forward and I want you to proclaim his death until he comes. [41:54] I want you to take the bread and eat it and take the juice and drink it. [41:59] And say yes God, I trust in your path before I…I want your life. I don’t mind.

[42:12] If you don’t believe that, I ask that you don’t come forward. [42:17] Paul writes in 1 Corinthians, he says, whoever eats and drinks of the Lord’s table unworthily, eats and drinks damnation unto himself. [42:27] I’ll tell you why. You eat and drink damnation unto yourself because you don’t believe it. [42:32] Because this means nothing to you. Because you haven’t taken the life of Christ into yours. [42:37] And I’m not trying to offend you. I’m trying to help you. [42:42] Nobody’s going to make you do this. But if you believe, do it.

[42:50] Because it’s a way that God has given us to tangibly touch and to take that salvation and just say, yes, I believe.

[43:06] I’m going to pray for us and then take a minute. Take a minute because what you’re doing with this is you’re reflecting on the cross. [43:12] I want you to take just a moment after I say amen. I want you to pray silently. [43:18] Then come forward. Take the bread and take the cup. You can eat it up here. You can eat it at your seat.

[43:27] Then we’re going to sing a few songs and we’re going to respond.

[43:30] And then what we’re going to do is we’re going to take this amazing salvation that Jesus has given us. [43:35] We’re going to take it out into the streets, through our jobs, through our friendships, through our families. [43:40] We’re going to take the mission out of these doors. Because that’s where it really is. [43:44] Let’s pray.

[43:47] Father, we come before you this morning with thankful hearts.

[43:57] With hearts that come and say, yes, you have promised to make a great nation. [44:03] And you are doing that. And you have done that through your son, Jesus Christ.

[44:11] But Lord, you’ve also revealed to us that we cannot do it, but rather we desperately need you to transform our lives. [44:20] And you gladly do it through your son, Jesus. [44:23] 2 Corinthians says, He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God through him.

[44:35] Transform us today. [44:37] Take our lives. Make them your own. [44:42] And may we be dependent on your grace until you return.

[44:48] Amen.