Darren Tappouras – The Power of His Presence – Class 2

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In Bonnells Bay, we go to the
same Ecclesia.

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He worked at the school and my
wife works.

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We have a lot to do with each
other.

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He’s got kids, are friends with
my kids and and we are, we are

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spatially close is the word
we’re going to use.

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So as I said, I can I can walk
to his house.

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I don’t, don’t worry about that.
I haven’t done that yet, but I

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could theoretically walk to his
house.

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It’s that close.
So yes, I’m close to Matt from

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that point of view, but we know
that’s not what I totally meant

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when I said to somebody or
responded to somebody and said

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we’re close, there’s another
dimension to closeness.

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And Matt and I are not just
spatially close, which we are,

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but we’re also relationally
close.

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We’re we’re, we’re good friends,
good mates.

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We talk about the the truth a
lot and the word of God a lot

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together.
We go to the same meeting and

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are involved in things at the
meeting together.

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We go on holidays together
sometimes and and and have

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family outings and all that sort
of stuff.

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So when we got similar sense of
humor and similar outlook on

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things as well.
So, so yes, we’re close

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physically or spatially to use
that word and we’re also close

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relationally.
There’s this, there’s these two

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elements that make up that that
the meaning of closeness and

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we’re going to see presence
works exactly the same way and

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we’re going to have to work
through that how God is close to

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us spatially and also close to
us relationally.

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We’ll we’ll look at that as we
go through our our session

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tonight.
So God is close to us spatially.

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And that’s not tonight’s
session.

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That’ll be God willing in our
next class.

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But God dwells with us.
God never leaves us.

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And he’s made promises to that
effect.

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You know, Hebrews talks about he
will never leave or forsake us.

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How does that work?
God is imminent.

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He’s, He’s in Him.
We live and move and have our

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very being.
He’s right here with us.

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In Him everything exists and
consists and there’s these

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interesting from the Lord’s
Prayer in John 14151617, this,

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this this emphasis there, God
being in US and Christ and God

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being in US and us and we being
them.

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And there’s this spatial
closeness that is talked about

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throughout the Bible between US
and God.

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And that’s a little bit of a a
tweaking that subject when we

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get to it.
I’m just trying to change our

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perspective of God being up in
heaven with amazing vision to

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see us all the way down here.
It’s it’s a bit more, it’s a bit

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more sophisticated than that and
we’ll get to that in in due

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course.
Tonight we’re going to focus on

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this part of the of the subject,
the relational connection we

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have with God.
And we come into relationship

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with God through something
called a covenant.

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We’ll try and unpack what that
means a little bit more tonight,

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and that’s a really powerful
subject.

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And I hope, as I said, it’s a
little bit theoretical in a

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sense.
We’re going to look at biblical

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concepts and try and unpack what
it means, but it really is

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essential to lay the foundation
for our later, later

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considerations.
Just to show you these two

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dimensions and how they work
through this subject.

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He’s a really famous quote from
the point of view of of God’s

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presence.
It’s one of our New Testament

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temple references saying that we
as God’s people are his temple.

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Just got all presence and God’s
dwelling all built into it, that

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concept, and it’s Paul Wright
says you are the temple of the

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living God as God has said.
I will dwell in them and walk

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among them.
And that’s picking up, isn’t it?

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The spatial connection with God.
God says I will dwell and I’m

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going to walk among you.
There’s echoes back to Eden

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there isn’t there?
God walking in the cool of the

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garden and God’s dwelling.
There’s like there’s temple

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echoes there and references and
references back to the Lord

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Jesus Christ.
We haven’t got time to flesh all

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those out, but just to emphasize
the spatial connection there in

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this subject.
And then he goes on to say after

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that I will be their God and
they shall be my people.

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Now that little phrase is the
covenant phrase runs all the way

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through scripture.
It’s in every recital of the

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covenant, whether it’s covenant
God makes back in Genesis with

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with Abram, right through to
Revelation 21.

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When we get there, eventually
we’re going to see when the

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covenant is completely realized
in this full sense, that’s God

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repeats those words, I will be
their God and they shall be my

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people.
So it really ties the whole

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Bible together there.
But hopefully those two

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dimensions are coming through
reasonably clear.

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Here we are in Revelation 21,
and we can see those two

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dimensions again, John writes.
I heard a loud voice from heaven

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saying, behold the Tabernacle of
God.

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You’ve got another temple
concept here, the Tabernacle of

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God.
He is with men as we saw the the

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city which descends from heaven
and he will dwell with them.

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So there’s our spatial word if
you like God dwelling with men.

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And then chapter 22 talks about
they shall see his face and and

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all this language that he’s used
that picks up the idea of God

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dwelling again echoes back to
Eden as Revelation 21 and 22 are

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full of.
But the idea of God FaceTime

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with God has been restored in
this perfection and completion.

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And then we’ve got very next
words, the repetition of that

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phrase again, they shall be his
people and God himself shall be

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with them and be their God, the
covenant, the covenant phrase.

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And so we’ve got again those two
dimensions to presence, just

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like we have with closeness.
So I hope that makes hope that

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makes a little bit of sense.
So this chart here is our road

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map, if you like, for where
we’re going to go.

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We’re going to spend some time,
particularly tonight, looking at

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the relational connection to God
and the benefits of that and

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what it means and our response
to that.

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And God willing, next time we’ll
look at the spatial proximity

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issues.
And that’s to do with the Spirit

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and all sorts of interesting
things.

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So we’ll spend some time on that
as well.

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And they feed into the temple
idea, which unfortunately we

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don’t have enough time to really
go into in this little series.

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But the temple then opens up
those two ideas of God’s spatial

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presence and his relational
presence in our lives and and

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shows that we are the living
temple of God as as Jesus was.

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So let’s look at this relational
side.

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There’s this idea of a covenant
or a connection with God and it

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leads to this idea and this
concept of being God’s children.

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And we touched on that a little
bit of our last session and we

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said that’s really a New
Covenant concept.

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God being a Father is very rare
in the Old Testament.

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Under the Old Covenant, very,
very rare.

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There’s about 15 references and
they’re all metaphors or figures

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of speech.
It’s nothing like we get when we

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hit the New Testament.
And Jesus is Father, Father,

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Father, Father, and Paul’s
references to ABBA, Father and

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all the Father aspects of God
that come through because of

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Jesus Christ.
But we’ll get to that later on.

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So we’re going to talk about the
New Covenant.

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I don’t know about you and it’s
could just be me.

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But I’ve been to every Bible
school, Bible camp, Bible

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conference, Bible weekend, study
weekend that’s ever that I could

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ever get to all my life.
And I’ve never really heard much

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about the New Covenant.
Now that could because I wasn’t

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paying a lot of attention.
That could be it.

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That could be it Mica.
Or it’s something we find hard

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to articulate because it’s a
it’s an interesting concept and

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it’s it’s interesting.
We just don’t really talk about

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it a lot even in our literature
as far as I can find most

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references to the New Covenant
because it’s anchored back in

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Jeremiah 31.
And the context there is the

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second Exodus and the return of
the natural people of Israel and

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God bringing them back and they
look on Christ today of peace.

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Because of that context, it’s
pushed into the future as

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something that relates to
natural Israel and yet we’re

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going to see tonight that’s
definitely not the only

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application.
It’s definitely something we are

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really front and centre involved
with today.

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In fact they are we talk just
talk about covenant.

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I don’t know if you know that
when we talk about the Old

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Testament, the New Testament,
the word testament is just the

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English version of the Latin
word for the Greek word for

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covenant, if that makes a bit of
sense.

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So the word for covenant
translated into Latin is like

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Testamanus and it comes through
as testament.

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So even the way the Bible
structure, the terminology and

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the vocabulary we use all the
time, we’re referring to the Old

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covenant when we talk about the
Old Testament and the New

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Covenant, and scholars say that
that that division and that

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terminology, that nomenclature
that goes goes right back to

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about the 2nd century, this
concept of calling half the

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Bible old.
And new covenant covenants also

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push the storyline of the Bible
right through, don’t they?

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So we see there’s a, there’s a,
there’s a covenant building to

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Genesis into the creation
itself.

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We haven’t got time to look at
that tonight.

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There’s the covenant God makes
with Noah, covenant with Abraham

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of course that we’re very
familiar with covenant with

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David.
And we’re going to talk how talk

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about how these covenants all
converge into the new covenant

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and bring their elements with
them.

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So it it it really pushes the
narrative of the Bible story

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along.
So it’s a really important

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concept and it’s you know
Christadelphian vocabulary.

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We we talk about the fact when
someone gets baptized that

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they’re now coming into covenant
relationship with God and that’s

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a very legitimate phrase to use
that’s and we’ll see.

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That’s very very legitimate and
powerful phrase.

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And every Sunday morning when we
take the emblems, we talk about

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the not maybe not every Sunday,
but a lot of our Sundays of our

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lives.
We’ve referred to the wine for

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example as the representing the
blood of this new covenant.

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So it’s although you might, I
might not have heard a lot of

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exposition on it and discussion
on it from a expositional point

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of view.
It’s definitely there in the

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background, isn’t it?
Quite a lot.

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Here’s a quote, 1st Corinthians
11, this is the new covenant in

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my blood.
And Luke 22, the cup that he’s

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poured out for you is the new
covenant in my blood.

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So every Sunday, we’re talking
and thinking about and focusing

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on the new covenant.
So what is this new covenant and

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how does it relate to us?
And then particularly for our

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session, how does it relate to
the presence of God?

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So we’ll get to that in a
minute.

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What is a covenant?
Well, probably the simplest way

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to think of a covenant is as an
agreement, could even be a

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contract is a is another another
word that might help us

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understand what a covenant is.
It’s agreement.

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But the important thing to
remember, it’s an agreement that

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creates a relationship between
the two parties to the covenant.

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And that’s a really important
thing.

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This relationship comes into
existence at that point.

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And often, and particularly in
ancient times, there was a

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ritual of some sort that went
along to confirm the covenant or

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to bind the parties to the
covenant.

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So some sort of ritual of vowel.
I remember Laban built a little

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pile of stones and all sorts of
different little rituals that go

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along with a covenant when it’s
made.

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The one that we probably are
very familiar with this simple

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covenant because there are two
types of covenants in the

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ancient world.
There’s a what’s called a

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parody.
Covenant parody just means

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amongst equals.
And there’s also a a vessel, A

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Suzrein vessel.
Covenant which is a fancy word

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00:11:42,520 –> 00:11:46,240
which is the vertical covenants
between a powerful usually a

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00:11:46,240 –> 00:11:49,680
great king like Nebuchadnezzar
would make it with a local king

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00:11:49,680 –> 00:11:52,480
of of a city.
You know in the ancient times

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there was a king of Sodom and
the king of Zor etcetera.

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So that would have little kings,
very minor kings.

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And a great emperor would be the
would be the Suzrein and the

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small little king in Canaan
would be the vessel and that

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that was a that’s a vertical
covenant.

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That’s the one that reflects
more closely the covenants in

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the Bible with God.
And that makes sense.

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Doesn’t God hears the great God
and creator and his people

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connecting with that incredible
being?

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If you like.
So marriage would be.

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00:12:24,960 –> 00:12:28,000
I better say this just in case
Susan ever you know sees a copy

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of the IT is a horizontal
covenant between 2 equals and

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Malachi uses that terminology.
And I’m sure many of us already

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are aware of this.
Where in the time period, that

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post exilic period there in Mali
in after the exile, there was a

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problem where people were
putting away their their wives,

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00:12:48,440 –> 00:12:51,800
their wives of their youth and
marrying younger women.

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And they’re condemned here in
Malachi too because they’ve been

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unfaithful to the wife of their
covenant.

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So you see, a covenant was the
initially the agreement that

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made this relationship come into
existence.

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It’s interesting, just words,
like at a wedding, just words I

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00:13:07,920 –> 00:13:10,240
do.
When I take you to be my husband

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and my wife, those words,
they’re just words.

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But the words reflect this
commitment to form a new

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relationship.
In this new covenant, I’ll be

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your husband and I’ll be your
wife.

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And so this relationship comes
out of almost nothing, doesn’t

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00:13:21,880 –> 00:13:25,000
it’s like these two unrelated
people now form a brand new

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00:13:25,000 –> 00:13:27,320
unit.
It’s like it’s a miraculous

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00:13:27,320 –> 00:13:31,040
thing really.
And just as there’s like a

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00:13:31,040 –> 00:13:34,960
formula when we get married and
commit to a each other, we also

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we say, I take you to be my
wife, I take you to be my

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00:13:37,360 –> 00:13:41,040
husband.
I said it in this very hall.

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There you go.
Right, right, right there, many,

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00:13:43,200 –> 00:13:47,400
many years ago.
So there’s a covenant formula

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that, as I said, runs through
the Bible.

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We’re committing to God and
God’s also committing to us

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00:13:52,920 –> 00:13:54,480
under the terms of this
covenant.

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00:13:54,480 –> 00:13:58,240
That’s really important.
God’s committing to us as well,

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00:13:58,800 –> 00:14:01,080
and he’s faithful to that
commitment and we’ll remain

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00:14:01,080 –> 00:14:03,440
faithful to that.
So the covenant we’ve got, of

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00:14:03,440 –> 00:14:08,960
course, we’ve already identified
as a vertical covenant, God’s up

264
00:14:08,960 –> 00:14:10,600
in heaven.
We’re on earth and we’re making

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00:14:10,600 –> 00:14:15,600
that commitment to be joined
together in a relationship that

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00:14:15,600 –> 00:14:21,320
makes his presence possible and
it puts us into the presence of

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00:14:21,320 –> 00:14:23,840
God in a relational sense.
And that’s why it’s really,

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00:14:23,840 –> 00:14:27,720
really important now before we
get into appreciate, I suppose,

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00:14:27,720 –> 00:14:29,720
the new covenant and the power
of the new covenant.

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00:14:29,720 –> 00:14:32,960
I just want to think about the
Old Covenant and why that had to

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00:14:32,960 –> 00:14:37,440
be superseded, why that wasn’t
good enough to get us to where

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00:14:37,440 –> 00:14:43,040
God wanted it wanted us to go.
Look at some of the terms of the

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00:14:43,040 –> 00:14:46,320
Old Covenant and you’re going to
see how remarkably different

274
00:14:46,320 –> 00:14:49,280
they are to the terms of the of
the New Covenant.

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00:14:49,920 –> 00:14:52,920
And you’ll notice as we really
quickly flick through a bunch of

276
00:14:52,920 –> 00:14:55,960
verses, and I’ve colored them in
to try and make this exercise

277
00:14:55,960 –> 00:14:59,800
quick as possible, You’ll notice
there’s a familiar structure

278
00:14:59,800 –> 00:15:03,840
that runs through them, this
conditional structure and the

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00:15:03,840 –> 00:15:10,400
word if you’re going to say the
word if and else and if and and

280
00:15:10,400 –> 00:15:14,080
and that and these words are
conditional clauses if you like

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00:15:14,800 –> 00:15:18,400
anyone here done computer
programming and knows about if

282
00:15:18,400 –> 00:15:22,000
then else structures.
So if you’re a nerd who’s done

283
00:15:22,000 –> 00:15:24,960
that, then that’s interesting.
But no one’s putting their hands

284
00:15:24,960 –> 00:15:27,120
up here.
Admitting to that, I was in IT

285
00:15:27,200 –> 00:15:29,600
many, many years ago.
So it’s a it’s a way of writing

286
00:15:29,920 –> 00:15:34,080
computer code and sending
instructions off in in different

287
00:15:34,080 –> 00:15:35,800
ways when different conditions
are met.

288
00:15:35,800 –> 00:15:38,840
Anyway, we won’t go into that
now, but you’ll you’ll pick up

289
00:15:38,840 –> 00:15:42,080
the structure as you go through
and you’ll notice a repetition

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00:15:42,080 –> 00:15:46,680
of certain words and you’ll see
those words are still there in

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00:15:46,680 –> 00:15:48,800
the new covenant.
But there’s the emphasis is

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00:15:48,800 –> 00:15:51,320
different, which is really part
of the power of the new

293
00:15:51,320 –> 00:15:53,200
covenant.
So here’s a a reference in

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00:15:53,200 –> 00:15:55,320
Jeremiah 7.
Early in Jeremiah when there’s

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00:15:55,320 –> 00:15:58,120
still appeal being made to the
people to be faithful to the

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00:15:58,120 –> 00:16:03,320
covenant and it says Jeremiah 7.
But this thing commanded by them

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00:16:03,320 –> 00:16:07,280
saying obey.
So obey is a big word and it’s a

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00:16:07,280 –> 00:16:09,760
conditional word.
It’s like it’s part of what

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00:16:09,760 –> 00:16:12,040
makes the old covenant tick,
makes it work.

300
00:16:12,520 –> 00:16:15,920
Obey my voice and I will be your
God.

301
00:16:16,200 –> 00:16:17,320
You see how it’s structured
there.

302
00:16:17,360 –> 00:16:20,520
Obey is the condition that makes
this happen.

303
00:16:20,920 –> 00:16:23,960
Then I will be your God.
But you got to obey for me to be

304
00:16:23,960 –> 00:16:26,160
your God and then you should be
my people.

305
00:16:26,280 –> 00:16:29,360
There’s that little phrase, and
as well as that you’ve got to

306
00:16:29,360 –> 00:16:31,960
walk in the ways that I’ve
commanded you that.

307
00:16:31,960 –> 00:16:35,840
So there’s a condition as well
that it may be well unto you, so

308
00:16:35,840 –> 00:16:39,120
you can see how that is played
out in the syntax there, in the

309
00:16:39,120 –> 00:16:42,280
structure of the way the old
covenant was worded.

310
00:16:42,960 –> 00:16:44,400
Here’s another reference from
Jeremiah.

311
00:16:44,400 –> 00:16:48,520
You’ll see the repetition again
of these similar words which I

312
00:16:48,520 –> 00:16:51,600
commanded your Father’s in that
day, that I bought them forth

313
00:16:51,600 –> 00:16:54,320
out of the land of Egypt from
the iron furnace, saying obey my

314
00:16:54,320 –> 00:16:58,080
voice and do them according to
all that I command you.

315
00:16:58,560 –> 00:17:02,480
So shall you be my people and
I’ll be your God.

316
00:17:02,480 –> 00:17:06,160
So you can see that conditional
nature building to that obey my

317
00:17:06,160 –> 00:17:10,359
commandments and do then so I
can be your God.

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00:17:10,520 –> 00:17:14,960
Otherwise the the conditions
aren’t being met for that to

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00:17:14,960 –> 00:17:19,920
really happen.
Exodus 19, a famous old covenant

320
00:17:19,960 –> 00:17:24,920
reference, of course.
Exodus 19 Now, therefore, if you

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00:17:24,920 –> 00:17:30,760
indeed obey my voice and keep my
covenant, you shall conditional,

322
00:17:30,760 –> 00:17:33,080
you shall be a treasured
position among all people.

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00:17:33,400 –> 00:17:36,360
The earth is mine, and you shall
be to me a Kingdom of priests

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00:17:36,720 –> 00:17:40,360
and a holy nation.
Leviticus, if you walk in my

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00:17:40,360 –> 00:17:44,560
statutes and do them, I will
give you reins and blessings,

326
00:17:44,560 –> 00:17:46,640
etcetera.
Jeremy 11 I’m saying before you

327
00:17:46,640 –> 00:17:49,320
today blessings and curses.
If you obey the commandments of

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00:17:49,320 –> 00:17:53,920
the Lord your God, and if you
don’t obey, then you’ll suffer

329
00:17:53,920 –> 00:17:57,240
the consequences.
Jeremy 28 If you fully obey my

330
00:17:57,240 –> 00:18:00,040
word, God will set you above the
other nations.

331
00:18:00,040 –> 00:18:03,120
If you obey the voice of the
Lord your God, you see over and

332
00:18:03,120 –> 00:18:04,680
over again it’s very
conditional.

333
00:18:05,080 –> 00:18:12,560
And God’s link to the people is
very contingent on them obeying

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00:18:12,560 –> 00:18:15,840
and doing and listening and
heeding what what he says.

335
00:18:16,960 –> 00:18:20,560
So keeping that in mind, we’re
going to look at the New

336
00:18:20,560 –> 00:18:22,920
Covenant and see it’s rather
different.

337
00:18:23,160 –> 00:18:27,080
So come to Hebrews 8, which
Micah read for us.

338
00:18:28,400 –> 00:18:32,040
And the first thing I want us to
see in the commentary here by

339
00:18:32,040 –> 00:18:36,880
the writer of Hebrews is a very
big statement that he makes in

340
00:18:36,880 –> 00:18:39,160
verse nine when he talks about
this New Covenant.

341
00:18:41,640 –> 00:18:44,640
And when I say a statement, he’s
actually quoting verbatim from

342
00:18:44,640 –> 00:18:46,920
Jeremiah 31, which we’ll get to
in a minute, but he’s inserting

343
00:18:46,920 –> 00:18:51,760
this here, and he says, not
verse nine, I should say, Yep,

344
00:18:51,760 –> 00:18:54,320
9.
This one not according.

345
00:18:54,320 –> 00:18:57,840
So this is this new covenant
he’s going to articulate here

346
00:18:58,520 –> 00:19:00,480
from Jeremiah.
But this covenant’s rather

347
00:19:00,480 –> 00:19:03,360
different.
He says It’s not like it’s not

348
00:19:03,360 –> 00:19:06,760
according to the covenant I made
with their fathers when I took

349
00:19:06,760 –> 00:19:08,880
them out of Egypt, which we just
read in Exodus 19.

350
00:19:09,320 –> 00:19:14,240
It’s something different.
That covenant had a flaw in the

351
00:19:14,240 –> 00:19:17,800
sense that it required that
obedience in order to make it

352
00:19:17,800 –> 00:19:21,200
work.
If you keep my commandments and

353
00:19:21,200 –> 00:19:23,880
obey them, then I can be your
God and you can be in my

354
00:19:23,880 –> 00:19:26,640
presence, and we can have this
relationship and you can.

355
00:19:27,160 –> 00:19:29,840
I can show my loving kindness to
you and all those things.

356
00:19:29,840 –> 00:19:33,520
But that covenant wasn’t a it
was conditional, wasn’t sort of

357
00:19:33,520 –> 00:19:35,760
permanent, and you could fall
out of it, and it was, and it

358
00:19:35,760 –> 00:19:38,480
had had issues.
And so there’s nothing wrong

359
00:19:38,480 –> 00:19:40,560
with that covenant.
Of course it was wholly just and

360
00:19:40,560 –> 00:19:44,320
good, but because of the
weakness of us, because the

361
00:19:44,320 –> 00:19:47,880
weakness of the people of
Israel, of course it didn’t have

362
00:19:47,880 –> 00:19:50,760
the mechanism in it to to to
help them in that in that

363
00:19:50,760 –> 00:19:53,520
situation.
So this is, you could say, a

364
00:19:53,520 –> 00:19:56,080
whole this, this new covenant is
really new.

365
00:19:56,080 –> 00:20:00,240
It’s it’s a whole new ball game
to use that, that that cliche.

366
00:20:00,240 –> 00:20:02,480
It’s a whole new.
It’s not like I’ve said here,

367
00:20:02,480 –> 00:20:07,360
not Judaism 2.0.
It’s not just an upgrade to the

368
00:20:07,400 –> 00:20:09,760
Old Covenant, it’s a whole new
thing.

369
00:20:09,760 –> 00:20:12,200
It’s something totally different
that has been introduced here,

370
00:20:12,680 –> 00:20:15,760
and he’s just a quick structure
of Hebrews 8.

371
00:20:16,760 –> 00:20:20,440
This code in verse 6 here, a
better covenant.

372
00:20:20,440 –> 00:20:23,600
We talked about that last class,
this better theme that runs of

373
00:20:23,600 –> 00:20:27,440
course through Hebrews, this
reference in verse seven and

374
00:20:27,440 –> 00:20:29,560
eight, that there was an issue
with the first covenant, because

375
00:20:29,560 –> 00:20:32,440
if the first covenant could do
that, then we wouldn’t need a

376
00:20:32,440 –> 00:20:34,120
new one.
So he says in verse seven, for

377
00:20:34,120 –> 00:20:37,320
the first covenant had been
faultless, then there’d be no

378
00:20:37,320 –> 00:20:38,960
place for a second.
You wouldn’t have needed a new

379
00:20:38,960 –> 00:20:42,640
one.
Verse 8 For finding fault with

380
00:20:42,640 –> 00:20:46,480
them he says, Behold the days
come, saith the Lord that I will

381
00:20:46,480 –> 00:20:49,960
make a new covenant, and he then
goes on to say the work.

382
00:20:49,960 –> 00:20:53,800
The fact he calls it new, the
very fact God labels it a new

383
00:20:53,800 –> 00:20:58,760
covenant, is an indication that
the old one is obsolete.

384
00:20:58,760 –> 00:21:01,840
The old one is no longer in
force.

385
00:21:02,200 –> 00:21:05,600
So these, the fact he called it
that it wasn’t just the covenant

386
00:21:05,600 –> 00:21:10,800
made to Paul or to he didn’t
just relabel it like the other

387
00:21:10,800 –> 00:21:13,200
covenants had a progressive
nature about the name the

388
00:21:13,200 –> 00:21:16,560
covenant to nowhere, the
covenant to Abraham, David,

389
00:21:16,560 –> 00:21:18,640
etcetera.
This, this, this one is not like

390
00:21:18,640 –> 00:21:22,200
a progression in a sense.
It’s not like an upgrade.

391
00:21:22,200 –> 00:21:26,400
It’s totally new, totally unique
and totally amazing and it’s

392
00:21:26,400 –> 00:21:30,000
very, very powerful.
And then from verses 9 to 12,

393
00:21:31,080 –> 00:21:34,640
it’s literally a cut and paste.
So Paul, sorry, I don’t know if

394
00:21:34,640 –> 00:21:36,880
it’s Paul.
The writer of Hebrews has has

395
00:21:37,320 –> 00:21:41,480
just basically picked up
Jeremiah 31 and picked up the

396
00:21:42,480 –> 00:21:45,000
the references of this new
covenant picked them up and

397
00:21:45,000 –> 00:21:50,200
pasted them here into Hebrews 8
and I got that in my new King

398
00:21:50,200 –> 00:21:51,440
James.
It’s all in capitals for some

399
00:21:51,440 –> 00:21:54,480
reason when it quotes Old
Testament’s got these capitals

400
00:21:54,480 –> 00:21:56,640
which is very hard to read.
It’s like someone screaming at

401
00:21:56,640 –> 00:22:03,520
you, but it’s all it’s all there
in capitals, this nine.

402
00:22:03,520 –> 00:22:05,440
For this is a covenant that I
will make with the House of

403
00:22:05,440 –> 00:22:07,160
Israel after those days, says
the Lord.

404
00:22:07,280 –> 00:22:11,520
I will put my law into their
hearts, into their minds, and

405
00:22:11,520 –> 00:22:14,240
I’ll write it in their hearts,
and I’ll be to them a God, and

406
00:22:14,240 –> 00:22:16,520
they shall be to me a people.
There’s our there’s our covenant

407
00:22:16,520 –> 00:22:20,280
formula.
They shall not teach every man,

408
00:22:20,280 –> 00:22:22,760
his neighbor and his brother to
say no the Lord.

409
00:22:22,760 –> 00:22:25,360
Because everyone under that
covenant, there’s no need for

410
00:22:25,680 –> 00:22:28,120
intermediaries.
Everybody has a relationship

411
00:22:28,120 –> 00:22:30,080
with God.
Everyone knows the Lord from the

412
00:22:30,080 –> 00:22:31,960
least of the greatest.
I’ll be merciful.

413
00:22:31,960 –> 00:22:33,320
So it’s got mercy building to
it.

414
00:22:33,320 –> 00:22:37,200
Verse 12 and their sins and
their iniquities I will remember

415
00:22:37,200 –> 00:22:40,000
no more.
And then verse that in in that

416
00:22:40,000 –> 00:22:42,400
he says a new covenant and gives
it a label new.

417
00:22:42,800 –> 00:22:46,680
He’s made the first one old by
default and therefore indicated

418
00:22:46,680 –> 00:22:52,800
that it would pass away.
So there it is in Hebrews 8.

419
00:22:52,800 –> 00:22:55,720
As I said, a cut and paste
directly from Jeremiah 31.

420
00:22:55,720 –> 00:23:00,280
Now what do we make of this new
covenant reference?

421
00:23:00,280 –> 00:23:05,160
It’s it’s challenging, isn’t it?
Because the context where it’s

422
00:23:05,160 –> 00:23:09,360
taken from, where the writer of
Hebrews takes it from, is a is

423
00:23:09,360 –> 00:23:16,360
is sort of a future event.
It’s talking the context both in

424
00:23:16,360 –> 00:23:19,280
Jeremiah 31 and it’s we’re going
to see in Ezekiel 36 and other

425
00:23:19,280 –> 00:23:23,000
places as well.
The context is the new, the 2nd

426
00:23:23,000 –> 00:23:26,200
Exodus if you like, where the
natural people of Israel, the

427
00:23:26,200 –> 00:23:27,920
natural Jews, if you like, come
back.

428
00:23:27,920 –> 00:23:32,160
And we talked a bit about that
on Sunday, though I think Frank

429
00:23:32,160 –> 00:23:34,120
talked about that they’ll come
back and they’ll look on him and

430
00:23:34,120 –> 00:23:38,280
they have pierced and they will
turn their hearts back to God

431
00:23:38,280 –> 00:23:40,000
and accept Jesus as their
Messiah.

432
00:23:40,520 –> 00:23:43,400
That’s the that’s the context
that’s couched in there in

433
00:23:43,640 –> 00:23:46,200
Jeremiah 31.
And that’s why all the study

434
00:23:46,200 –> 00:23:49,760
notes I could get my hands on
seem to emphasize that side of

435
00:23:49,760 –> 00:23:52,720
it.
It’s all it’s considered part of

436
00:23:52,720 –> 00:23:55,520
our event, subsequent studies.
It’s all something in the future

437
00:23:56,040 –> 00:23:59,000
and yet there’s much more to it
than that.

438
00:23:59,600 –> 00:24:02,080
So how do we, how do we read
this new covenant here in

439
00:24:02,080 –> 00:24:03,720
Hebrews 8?
How do we apply it?

440
00:24:03,720 –> 00:24:07,680
What do we think about it?
Option one, we could just take

441
00:24:07,680 –> 00:24:10,320
that approach because it’s from
Jeremiah 31, Jeremiah 31’s

442
00:24:10,320 –> 00:24:12,240
talking about the 2nd Exodus,
etcetera.

443
00:24:12,240 –> 00:24:15,960
It’s all in the future and it
relates to natural Israel who

444
00:24:15,960 –> 00:24:19,440
have finally repented and God
then gives them new heart and

445
00:24:19,840 –> 00:24:22,560
all those terms in Jeremiah 31
relate to them.

446
00:24:22,560 –> 00:24:25,200
So it’s something we’re looking
forward to in the future.

447
00:24:27,000 –> 00:24:30,000
Some, and particularly other
religions take it very literally

448
00:24:30,040 –> 00:24:34,320
because they think God will
literally, miraculously insert

449
00:24:34,320 –> 00:24:38,480
His spirit into us and insert
his lore into our hearts and

450
00:24:38,480 –> 00:24:41,560
minds in some miraculous,
supernatural way.

451
00:24:41,560 –> 00:24:45,560
And again, that that is would
contradict other parts of

452
00:24:45,560 –> 00:24:48,160
scripture and the concept of
free will and all those sorts of

453
00:24:48,160 –> 00:24:50,080
things.
To read that hyper literally, it

454
00:24:50,080 –> 00:24:51,960
doesn’t.
That would make sense, but it

455
00:24:51,960 –> 00:24:53,440
needs to be understood in some
way.

456
00:24:54,960 –> 00:24:57,520
The third option is which, Which
which I believe is the right

457
00:24:57,520 –> 00:24:58,480
option.
We’ll follow this through a

458
00:24:58,480 –> 00:25:02,120
little bit tonight, is the
concept of imputed righteousness

459
00:25:02,240 –> 00:25:06,920
from God and the, the and the
result of that and and the

460
00:25:06,920 –> 00:25:10,560
gratitude that’s generated if we
really, really get it and really

461
00:25:10,560 –> 00:25:13,840
understand it and really
appreciate it and fall in love

462
00:25:13,840 –> 00:25:16,760
with what God has done and just
be so grateful there’s a power

463
00:25:16,760 –> 00:25:21,680
that God’s God is working in us
at that at that point.

464
00:25:21,680 –> 00:25:26,280
So we believe, which is faith.
We have faith in God’s ways.

465
00:25:26,280 –> 00:25:28,480
We finally say, man hasn’t got
the answers.

466
00:25:28,480 –> 00:25:29,840
I’m a Sinner.
I need God.

467
00:25:30,200 –> 00:25:33,680
We have faith in what God’s
promised and his promises God

468
00:25:33,680 –> 00:25:35,160
deems us.
We’re going to talk about this

469
00:25:35,160 –> 00:25:38,040
in a minute.
God deems us to be righteous and

470
00:25:38,040 –> 00:25:42,280
to be sinless and perfect.
And because of that, if we

471
00:25:42,280 –> 00:25:45,360
really appreciate that and we
really, really take that to

472
00:25:45,360 –> 00:25:50,000
heart and make it real, not just
theoretical, then there’s some

473
00:25:50,000 –> 00:25:52,000
major power in that for us.
And that.

474
00:25:52,000 –> 00:25:57,560
That’s that’s really at the very
heart of this New Covenant

475
00:25:57,560 –> 00:25:59,760
really explains the New Covenant
perfectly.

476
00:26:00,520 –> 00:26:02,280
Let’s just make a few other
observations about the New

477
00:26:02,280 –> 00:26:04,000
Covenant.
Is it all about the future or is

478
00:26:04,000 –> 00:26:08,680
it about us today?
There are hints throughout

479
00:26:08,680 –> 00:26:10,320
Jeremiah.
We haven’t got time tonight to

480
00:26:10,320 –> 00:26:13,160
look them up.
Where Jeremiah talks in the in

481
00:26:13,160 –> 00:26:15,800
when he when he refers to the
these, when he refers to these

482
00:26:15,800 –> 00:26:19,840
covenant passages about God
making his covenant, There are

483
00:26:19,840 –> 00:26:23,320
references inserted about the
Gawi, about the Goyi is when you

484
00:26:23,320 –> 00:26:27,080
read that in Hebrew the Gentiles
or Goyim is the plural.

485
00:26:27,080 –> 00:26:32,200
So this new covenant is
connected to Gentiles.

486
00:26:33,000 –> 00:26:35,680
So to push it all into the
future and say it’s to do with

487
00:26:36,480 –> 00:26:40,320
repentant Israel, which it is,
is not the full story.

488
00:26:40,320 –> 00:26:44,200
There’s something else going on.
And here throughout the book of

489
00:26:44,200 –> 00:26:48,560
Hebrews, the repetition of it,
the emphasis on it, the power

490
00:26:48,560 –> 00:26:50,800
that he’s drawn from the writer,
Hebrews is joined from it.

491
00:26:51,320 –> 00:26:56,560
There is no doubt at all that it
is, it is relevant and enforced

492
00:26:56,560 –> 00:26:59,960
now.
And he’s a verse we sort of read

493
00:26:59,960 –> 00:27:02,680
very quickly.
But in Hebrews 8, verse six, it

494
00:27:02,680 –> 00:27:06,280
says as Christ has obtained a
ministry that is much more

495
00:27:06,280 –> 00:27:10,400
excellent than the old, as a
covenant he mediates is better.

496
00:27:10,560 –> 00:27:13,040
This is, this is from I think
the ESV.

497
00:27:14,520 –> 00:27:18,320
The New covenant is enacted on
better promises.

498
00:27:18,320 –> 00:27:21,280
Now just that word enacted, just
keep that in your mind for a

499
00:27:21,280 –> 00:27:23,440
minute.
Enacted is a word we still use

500
00:27:23,440 –> 00:27:28,280
today in in the legal system.
Enacted legislation means it’s

501
00:27:28,280 –> 00:27:30,960
been given royal assent and it’s
in force.

502
00:27:30,960 –> 00:27:34,960
It’s actually happening.
So they change the the penalties

503
00:27:34,960 –> 00:27:39,000
for speeding and it takes effect
midnight last night and I get

504
00:27:39,000 –> 00:27:41,040
caught speeding on the way home
from here.

505
00:27:41,520 –> 00:27:43,920
I get hit with this new penalty,
don’t I?

506
00:27:43,920 –> 00:27:45,640
Because it’s now enacted
legislation.

507
00:27:45,640 –> 00:27:50,320
It’s enacted, it’s in force and
that word, it indicates that the

508
00:27:50,320 –> 00:27:52,920
New Covenant is in force.
When the book of Hebrews is

509
00:27:53,080 –> 00:27:55,120
written, this new covenant is
now in force.

510
00:27:55,120 –> 00:27:57,800
It’s not something we’re waiting
for events subsequent to happen.

511
00:27:58,280 –> 00:28:01,440
Yes, the Jews will get the
benefit of the in due course, of

512
00:28:01,440 –> 00:28:05,280
course, but it’s something that
is in force right now and

513
00:28:05,280 –> 00:28:07,200
something that we are under, we
are part of.

514
00:28:07,200 –> 00:28:10,360
And that’s why we really need to
think about it and love it.

515
00:28:12,880 –> 00:28:15,280
Sorry, I’m pressing the wrong
button there all the way through

516
00:28:15,280 –> 00:28:17,840
Hebrews and I haven’t got time
tonight to look at every

517
00:28:17,840 –> 00:28:20,600
reference, but there’s so many
references to the New Covenant

518
00:28:20,600 –> 00:28:25,240
or a better covenant.
Hebrews 9 He’s a mediator of the

519
00:28:25,240 –> 00:28:27,400
New Covenant.
He is the mediator of the New

520
00:28:27,400 –> 00:28:30,240
Covenant.
Hebrews 10, this is the covenant

521
00:28:30,240 –> 00:28:32,600
that I will make after them in
those days and repeats the

522
00:28:33,000 –> 00:28:36,320
Jeremiah 31 reference and it
applies it to the believers then

523
00:28:36,560 –> 00:28:39,960
and not just apply it but says
to them As a result of this New

524
00:28:39,960 –> 00:28:42,280
Covenant, you can have
confidence and boldness to come

525
00:28:42,280 –> 00:28:44,800
into the presence of God.
That’s why we need to get a head

526
00:28:44,800 –> 00:28:46,760
around this because it’s linked
to the presence of God.

527
00:28:46,960 –> 00:28:49,360
Very much so, and we’ll get to
that in due course.

528
00:28:49,360 –> 00:28:52,240
But the new covenant makes it
possible to be in God’s presence

529
00:28:53,040 –> 00:28:56,680
for a non perfect being like me,
to be in the presence of God.

530
00:28:56,680 –> 00:28:58,840
The new covenant enables that to
happen.

531
00:28:58,960 –> 00:29:02,800
Without it, I would not be in
God’s presence, whatever that

532
00:29:02,800 –> 00:29:06,200
means.
Hebrews 12 talks about Jesus,

533
00:29:06,200 –> 00:29:08,040
the mediator of the new
covenant.

534
00:29:08,040 –> 00:29:10,920
It’s a very important thing and
he’s that famous little prayer

535
00:29:10,920 –> 00:29:12,960
at the end of Hebrews.
Now may the God of peace have

536
00:29:12,960 –> 00:29:16,120
brought again from the dead Our
Lord Jesus, the great shepherd

537
00:29:16,120 –> 00:29:18,880
of the sheep by the blood of the
eternal covenant uses eternal

538
00:29:18,880 –> 00:29:20,360
covenant there.
Obviously not to referring to

539
00:29:20,360 –> 00:29:22,600
the law of Moses.
It’s an eternal covenant.

540
00:29:22,600 –> 00:29:25,120
It’s this new covenant that we
are now under.

541
00:29:25,120 –> 00:29:28,680
We’re thanking God for we’re
benefiting from we’re praising

542
00:29:28,680 –> 00:29:32,640
God for it and we it’s part of
our should be part of the very

543
00:29:32,640 –> 00:29:35,560
fabric of our life.
Remember the quotes I looked at

544
00:29:35,560 –> 00:29:38,440
earlier on every single Sunday?
Virtually we are talking about

545
00:29:38,440 –> 00:29:41,080
the new covenant.
So it’s not we’re not taking the

546
00:29:41,080 –> 00:29:43,800
emblems going this is the blood
of the new covenant that the

547
00:29:43,800 –> 00:29:45,800
Jews are going to get in the in
the future.

548
00:29:45,800 –> 00:29:46,880
Are we?
We’re not we’re not doing that.

549
00:29:46,880 –> 00:29:48,360
And we take the wine of the new
covenant.

550
00:29:48,360 –> 00:29:51,440
We’re saying this is the wine of
the new covenant for my sins and

551
00:29:51,440 –> 00:29:53,480
for me and for my benefit and
for my connection and

552
00:29:53,480 –> 00:29:55,720
relationship to God.
Right now it’s something that we

553
00:29:55,720 –> 00:29:59,040
are we are totally under.
And in fact Paul in Second

554
00:29:59,040 –> 00:30:02,800
Corinthians says our mission is
ambassador, we’re ambassador,

555
00:30:02,800 –> 00:30:07,120
we’re New covenant ambassadors.
So this new thing called the New

556
00:30:07,120 –> 00:30:12,080
Covenant, he says in Second
Corinthians, show that you as

557
00:30:12,400 –> 00:30:15,920
people are a living letter.
You’re not a dead letter or

558
00:30:15,920 –> 00:30:18,600
written on stone.
You are living the the word of

559
00:30:18,600 –> 00:30:22,120
God in your life, not written
with ink, but with the Spirit of

560
00:30:22,120 –> 00:30:25,280
the living God, not on tables of
stone, but on on our human

561
00:30:25,280 –> 00:30:27,520
hearts.
And he says such is the

562
00:30:27,520 –> 00:30:31,200
confidence that we have through
Christ towards God that not that

563
00:30:31,200 –> 00:30:33,960
we are sufficient in ourselves
and that’s a very powerful part

564
00:30:33,960 –> 00:30:37,320
of this, but our sufficiency
comes from God who has made us

565
00:30:37,320 –> 00:30:40,160
sufficient to be ministers and
some translations have

566
00:30:40,160 –> 00:30:44,840
ambassadors of a new covenant.
So we are that that’s that’s

567
00:30:44,840 –> 00:30:46,160
like what we’re all about
really.

568
00:30:46,160 –> 00:30:48,080
We’re a new covenant
ambassadors.

569
00:30:48,080 –> 00:30:51,000
So we really should get a handle
on what this new covenant is and

570
00:30:51,000 –> 00:30:53,920
how it relates to us now and the
power of it in our lives.

571
00:30:53,920 –> 00:30:57,640
And how it then relates to the
why in Hebrews tenets is because

572
00:30:57,640 –> 00:31:00,040
of that new covenant.
You can come with boldness into

573
00:31:00,040 –> 00:31:03,680
the presence of God and and
that’s really important for us

574
00:31:03,680 –> 00:31:06,080
to get a handle on pressing the
wrong button.

575
00:31:08,840 –> 00:31:10,480
It’s very interesting.
As I said before all the

576
00:31:10,480 –> 00:31:13,880
covenants in the Old Testament
are all converging on this new

577
00:31:13,880 –> 00:31:15,200
covenant.
None of them are.

578
00:31:16,040 –> 00:31:19,160
None of them are perfect in
themselves or holistic in

579
00:31:19,160 –> 00:31:22,520
themselves.
They all, they all are giving us

580
00:31:23,240 –> 00:31:26,200
an insight into God’s promises
and what God plans to do.

581
00:31:26,200 –> 00:31:30,680
And all of them together,
whether it’s a Noah covenant or

582
00:31:30,680 –> 00:31:33,480
the Abrahamic covenant, they’re
they’re part of the everlasting

583
00:31:33,480 –> 00:31:36,240
covenant that will that that
converges onto the new covenant.

584
00:31:37,440 –> 00:31:38,720
I’ve got to stop pressing the
wrong button.

585
00:31:40,120 –> 00:31:43,160
So the covenant got made to Noah
in Genesis 9.

586
00:31:43,160 –> 00:31:47,040
He calls it an everlasting
covenant because it’s it’s still

587
00:31:47,040 –> 00:31:52,720
here.
It’s it’s merged into the new

588
00:31:52,720 –> 00:31:55,400
covenant.
God made certain guarantees

589
00:31:55,400 –> 00:31:58,360
about the planet, about, about
his people, etcetera.

590
00:31:59,000 –> 00:32:02,400
The Abrahamic covenant.
It’s also called in Genesis 17

591
00:32:02,440 –> 00:32:06,120
an everlasting covenant.
It’s there, it’s a permanent

592
00:32:06,120 –> 00:32:11,640
everlasting covenant, but it it
it, it finds it’s out working in

593
00:32:11,640 –> 00:32:16,640
the new covenant which takes it
into the new, the new era if you

594
00:32:16,640 –> 00:32:19,640
like, and David’s covenant.
Although in Second Samuel 7 the

595
00:32:19,640 –> 00:32:23,520
term everlasting is not there
particularly the word forever is

596
00:32:23,520 –> 00:32:26,080
though in in other words that
have a similar idea.

597
00:32:26,360 –> 00:32:29,960
But Isaiah 50 five talks about
David’s covenant being an

598
00:32:29,960 –> 00:32:32,640
everlasting covenant.
So all these covenants are

599
00:32:32,720 –> 00:32:35,800
everlasting as they feed into if
you like, the the new covenant

600
00:32:35,800 –> 00:32:37,920
that we are through Christ under
right now.

601
00:32:38,200 –> 00:32:40,520
The only covenant that’s not
called an everlasting covenant

602
00:32:40,520 –> 00:32:44,200
of course is the Lord of Moses
the the the old the covenant

603
00:32:44,320 –> 00:32:46,600
under Moses or Hebrews calls it
the old covenant.

604
00:32:46,720 –> 00:32:49,680
The rest are everlasting.
They all will find their way

605
00:32:49,680 –> 00:32:52,720
through into the new covenant
and we get the Hebrews 13 which

606
00:32:52,720 –> 00:32:54,720
we’ve talked about already
through the blood of the

607
00:32:54,760 –> 00:32:58,440
everlasting covenant.
It’s the it’s the it’s the thing

608
00:32:58,440 –> 00:33:01,920
that we are in now.
It’s part of our relationship to

609
00:33:01,920 –> 00:33:04,440
God.
Now it’s interesting, you

610
00:33:04,440 –> 00:33:09,560
remember how how conditional the
old covenant was, all those if

611
00:33:09,560 –> 00:33:15,240
then else conditional clauses
that were there, all these other

612
00:33:15,240 –> 00:33:18,600
covenants are not conditional in
the sense that you don’t fall in

613
00:33:18,600 –> 00:33:20,600
and out, in the sense of
covenant.

614
00:33:20,600 –> 00:33:22,360
You don’t.
You don’t start off in the

615
00:33:22,360 –> 00:33:24,400
covenant then end up out and
then come back in again and pop

616
00:33:24,400 –> 00:33:26,160
in, pop out.
They that once you are in these

617
00:33:26,160 –> 00:33:29,960
covenants, they are there for
for God has set them in motion

618
00:33:29,960 –> 00:33:31,800
and his covenant people are in
them.

619
00:33:32,400 –> 00:33:34,040
The covenant to Noah for
example.

620
00:33:34,200 –> 00:33:36,720
There’s no conditions.
God says this is it.

621
00:33:36,720 –> 00:33:38,040
I’m not going to destroy the
world again.

622
00:33:38,040 –> 00:33:40,440
He doesn’t say.
If you don’t do this, it’s like

623
00:33:40,840 –> 00:33:44,120
I’ve already destroyed it
because of wickedness and man’s

624
00:33:44,120 –> 00:33:46,400
heart still evil continually.
I’m not going to destroy it

625
00:33:46,400 –> 00:33:48,880
again and and that covenant’s
not a conditional covenant.

626
00:33:48,880 –> 00:33:51,880
It’s what God has deemed to do
the Abrahamic covenant.

627
00:33:53,800 –> 00:33:54,920
We’ll look at Romans 4 in a
minute.

628
00:33:54,920 –> 00:33:58,960
But it again is not conditional.
It’s it’s in the sense that it’s

629
00:33:59,040 –> 00:34:01,360
it’s given to us by God.
It’s a gift that we have from

630
00:34:01,360 –> 00:34:05,680
God.
Don’t confuse conditions with be

631
00:34:05,960 –> 00:34:09,000
accessing the covenant.
We need to respond in faith and

632
00:34:09,000 –> 00:34:10,800
be baptized, etcetera, be part
of the covenant.

633
00:34:11,040 –> 00:34:14,120
But the covenant itself, we do
not fall in and out of it in

634
00:34:14,120 –> 00:34:17,440
that in that sense as you could
have and Israel did under the

635
00:34:17,440 –> 00:34:19,480
old covenant that would.
You know all those Sunday school

636
00:34:19,480 –> 00:34:22,440
stories about sin, suffering,
supplication, and what are the

637
00:34:22,440 –> 00:34:25,600
other S was and all that exiles
out of the land and then returns

638
00:34:25,600 –> 00:34:28,679
are all indication of the the
fact that under the old covenant

639
00:34:28,679 –> 00:34:31,080
you fell out of it and then you
had to find your way back in.

640
00:34:31,239 –> 00:34:34,719
We are in Christ.
We are in the New Covenant in a

641
00:34:34,719 –> 00:34:39,440
far more permanent sense.
And this covenant is not

642
00:34:39,440 –> 00:34:43,239
conditional in that sense.
There’s a there’s a recital of

643
00:34:43,239 –> 00:34:45,480
the New Covenant.
It’s a little bit different, but

644
00:34:45,639 –> 00:34:47,960
it’s similar.
And you’ll see the similarity

645
00:34:47,960 –> 00:34:51,280
straight away in Ezekiel 36 and
look at the language here.

646
00:34:51,280 –> 00:34:55,520
I’ll give you a new heart, same
as Jeremiah 31, a new spirit.

647
00:34:55,520 –> 00:34:59,240
I’ll put in you exactly the same
as again I’ll remove the heart

648
00:34:59,240 –> 00:35:02,440
of stone, same idea from your
flesh, give you a heart of

649
00:35:02,440 –> 00:35:05,120
flesh.
I’ll put my spirit within you so

650
00:35:05,120 –> 00:35:07,480
you can see the internal nature
of the New Covenant.

651
00:35:08,720 –> 00:35:11,160
The old covenant had all these
blessings and conditions about

652
00:35:11,360 –> 00:35:16,400
crops and put into flight the
enemies of of Israel.

653
00:35:16,400 –> 00:35:19,960
One man chasing 1000 and your
crops being very productive and

654
00:35:20,280 –> 00:35:23,960
all these all these conditional
blessings, physical blessings.

655
00:35:23,960 –> 00:35:26,360
The new covenant’s about the
inner man it’s it’s it’s

656
00:35:26,360 –> 00:35:27,960
internal.
I’m going to put my spirit

657
00:35:27,960 –> 00:35:32,480
within you and of course you
walk in my statutes and be

658
00:35:32,480 –> 00:35:35,080
careful to obey my rules.
Now, interestingly enough,

659
00:35:35,080 –> 00:35:39,200
obedience is still there.
But it’s taken us a little while

660
00:35:39,200 –> 00:35:40,880
in that verse to get to
obedience, isn’t it?

661
00:35:40,960 –> 00:35:44,360
So obedience isn’t the condition
that leads us into it.

662
00:35:44,520 –> 00:35:47,280
It’s a result of something that
happens within this new

663
00:35:47,280 –> 00:35:50,040
covenant.
Obedience is still part of it,

664
00:35:50,720 –> 00:35:53,480
but not the condition that makes
it makes the relationship

665
00:35:53,480 –> 00:35:56,120
happen.
And you, You’ll dwell in the

666
00:35:56,120 –> 00:35:57,840
land I gave your father’s.
You shall be my people.

667
00:35:57,840 –> 00:36:01,000
There’s a covenant recital.
You should be my people and I’ll

668
00:36:01,000 –> 00:36:03,960
be your God.
So notice the internal nature of

669
00:36:04,240 –> 00:36:07,000
of the New Covenant.
And here I’ve just taken it from

670
00:36:07,000 –> 00:36:11,840
the NIV verse 27 of Ezekiel 36
And I just want you to focus on

671
00:36:12,880 –> 00:36:16,360
God’s involvement under the new
covenant.

672
00:36:16,800 –> 00:36:19,200
Remember, the old covenant was
very much up to you.

673
00:36:20,200 –> 00:36:24,320
God was there offering things,
but it was all but you must

674
00:36:24,320 –> 00:36:27,280
obey, you must do, you must walk
before.

675
00:36:27,280 –> 00:36:30,320
If you want me to be your God
and to be my people, this is

676
00:36:30,400 –> 00:36:35,000
this is the the focus is
different now, he says.

677
00:36:35,080 –> 00:36:39,840
I will put my spirit within you
and I will cause you.

678
00:36:39,880 –> 00:36:43,800
The NIV has moved you.
Something God’s going to do is

679
00:36:43,800 –> 00:36:46,160
going to cause you or move you
to obey.

680
00:36:47,120 –> 00:36:51,280
You’re not obeying as the first
base to get into the

681
00:36:51,280 –> 00:36:53,960
relationship.
The obedience is coming as a

682
00:36:53,960 –> 00:36:56,600
result of the relationship.
Something God’s doing in your

683
00:36:56,600 –> 00:37:01,520
life or for you personally
generates moves you, causes you

684
00:37:01,520 –> 00:37:03,720
to obey.
And that’s the power of the New

685
00:37:03,720 –> 00:37:06,160
Covenant.
And I will give you a new heart.

686
00:37:06,920 –> 00:37:08,400
I just put I just because it
come out on there.

687
00:37:08,880 –> 00:37:11,080
I just put.
I just highlighted the word I in

688
00:37:11,080 –> 00:37:13,400
red just to tell you this is
Yahweh speaking.

689
00:37:14,160 –> 00:37:16,880
I will put my laws in their
minds.

690
00:37:17,840 –> 00:37:20,200
That’s from Hebrews 8 quoting
Jeremiah 31.

691
00:37:20,560 –> 00:37:22,640
Ezekiel 36.
I will give you a new heart.

692
00:37:22,760 –> 00:37:25,440
I will put a new spirit in you.
I will remove your heart of

693
00:37:25,440 –> 00:37:26,960
stone.
I will put my spirit within you

694
00:37:26,960 –> 00:37:28,800
and cause you to cause you to
walk in my statue.

695
00:37:28,800 –> 00:37:30,680
I will cause you to walk in my
statutes.

696
00:37:31,160 –> 00:37:33,920
So not putting them out there.
You must walk in my statues if

697
00:37:33,920 –> 00:37:37,240
you want anything to do with me.
It says under this New covenant

698
00:37:37,240 –> 00:37:39,280
I will cause you.
I will move you.

699
00:37:39,480 –> 00:37:44,080
I will motivate you to obey me
and to to walk in my ways.

700
00:37:46,080 –> 00:37:49,920
I just want to talk quickly
about the idea of the the

701
00:37:49,920 –> 00:37:51,880
mechanism here that makes this
possible.

702
00:37:51,880 –> 00:37:55,360
I think it explains the power of
the New Covenant is the idea of

703
00:37:55,760 –> 00:38:02,440
deemed or imputed righteousness.
I I remember once there was a

704
00:38:02,520 –> 00:38:05,840
there was a there was many years
ago back 1520 years ago I was a

705
00:38:05,840 –> 00:38:09,000
brother he was going through a
really tough time and he was

706
00:38:09,000 –> 00:38:12,880
going to move up the NT and and
he and he was in tears and God,

707
00:38:13,120 –> 00:38:14,520
I’m I’m useless.
I’m hopeless.

708
00:38:14,520 –> 00:38:18,280
I can’t I sin and I God would
not be interesting me and he’s

709
00:38:18,280 –> 00:38:23,120
just he was totally depressed
and I was trying to encourage

710
00:38:23,120 –> 00:38:27,400
him and he says I do all these
stupid things and I sin and how

711
00:38:27,400 –> 00:38:29,120
what would God even be slightly
interesting me.

712
00:38:29,520 –> 00:38:31,440
And I was, I remember trying to
encourage him.

713
00:38:31,440 –> 00:38:35,720
And I said, oh, but remember,
we’re deemed, because I picked

714
00:38:35,720 –> 00:38:37,480
up this word before we’re deemed
righteous.

715
00:38:38,120 –> 00:38:39,240
You know, you don’t have to be
right.

716
00:38:39,240 –> 00:38:41,360
You’re deemed righteous.
He sort of looked at me through

717
00:38:41,360 –> 00:38:43,800
his tears and smiled like, are
you off your rocker?

718
00:38:43,800 –> 00:38:47,040
Like, and I I wasn’t convinced
enough either to really push it

719
00:38:47,040 –> 00:38:49,000
because it’s like, oh, yeah,
that sounds a bit weird.

720
00:38:49,000 –> 00:38:50,480
Like, what does that?
What’s that all about?

721
00:38:50,920 –> 00:38:55,680
And And it was hard to to make
that brother see that there’s

722
00:38:55,680 –> 00:38:59,160
some power here because it was
sort of a weird concept and I

723
00:38:59,160 –> 00:39:01,520
couldn’t really define it or
articulate it properly.

724
00:39:01,520 –> 00:39:05,440
And it never quite resonated
with him in that sense.

725
00:39:06,280 –> 00:39:09,800
But it is really the underlying
power of the new covenant.

726
00:39:09,920 –> 00:39:13,000
God’s going to cause you.
How does he do that?

727
00:39:13,440 –> 00:39:17,040
It’s this idea of imputed
righteousness or deemed similar

728
00:39:17,040 –> 00:39:19,200
sort of word.
These words are accounting

729
00:39:19,200 –> 00:39:20,760
words, actually.
If you want to get really

730
00:39:20,760 –> 00:39:24,000
boring, those on a pension will
know that they can.

731
00:39:24,000 –> 00:39:26,520
You can have your income, you
can have your assets deemed to

732
00:39:26,520 –> 00:39:28,840
be generated income.
This is the point of it.

733
00:39:28,840 –> 00:39:33,000
Deeming is something that’s not
real and literal is deemed to be

734
00:39:33,000 –> 00:39:35,800
real.
So any of the pensioners here

735
00:39:35,800 –> 00:39:38,080
will know if they’ve got, they
have an assets test that says

736
00:39:38,080 –> 00:39:41,080
how much pension they get and
they have an income test.

737
00:39:41,600 –> 00:39:44,720
Now the income test, the more
income they have, the less

738
00:39:44,720 –> 00:39:46,280
pension they get.
So the pensioner could say,

739
00:39:46,280 –> 00:39:48,960
well, I’m going to fix that.
I’m going to convert all my

740
00:39:48,960 –> 00:39:51,960
money into diamonds and just
keep it in a safe.

741
00:39:52,360 –> 00:39:54,640
And it’s not generating income.
It’s getting just capital

742
00:39:54,640 –> 00:39:57,120
growth, but there’s no income.
And therefore I get the full

743
00:39:57,120 –> 00:40:00,040
pension and I don’t lose any.
And the government goes, no, no,

744
00:40:00,040 –> 00:40:01,480
no, no, no, no, no.
No.

745
00:40:01,520 –> 00:40:03,480
We’re deeming.
You’ve got you’ve got $1,000,000

746
00:40:03,480 –> 00:40:05,480
of diamonds.
We’re deeming you.

747
00:40:05,480 –> 00:40:07,160
And every year they put out a
deeming rate.

748
00:40:07,360 –> 00:40:09,080
We’re deeming you to earn 3%
interest.

749
00:40:09,080 –> 00:40:10,520
But I didn’t earn any interest.
We’re deeming you.

750
00:40:10,520 –> 00:40:12,320
But that’s that’s not true.
But we’re deeming you.

751
00:40:12,320 –> 00:40:15,160
But it does.
That’s not literally true, but

752
00:40:15,160 –> 00:40:16,680
it has real life effects,
doesn’t it?

753
00:40:16,720 –> 00:40:20,120
That pensioner, his pension
disappears and he goes hungry.

754
00:40:21,440 –> 00:40:24,960
It has real effects.
Deeming is, it’s not real.

755
00:40:25,920 –> 00:40:30,080
But the power that the
government has gives that really

756
00:40:30,080 –> 00:40:34,400
incredible negative effects.
And so deeming is a is a

757
00:40:34,400 –> 00:40:39,960
powerful concept if the power
who is deeming is powerful and

758
00:40:39,960 –> 00:40:45,480
has the power to do it.
There’s other examples what

759
00:40:45,480 –> 00:40:48,440
we’re running out of time.
So the word comes.

760
00:40:48,520 –> 00:40:55,200
The word is really listed a few
times here in Romans 4 in a very

761
00:40:55,200 –> 00:40:59,120
famous chapter of Romans 4,
saying that Abraham believed God

762
00:40:59,800 –> 00:41:02,160
and as a result of his faith
wasn’t anything he did.

763
00:41:02,160 –> 00:41:07,720
It was his faith that on the
basis of that faith, God deemed

764
00:41:07,720 –> 00:41:10,720
him on the I’ve got the new King
James saying it counted him.

765
00:41:11,320 –> 00:41:14,200
And the next verse says counted.
Verse five says it was counted

766
00:41:14,200 –> 00:41:16,960
him for righteousness.
And verse six says imputed,

767
00:41:17,360 –> 00:41:20,440
which is the word we sort of
pick up on a news imputed to

768
00:41:20,440 –> 00:41:22,920
him.
God imputed righteousness to him

769
00:41:23,280 –> 00:41:25,280
and all the benefits of being
righteous.

770
00:41:26,000 –> 00:41:28,560
And it’s real.
It’s absolutely real and it’s

771
00:41:28,560 –> 00:41:31,920
powerful because God has the
power to do that through the

772
00:41:31,920 –> 00:41:35,120
Lord Jesus Christ.
So Thayer’s definition of that

773
00:41:35,120 –> 00:41:38,120
word is highlighted, deem and
impute from Strong’s.

774
00:41:38,560 –> 00:41:40,160
It’s got it.
It’s something that’s not

775
00:41:40,160 –> 00:41:41,760
literally real and literally
true.

776
00:41:41,760 –> 00:41:43,440
Like Darren, he’s not literally
righteous.

777
00:41:43,440 –> 00:41:45,760
I can assure you.
I know you, you’ll go, what?

778
00:41:45,760 –> 00:41:49,680
That’s not true, but it’s not.
But God deems me to be

779
00:41:49,680 –> 00:41:52,640
righteous, and all the benefits
accrue to me of being righteous,

780
00:41:53,280 –> 00:41:55,680
which also, which as Hebrews 10,
we’ll get to in a moment.

781
00:41:55,680 –> 00:41:58,120
We’ll get not tonight.
We’ll get to another night, says

782
00:41:58,120 –> 00:41:59,720
I can have boldness in the
presence of God.

783
00:41:59,720 –> 00:42:02,360
I can have euphoria in the
presence of God.

784
00:42:02,360 –> 00:42:04,400
I can have no shame in the
presence of God.

785
00:42:04,400 –> 00:42:06,880
My conscience can be purely
clear in the presence of God

786
00:42:07,480 –> 00:42:10,120
because he deems me righteous.
He deems me perfect.

787
00:42:10,440 –> 00:42:14,040
It’s not theory, brothers and
sisters, until it’s got to move

788
00:42:14,040 –> 00:42:17,080
from theory into reality for the
power of it to work.

789
00:42:17,360 –> 00:42:24,880
And that’s our that’s our job to
do one more example I just this

790
00:42:24,880 –> 00:42:26,760
is really important to get
deeming worked out.

791
00:42:26,800 –> 00:42:34,480
So OK, Michael wake up then he
was asleep there on the very

792
00:42:34,480 –> 00:42:35,760
minute.
All of a sudden he’s away.

793
00:42:39,320 –> 00:42:41,080
This is a bit of paper, right
with a bit of ink on it.

794
00:42:42,680 –> 00:42:45,800
I did a quick calc, thinking of,
you know, amortizing floor space

795
00:42:45,800 –> 00:42:51,520
and and and and other overheads
and the and the amount of income

796
00:42:51,520 –> 00:42:53,760
of using.
It’d be lucky to be worth $0.03.

797
00:42:53,760 –> 00:42:55,880
That’d be lucky to be worth
$0.03 worth of paper.

798
00:42:56,160 –> 00:42:58,600
If it wasn’t a $50 note and I
dropped it, I wouldn’t pick it

799
00:42:58,600 –> 00:43:01,680
up at all.
I would responsibly put it into

800
00:43:02,040 –> 00:43:04,680
a receptacle, but.
But I would not value it in any

801
00:43:04,680 –> 00:43:05,440
way.
It’s not worth.

802
00:43:05,480 –> 00:43:06,960
It’s a bit of paper, is that
right?

803
00:43:06,960 –> 00:43:08,480
It’s just a bit of paper, isn’t
it?

804
00:43:09,120 –> 00:43:10,640
Rip it up.
It’s just a bit of paper.

805
00:43:12,880 –> 00:43:17,080
Our government, because of its
power, has deemed that bit of

806
00:43:17,080 –> 00:43:19,720
paper.
It’d be worth 50 Australian

807
00:43:19,720 –> 00:43:22,880
dollars.
Does that have real life

808
00:43:22,880 –> 00:43:23,760
effects?
Is that true?

809
00:43:23,760 –> 00:43:26,120
Is that powerful?
Does that have buying power?

810
00:43:26,920 –> 00:43:30,720
Could I go to Kohl’s and buy?
What do you get from Kohl’s?

811
00:43:30,720 –> 00:43:34,320
You know, like stuff like like
washing up detergent and things

812
00:43:34,320 –> 00:43:39,480
and and things and groceries.
Could I get, do I get a coffee

813
00:43:39,480 –> 00:43:41,640
shop and buy?
Could I get a pizza, pizza shop

814
00:43:41,640 –> 00:43:44,280
and buy a pizza with that?
Probably not in Sydney, but up

815
00:43:44,280 –> 00:43:45,520
my way.
You can probably just squeeze

816
00:43:45,520 –> 00:43:48,960
the pizza in.
That has real power, doesn’t it?

817
00:43:48,960 –> 00:43:52,960
That has real power, but it’s a
3 cent bit of paper because the

818
00:43:53,080 –> 00:43:57,040
government has deemed it such.
So deeming is real and powerful

819
00:43:57,240 –> 00:44:01,320
and has very real effects.
It’s not just theory if the

820
00:44:01,320 –> 00:44:05,320
deeming authority has the power
or has the ability to do that.

821
00:44:06,240 –> 00:44:08,840
So deeming is very real and very
powerful.

822
00:44:11,880 –> 00:44:16,920
However, let’s say some tin pot
dictator in Africa, somewhere in

823
00:44:16,920 –> 00:44:21,360
some little African state, makes
up his own, makes up his own

824
00:44:21,360 –> 00:44:27,160
currency, gets a bit of paper.
And he says, I got to make this

825
00:44:27,200 –> 00:44:31,640
a 10 billion dollar, $10 billion
currency.

826
00:44:32,160 –> 00:44:34,480
I’m going to deem, I’m going to
deem that to be worth 10

827
00:44:34,480 –> 00:44:38,400
billion, $10 billion, OK, so he
says that’s a $10 billion piece

828
00:44:38,440 –> 00:44:41,280
of Now is that does that deeming
effective?

829
00:44:41,280 –> 00:44:43,080
Does that work?
That’s nonsense.

830
00:44:43,160 –> 00:44:45,480
That deeming doesn’t work
because he doesn’t have the

831
00:44:45,480 –> 00:44:48,560
ability to underwrite that.
That he doesn’t have an economy

832
00:44:48,560 –> 00:44:50,120
that can underwrite $10 billion.
So.

833
00:44:50,560 –> 00:44:54,000
So Demi isn’t Demi is not
literal and not not literally

834
00:44:54,000 –> 00:44:58,520
true, but where the authority,
the demon authority has the

835
00:44:58,520 –> 00:45:00,480
power, it is very true and very
real.

836
00:45:00,920 –> 00:45:04,240
And where they don’t have the
power, it is not true at all.

837
00:45:04,240 –> 00:45:08,440
So our notes are actually
underwritten.

838
00:45:08,440 –> 00:45:12,000
And in the old days, before the
World War One, there was a thing

839
00:45:12,000 –> 00:45:13,760
called the gold standard, if you
remember that.

840
00:45:13,760 –> 00:45:16,680
So anyone heard of Fort Knox,
say all the gold people say the

841
00:45:16,680 –> 00:45:19,240
gold.
Now the government would hold a

842
00:45:19,240 –> 00:45:22,920
certain ratio of of actual
bullion, gold bullion in Fort

843
00:45:22,920 –> 00:45:26,400
Knox. the US government and
issued currency, they’d given up

844
00:45:26,400 –> 00:45:27,680
on that, don’t worry about that
anymore.

845
00:45:27,680 –> 00:45:30,000
But that was that was before
World War One that had this gold

846
00:45:30,000 –> 00:45:32,440
standard.
And so the currency, although

847
00:45:32,440 –> 00:45:36,440
it’s a bit of paper worth three
cents, it was underwritten by

848
00:45:36,520 –> 00:45:39,000
this gold bullion that was kept
at Fort Knox.

849
00:45:39,000 –> 00:45:46,120
It was a real underwritten, you
could say a surety or some sort

850
00:45:46,120 –> 00:45:49,480
of guarantee that was physically
there behind the scenes.

851
00:45:49,840 –> 00:45:53,960
That mean I could walk around
Manhattan or you know somewhere

852
00:45:53,960 –> 00:45:57,800
in New York and I could get
money for my USI could get goods

853
00:45:57,800 –> 00:46:00,880
and services, my U.S. dollar.
Since World War One, there’s a

854
00:46:01,640 –> 00:46:03,520
new scheme called the Fiat
scheme and it’s based on the

855
00:46:03,560 –> 00:46:06,520
underlying value of the economy
and the interest rates and

856
00:46:06,520 –> 00:46:08,640
inflation, all the all those
sorts of things.

857
00:46:08,640 –> 00:46:10,960
But it still is based on the
power of the economy.

858
00:46:10,960 –> 00:46:15,040
As I said, that dictator could
come up with a $10 million note

859
00:46:15,040 –> 00:46:20,040
and it’s not worth to Bob.
So you can see how there’s faith

860
00:46:20,040 –> 00:46:23,640
involved here, isn’t there?
Because we are acknowledging

861
00:46:23,640 –> 00:46:26,120
through faith the power of the
authority.

862
00:46:26,120 –> 00:46:30,120
Who says I will deem you?
I deemed Abraham righteous, And

863
00:46:30,120 –> 00:46:33,920
those that are Abraham’s through
faith and baptized into through

864
00:46:33,920 –> 00:46:37,840
a baptized into Christ, I will
deem them righteous as well.

865
00:46:37,840 –> 00:46:40,360
And we go, I don’t think you
can.

866
00:46:40,360 –> 00:46:42,000
I don’t think you.
I don’t think you got the power

867
00:46:42,000 –> 00:46:45,760
to do it because I’m really not
that good like my friend I’ve

868
00:46:46,280 –> 00:46:52,600
been Darwin.
So it’s it’s a faith in the

869
00:46:52,600 –> 00:46:56,680
power of God that he can do that
and he does that righteously

870
00:46:56,680 –> 00:46:59,800
which means he does it not just
as a he’s not just winking at

871
00:46:59,800 –> 00:47:01,760
seeing he does it through
something.

872
00:47:02,000 –> 00:47:05,920
And just like this gold is the
surety or the, the guarantee

873
00:47:05,920 –> 00:47:10,560
underwriting, underwriting the
in the old days, underwriting

874
00:47:10,560 –> 00:47:11,800
the notes and the value of the
notes.

875
00:47:12,400 –> 00:47:15,720
So there is something in the new
covenant which is called the

876
00:47:15,720 –> 00:47:17,640
blood of the Christ, the blood
of the new covenant.

877
00:47:17,640 –> 00:47:20,880
There’s something about Christ
that he’s sacrificed that acts

878
00:47:20,880 –> 00:47:24,440
as an underwriting power
underwriting value if you like,

879
00:47:25,280 –> 00:47:27,920
that allows Darren, because of
my connection with the Lord

880
00:47:27,920 –> 00:47:30,960
Jesus Christ to be deemed to be
righteous.

881
00:47:31,800 –> 00:47:32,920
Hope I haven’t butchered that
too much.

882
00:47:32,920 –> 00:47:35,640
And I hope it’s coming through a
little bit, because it really is

883
00:47:35,640 –> 00:47:39,200
the power upon which the New
Covenant works and the

884
00:47:39,200 –> 00:47:41,440
forgiveness of sins and the
imputation of sins.

885
00:47:41,840 –> 00:47:44,040
God says I’m not holding sins
against them anymore.

886
00:47:44,240 –> 00:47:47,360
In fact, I’ve perfected them.
It says in Hebrews perfected

887
00:47:47,360 –> 00:47:49,760
forever.
These people that are in Christ

888
00:47:49,760 –> 00:47:53,880
because of Christ because he he
is perfect, but he became

889
00:47:53,880 –> 00:47:56,680
perfect through suffering.
We are imputed perfect because

890
00:47:56,680 –> 00:47:58,920
of our connection with him.
Anyway, I better rush.

891
00:47:58,960 –> 00:48:02,560
We’re just about finished.
So if we break break the New

892
00:48:02,560 –> 00:48:07,240
Covenant down into its into its
components, this first one here

893
00:48:07,240 –> 00:48:09,920
is really the the driving power
of the New Covenant.

894
00:48:09,920 –> 00:48:12,040
It’s the, it’s the engine I
think that makes it work.

895
00:48:12,720 –> 00:48:15,480
It’s the new covenant says I’ll
remember their sins no more.

896
00:48:16,240 –> 00:48:19,240
And God says in Ezekiel 36 I’ll
deliver you from an uncleanness,

897
00:48:19,240 –> 00:48:20,520
I’ll cleanse you from your
iniquity.

898
00:48:20,520 –> 00:48:24,480
So that’s the underlying power
that makes the New covenant work

899
00:48:25,040 –> 00:48:28,800
as opposed to that old Covenant
that made you achieve that God

900
00:48:28,800 –> 00:48:31,640
saying no, I’m going to forgive
you your sins and not hold sin

901
00:48:31,640 –> 00:48:35,840
against you.
And there the result of that if

902
00:48:35,920 –> 00:48:39,560
believed and loved and
emotionally taken into your

903
00:48:39,560 –> 00:48:43,560
heart and mind and and responded
to develops this internal

904
00:48:43,560 –> 00:48:47,080
transformation.
And that’s what the New Covenant

905
00:48:47,080 –> 00:48:50,760
means when it says, I’ll put my
law into their hearts.

906
00:48:50,760 –> 00:48:53,280
Remember that quote we looked at
in Corinthians as not written on

907
00:48:53,280 –> 00:48:56,840
stone, but it’s in it’s a living
letter written in the in the in

908
00:48:56,840 –> 00:48:58,760
your heart.
It’s something that changes your

909
00:48:59,400 –> 00:49:02,120
your desires and your affection
and what you think is important

910
00:49:02,120 –> 00:49:03,640
and what you’re going to devote
your life to.

911
00:49:03,640 –> 00:49:06,800
It’s it’s a response to the fact
that you’ve got this incredible

912
00:49:06,800 –> 00:49:10,680
gift and God has given you a new
heart and a new spirit that

913
00:49:10,680 –> 00:49:14,360
comes as a result of that, that
amazing gift from God.

914
00:49:15,080 –> 00:49:19,320
And then it develops this, this
intimacy where we all know God

915
00:49:19,320 –> 00:49:22,640
individually.
All of us Israel had priests and

916
00:49:22,640 –> 00:49:24,680
prophets and all these
intermediaries.

917
00:49:24,680 –> 00:49:27,440
We are all connected to God
through the power of the New

918
00:49:27,440 –> 00:49:30,880
Covenant.
So here’s the power of deeming

919
00:49:31,200 –> 00:49:33,960
in its outworking.
God deems us righteous.

920
00:49:34,840 –> 00:49:39,040
We respond.
He’s just a quick diagram.

921
00:49:39,240 –> 00:49:43,800
We respond with gratitude to the
to what God’s given us through

922
00:49:43,800 –> 00:49:46,120
Christ.
And that response generates in

923
00:49:46,120 –> 00:49:49,640
us this new spirit and this new
heart and makes us just thank

924
00:49:49,640 –> 00:49:52,240
God from literally the bottom of
our hearts.

925
00:49:52,240 –> 00:49:55,400
If you want to use that, because
it’s the terminology here in in

926
00:49:55,400 –> 00:49:57,440
the New Covenant, it’s heart,
heart, heart all the way

927
00:49:57,440 –> 00:49:59,880
through.
So why is it so powerful?

928
00:49:59,880 –> 00:50:01,960
Just a few points.
We’ve got about 5 minutes before

929
00:50:01,960 –> 00:50:06,120
we finish up.
Why is it so much more powerful

930
00:50:06,120 –> 00:50:09,440
than the Old Covenant?
Think about the Old Covenant for

931
00:50:09,440 –> 00:50:10,920
a minute.
The Old Covenant started with

932
00:50:10,920 –> 00:50:13,520
Abraham.
So Abraham was the one in the

933
00:50:13,520 –> 00:50:18,600
relationship with God and
Abraham’s genealogical

934
00:50:18,600 –> 00:50:22,920
descendants were offered to be
to have access to this covenant

935
00:50:23,200 –> 00:50:25,720
and there was a sign that would
give them connection to it.

936
00:50:26,160 –> 00:50:29,240
But it was a was part Jew and
virtue to the fact that they

937
00:50:29,240 –> 00:50:30,800
were descendants of that of
Abraham.

938
00:50:30,800 –> 00:50:35,400
So they they would circumcise
their their sons as a sign of

939
00:50:35,400 –> 00:50:37,440
that covenant.
You see it’s all related to

940
00:50:37,440 –> 00:50:43,320
reproduction processes isn’t so.
So people under the old covenant

941
00:50:44,480 –> 00:50:48,040
we’re really connected to
Abraham who was the friend of

942
00:50:48,040 –> 00:50:52,280
God, who was The Who connected
to God in in a covenant in the

943
00:50:52,400 –> 00:50:54,000
that we call it the Abrahamic
covenant.

944
00:50:54,320 –> 00:50:59,120
And so there was this.
The connection was distributed,

945
00:50:59,120 –> 00:51:00,800
wasn’t it?
Through through the population,

946
00:51:00,800 –> 00:51:05,920
through through genealogical
connection, and within that

947
00:51:06,080 –> 00:51:10,120
grouping of people that came
from Abraham I’ve just

948
00:51:10,120 –> 00:51:11,880
highlighted in blue.
If you like, there were people

949
00:51:11,880 –> 00:51:14,400
that were faithful to the terms
of the covenant, or attempted to

950
00:51:14,400 –> 00:51:17,040
be faithful to that covenant.
There were others who rejected

951
00:51:17,040 –> 00:51:19,880
it, even though they were all
natural descendants of Abraham.

952
00:51:20,520 –> 00:51:22,720
And so we have something under
the Old Covenant called the

953
00:51:22,720 –> 00:51:27,040
Remnant and the remnant of those
who are faithful to the

954
00:51:27,040 –> 00:51:32,240
covenant, even though everyone
in Israel was part of that

955
00:51:32,240 –> 00:51:36,000
covenant, through the natural
reproduction process, there was

956
00:51:36,000 –> 00:51:37,760
a remnant who were faithful to
the covenant.

957
00:51:38,720 –> 00:51:40,400
Now that’s old covenant
terminology.

958
00:51:40,400 –> 00:51:43,520
You see sometimes how we slip
into using old covenant

959
00:51:43,520 –> 00:51:47,320
terminology when we’re trying to
explain our connection to God

960
00:51:47,320 –> 00:51:49,720
under the new covenant.
The new Covenant is

961
00:51:50,320 –> 00:51:54,280
significantly different.
We all of us as individuals are

962
00:51:54,280 –> 00:51:58,400
in Christ and under the new
covenant we have the connection

963
00:51:58,400 –> 00:52:02,800
to God under this new covenant.
And the ritual, if you like, is

964
00:52:02,800 –> 00:52:05,680
baptism.
It’s the it’s the token that we

965
00:52:05,880 –> 00:52:08,560
we undertake.
And at baptism God says you are

966
00:52:08,560 –> 00:52:12,800
my people and I am your God and
and the relationships made.

967
00:52:12,800 –> 00:52:16,160
But it’s done because we are and
it works because we are in

968
00:52:16,160 –> 00:52:19,560
Christ and connected through
Christ to God in that way but

969
00:52:19,560 –> 00:52:25,680
directly to Christ and in any
relationship to God and added to

970
00:52:25,680 –> 00:52:29,240
the new covenant is the is the
whole concept of sonship.

971
00:52:29,680 –> 00:52:33,480
We are now children we’re we’re
adopted.

972
00:52:33,480 –> 00:52:35,840
If you want to use the the
phrase from you know Ephesians

973
00:52:35,840 –> 00:52:38,680
one and Romans 8 etcetera in
Galatians 4 that talks about the

974
00:52:38,760 –> 00:52:40,520
spirit of adoption the power of
adoption.

975
00:52:41,760 –> 00:52:46,240
We are we are we are now in
Christ as a as children and

976
00:52:46,240 –> 00:52:48,080
children is a whole different
ball game.

977
00:52:48,080 –> 00:52:51,400
It really helps explain both the
power of the new covenant, but

978
00:52:51,400 –> 00:52:53,520
also the presence.
When we get to trying to put the

979
00:52:53,520 –> 00:52:57,920
practical side together, We are
children connected to a father.

980
00:52:58,720 –> 00:53:00,240
And that changes everything,
doesn’t it?

981
00:53:00,720 –> 00:53:03,040
Because you don’t.
You have children.

982
00:53:04,160 –> 00:53:07,080
Those of us who do, and they
they don’t always obey us.

983
00:53:07,320 –> 00:53:10,080
They drive us a bit crazy, but
they’re always our children.

984
00:53:10,080 –> 00:53:12,360
We always love them.
It’s not like I come home and

985
00:53:12,360 –> 00:53:15,080
say right, Phoebe, you’re no
longer my daughter.

986
00:53:15,080 –> 00:53:16,480
Get out of the house.
Go.

987
00:53:16,480 –> 00:53:19,640
And then 5 minutes later she
comes back in and she’s back

988
00:53:19,640 –> 00:53:20,320
again.
No, go.

989
00:53:20,320 –> 00:53:22,200
Get out of there.
She’s always my daughter, even

990
00:53:22,200 –> 00:53:24,920
if she’s doing things that I’m
not totally excited about.

991
00:53:25,120 –> 00:53:29,040
So once we get that idea that we
are God’s children as a

992
00:53:29,240 –> 00:53:32,840
consequence of this covenant,
and that’s how when we get to

993
00:53:32,840 –> 00:53:34,440
Revelation 21, we’re going to
see the language.

994
00:53:34,440 –> 00:53:37,960
It’s interesting that covenant
formula says I’ll be their God,

995
00:53:37,960 –> 00:53:41,280
they will be my children.
And the next verse says, and

996
00:53:41,280 –> 00:53:44,440
I’ll be a father unto them.
So it’s the fatherhood of God

997
00:53:44,440 –> 00:53:47,880
that comes into force under the
Under the New Covenant.

998
00:53:48,160 –> 00:53:51,840
Israel.
Israel as individuals were not

999
00:53:51,840 –> 00:53:54,400
sons of God in that same sense.
So we’re not born again.

1000
00:53:55,240 –> 00:53:58,000
They were a collective son,
though out of Egypt, I’ve called

1001
00:53:58,000 –> 00:54:01,560
my son, Hosea says.
So they were a collective son,

1002
00:54:02,000 –> 00:54:03,320
but they weren’t.
They didn’t have that

1003
00:54:03,320 –> 00:54:10,560
relationship to God like we do
in our relationship with God

1004
00:54:10,560 –> 00:54:13,520
Under the New Covenant.
OK, I’m going to flick through

1005
00:54:13,520 –> 00:54:14,560
this because we’re running out
of time.

1006
00:54:16,760 –> 00:54:20,240
Where do you look at that?
The New Covenant has a change of

1007
00:54:20,240 –> 00:54:22,240
mindset from the Old Covenant,
which is really powerful.

1008
00:54:22,240 –> 00:54:25,200
And as I said, sometimes a lot
of our language, even our views

1009
00:54:25,200 –> 00:54:29,240
of Providence, our our views of
how we got to keep God happy or

1010
00:54:29,440 –> 00:54:31,720
good things happening happening
to us because we’ve been good.

1011
00:54:31,720 –> 00:54:35,000
And all these these are old
covenant concepts that are

1012
00:54:35,000 –> 00:54:38,160
coming into our thinking and
we’re because we love the Old

1013
00:54:38,160 –> 00:54:39,680
Testament.
We love the stories of the Bible

1014
00:54:39,680 –> 00:54:43,000
and the ancient the Old
Testament and we bringing across

1015
00:54:43,000 –> 00:54:47,640
things that may not be relevant
in the new Covenant.

1016
00:54:47,760 –> 00:54:53,200
Remember every lesson you find
in the Old covenant has to be

1017
00:54:53,640 –> 00:54:58,080
has to be funneled through and
filtered by the new covenant or

1018
00:54:58,080 –> 00:55:00,920
the new commandment which
underlies the the new covenant

1019
00:55:01,320 –> 00:55:05,960
new commandment, the love one
another to turn the other cheek.

1020
00:55:06,000 –> 00:55:07,600
All all these concepts are new
covenant.

1021
00:55:07,600 –> 00:55:10,320
So you can’t just look at the
old covenant go well Elijah.

1022
00:55:10,320 –> 00:55:14,160
Elijah killed prophets of Baal
and spilt their blood.

1023
00:55:14,440 –> 00:55:17,040
Therefore I’m allowed to go
around beating people up.

1024
00:55:17,040 –> 00:55:19,760
And you’ve taken an old covenant
concept and under the New

1025
00:55:19,760 –> 00:55:23,000
covenant you esteem others
better than yourself And you.

1026
00:55:23,240 –> 00:55:27,680
You teach those who are who
disagree with with with humility

1027
00:55:27,680 –> 00:55:29,080
and gentleness trying to win
them over.

1028
00:55:29,080 –> 00:55:33,000
So all old covenant concepts
have to be funneled through and

1029
00:55:33,000 –> 00:55:34,680
filtered through the new
covenant mindset.

1030
00:55:35,080 –> 00:55:37,600
So Jesus in the Sermon on the
Mount makes his very clear.

1031
00:55:37,600 –> 00:55:41,160
He says you shall not murder.
That was what the Old Covenant

1032
00:55:41,440 –> 00:55:43,840
said and that’s what the and
it’s true.

1033
00:55:43,840 –> 00:55:45,960
There’s nothing wrong with that
Under the old covenant that was

1034
00:55:45,960 –> 00:55:48,320
you could not murder and the
teachers in Israel would

1035
00:55:48,480 –> 00:55:52,560
emphasize that but Jesus says no
I’m I’m adding another filter.

1036
00:55:52,560 –> 00:55:55,160
That new covenant filter says
you don’t even call someone a

1037
00:55:55,160 –> 00:55:58,520
fool you don’t even get angry
with someone you should not

1038
00:55:58,520 –> 00:56:00,040
commit adultery under the old
covenant.

1039
00:56:00,040 –> 00:56:02,440
Under the new covenant you don’t
even look lustfully at somebody.

1040
00:56:02,440 –> 00:56:06,560
It’s it’s a the genius of God is
that he’s lifting the lifting

1041
00:56:06,640 –> 00:56:10,520
our our objective.
He’s lifting us up to to to

1042
00:56:10,800 –> 00:56:14,760
great heights but at the same
time he’s he’s got the safety

1043
00:56:14,760 –> 00:56:18,400
net underneath us that we are
saved in his through his grace

1044
00:56:18,400 –> 00:56:23,400
we’re deemed through his mercy
and he’s declared righteous and

1045
00:56:23,400 –> 00:56:27,080
that has inspired us to reach
these these heights that he’s

1046
00:56:27,080 –> 00:56:29,520
calling us to.
Under the old covenant you

1047
00:56:29,520 –> 00:56:32,560
couldn’t swear falsely under the
new covenant just let every day

1048
00:56:32,560 –> 00:56:36,160
yes be yes be no be no don’t no
special occasions for telling

1049
00:56:36,160 –> 00:56:39,280
the truth.
An eye for an eye that was it’s

1050
00:56:39,280 –> 00:56:41,560
actually in the Bible and and
and it’s in the Old Testament.

1051
00:56:41,560 –> 00:56:44,000
You could quote it.
And Jesus says no resistance,

1052
00:56:44,000 –> 00:56:46,840
not evil turned the other cheek.
Love your neighbor.

1053
00:56:46,840 –> 00:56:48,040
Hate your enemy.
No.

1054
00:56:48,040 –> 00:56:50,240
Love your enemy.
Bless them that curse you, do

1055
00:56:50,240 –> 00:56:51,680
good to them and hate you.
Pray for them.

1056
00:56:51,720 –> 00:56:52,800
That’s spiteful.
Usual.

1057
00:56:52,800 –> 00:56:57,080
So God is called us.
Christ has called us on behalf

1058
00:56:57,080 –> 00:57:00,200
of God to a higher level of
obedience.

1059
00:57:00,200 –> 00:57:05,440
Ironically, ironically, it’s not
a high level of obedience to be

1060
00:57:05,440 –> 00:57:08,880
in a relationship with God.
It’s because of the gift of the

1061
00:57:08,880 –> 00:57:11,240
relationship with God, because
we are in his presence with

1062
00:57:11,240 –> 00:57:13,280
boldness and have no shame
before him.

1063
00:57:14,000 –> 00:57:17,920
Because of that, he’s calling us
to a higher behavioral response,

1064
00:57:17,920 –> 00:57:19,720
which is just powerful.
And I’m.

1065
00:57:19,760 –> 00:57:22,000
I feel I’m not getting it
across, as powerful as it really

1066
00:57:22,000 –> 00:57:23,680
is.
But hopefully you can take that

1067
00:57:23,680 –> 00:57:27,880
into your hearts and minds.
So here’s a new covenant ethic.

1068
00:57:27,880 –> 00:57:30,680
If you like the new commandment,
a new commandment I give to you

1069
00:57:30,680 –> 00:57:37,800
that you love one another and
notice this the syntax here as I

1070
00:57:37,800 –> 00:57:40,920
have loved you.
So under the new covenant Christ

1071
00:57:40,920 –> 00:57:44,480
has lived this out and all of a
sudden there’s a the new, you

1072
00:57:44,480 –> 00:57:46,440
know, the new.
We call it the new commandment,

1073
00:57:46,440 –> 00:57:50,160
but we know it was always seated
there under the old covenant.

1074
00:57:50,160 –> 00:57:54,800
But now Christ has lived it out.
And so he says love one another

1075
00:57:54,800 –> 00:57:57,400
as I have loved you.
And then he goes on the next

1076
00:57:57,400 –> 00:58:01,040
verse says, by this shall all
men know that you are my

1077
00:58:01,040 –> 00:58:04,520
disciples.
That’s a that’s huge, isn’t it?

1078
00:58:05,400 –> 00:58:07,120
Not by.
And I’m not saying that’s wrong,

1079
00:58:07,120 –> 00:58:10,080
not by your lectures and and all
that sort of stuff.

1080
00:58:10,160 –> 00:58:13,840
It’s by the fact that you love
one another and all those other

1081
00:58:13,840 –> 00:58:16,000
things are necessary.
But if they’re missing love, as

1082
00:58:16,000 –> 00:58:19,280
we know from First Corinthians,
studying everything else is not

1083
00:58:19,280 –> 00:58:23,040
worth anything in God’s sight.
So just a circumcision was a

1084
00:58:23,040 –> 00:58:25,800
sign of the old covenant.
Love is the power and the sign

1085
00:58:25,800 –> 00:58:29,520
of the new covenant.
So all the imperatives and

1086
00:58:29,520 –> 00:58:32,280
commandments in the new covenant
are all based on Jesus.

1087
00:58:32,280 –> 00:58:34,200
Walk like he walked.
Love as he loved.

1088
00:58:35,120 –> 00:58:36,880
Love your wife as Christ.
Love the ecclesia.

1089
00:58:36,880 –> 00:58:38,360
He follows with me as I’m of
Christ.

1090
00:58:38,440 –> 00:58:40,080
I’ve given you an example.
You love one another.

1091
00:58:40,080 –> 00:58:42,640
It’s all based on Christ.
This is a new covenant.

1092
00:58:42,640 –> 00:58:46,520
The blood of the new covenant is
a powerful dynamic force that

1093
00:58:46,720 –> 00:58:50,440
brings us to a point of
gratitude and thankfulness that

1094
00:58:50,440 –> 00:58:56,000
we are transformed and changed
to be people that reflect God to

1095
00:58:56,000 –> 00:59:00,280
be perfect as he is perfect
because we are perfect.

1096
00:59:00,800 –> 00:59:06,280
Think about that.
So he’s our road map.

1097
00:59:06,280 –> 00:59:09,320
We’ll just finish up with this
presence of God, these two

1098
00:59:09,320 –> 00:59:12,800
dimensions.
The relationship with God comes

1099
00:59:12,800 –> 00:59:14,480
about because of this new
covenant.

1100
00:59:15,000 –> 00:59:18,920
It’s a powerful thing that has
happened to us.

1101
00:59:18,920 –> 00:59:23,000
We are now in covenant with God,
the creator of the universe, and

1102
00:59:23,000 –> 00:59:25,400
it’s not conditional of us
keeping him happy all the time

1103
00:59:25,400 –> 00:59:26,880
and having to earn it and live
up to it.

1104
00:59:26,880 –> 00:59:29,920
There’s a virtue to the There’s
a virtue in the fact that we are

1105
00:59:29,920 –> 00:59:32,640
His children.
There’s a compassion, there’s a

1106
00:59:32,640 –> 00:59:37,000
chess, which is the the covenant
word in the old under the old

1107
00:59:37,000 –> 00:59:40,080
covenant, this chesed or this
love and kindness that God has

1108
00:59:40,240 –> 00:59:44,680
to his covenant people and we
are recipients of that chesed or

1109
00:59:44,680 –> 00:59:46,560
hesed or hesed or whatever you
want to say it.

1110
00:59:46,560 –> 00:59:51,360
So this is the power of the new
covenant that is lived out and

1111
00:59:51,360 –> 00:59:56,080
experienced by us now and then
we’ll look at the spatial side

1112
00:59:56,080 –> 00:59:57,600
of it.
God willing that our next class.