Everett Muniz – Be Ye Holy – Class 2 – The Way Of Holiness

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This is the 2015 Ontario Winter
Bible.

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School.
Our speaker for this first

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session is Brother Everett Muniz
from Paris Ave.

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Ohio.
His theme for this week is the

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Holy, the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus.

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This is his second class and the
subject for this class is the

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Way of Holiness.
Our reading was taken from

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Isaiah 35.
Thanks for the robbery.

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Good morning, everyone.
Excellent.

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So we’ve titled our second
session this morning, The Way of

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Holiness, and here’s how we’ll
be going along.

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We’ll be looking at the
beginning, or our beginning

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rather, on the way of holiness.
And this isn’t necessarily the

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very beginning, but it’s
certainly a very important step

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early on in the process.
We’ll be looking at the end of

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the way of holiness.
We’ll be looking at this idea of

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a holy place for God to dwell,
which seems to be very much

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connected to these ideas.
And then finally, we’ll be

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looking at how the Sabbath is
related to that holy place that

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God wants to create for himself
to dwell.

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So with that, we’ll get started
by spending a few moments

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exploring a key aspect of how we
begin our journey toward being

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holy as God is holy.
Yesterday when we looked at

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Isaiah 35, you may have noticed
that it connects the principle

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of redemption with being on the
way of holiness.

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Those that remain on the way to
its end are the redeemed and the

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ransomed.
And here we have forms of the

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two words most commonly
associated with redemption in

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the Old Testament, Gayle, that
is redeemed, and paddah, which

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is ransomed.
In the simplest sense, this

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concept of redemption is to to
buy back to purchase or as we

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have it here in Isaiah 35, to
ransom.

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And this hints at a really
important aspect of being holy.

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And in fact, Peter touches on it
back in first Peter chapter 1.

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You may recall that he also
links redemption to holiness.

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And let’s revisit first Peter
chapter 1 and and read verses.

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Well, for the sake of time, we
won’t actually read the verses

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together, but what we will do is
look at what seems to be a

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parallel train of thought in
these or a repeated train of

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thought that parallels in these
verses that really seems to to

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focus our minds upon these
principles associated with

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redemption.
So this section, this repeated

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train of thought, appears in
verses 14 to 19.

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It begins by identifying the
nature of our relationship with

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God.
We in verse 14 are his children,

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and then in verse 17 the idea of
his fatherhood is emphasized.

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So in one case our status as
children is emphasized, and in

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the other, his status as father
is emphasized.

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And this helps us to understand
that holiness is inextricably

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linked to God’s development of
His family.

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Natural children bear a
resemblance to their parents

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through genetics, but spiritual
children of our Heavenly Father

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must develop a family
resemblance.

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So then Peter sites the
responsibility conferred on us

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by this incredible relationship
to be brought into the divine

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family.
It’s a responsibility to

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reverently pursue holiness in
all our conduct during the time

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of our exile.
Then, to emphasize the gravity

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of this responsibility, Peter
begins to under score God’s role

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as Redeemer as well as the
terrible price of our

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redemption.
And when we think back to

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Leviticus 20 verse 26, which we
looked at yesterday, we recall

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the way God accompanies his call
to holiness, there with an

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allusion to Israel’s purchase.
It’s worth recalling before we

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move on here that while we have
been purchased, it isn’t for

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abject slavery, but to be
members of God’s family, to be

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his sons and his daughters.
Now, by using the language of

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Passover to describe the
terrible price of our

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redemption, first Peter one
verse 19 directs our attention

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back to the events of the Exodus
and the model of Israel’s

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experience.
And so we want to head back to

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Exodus chapter 6 at this point
and sort of follow this theme as

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it develops in the experience of
the people of Israel.

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So in Exodus 6 verses 2:00 to
8:00, we’re told that God, God’s

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work to establish Israel as a
nation, began with redemption by

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a stretched out arm and great
judgements.

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And of course, we can see the
stretched out arm and great

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judgements by which God redeemed
Israel in the record of the 10

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plagues that culminate in the
death of the first born.

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God redeemed.
He bought his first born son,

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Israel with the first born of
Egypt.

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Israel’s status as the
possession of God is highlighted

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in that all.
The first born of Israel became

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the property, as it were, of
Yahweh.

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And the idea of God’s ownership
is further reinforced in the the

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man for man exchange that takes
place in Numbers 3, when Levi

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then supersedes the first born.
Now Exodus 12 and 13 record the

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the events of the first
Passover, the culmination of the

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great judgments by which God
redeems Israel.

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And the importance of the events
recorded in these chapters is

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emphasized by the tokens that
God establishes in memorial of

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his work on Israel’s behalf,
Passover and the Feast of

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Unleavened Bread, along with the
sacrifice or redemption of the

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first born.
So we group Passover and the

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Feast of Unleavened Bread
together.

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They seem to be a unit for a
number of reasons.

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The details of these two tokens
are conveyed at the very same

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time to Moses.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread

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follows the Passover immediately
in time.

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The reason for their observance
seems to focus very much on

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God’s agency.
So if we’re in Exodus chapter 12

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and we look in verse 12, we see
I will pass through and later on

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in the same verse, I will
execute judgement.

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And in verse 13, we see, I see
the blood, I will Passover.

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And then down in verse 23, the
Lord will pass through.

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The Lord will Passover and will
not suffer the destroyer to come

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into your houses to smite you.
And in verse 27 it talks about

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the sacrifice of the Lord’s
Passover, who passed over, He

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smote the Egyptians, delivered
our houses.

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The emphasis seems to be very
much on God’s agency as

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Redeemer.
So too with the Feast of

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Unleavened Bread in chapter 12,
verse 17.

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In this same day have I brought
your armies out of the land of

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Egypt.
And in chapter 13 and verse 9,

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the Lord brought thee out of
Egypt, and then both of these

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are framed as ordinances for
Israel forever.

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On the other hand, the
separation of the first born is

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conveyed to God by God rather to
Moses in chapter 13, verses 1

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and 2, sort of separate and
apart from the details

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concerning the Feast of
Unleavened Bread and the

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Passover.
It shares some similarities with

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the details of Passover and
Unleavened Bread, but the focus

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seems to be somewhat different.
We look at Exodus 13 and verse

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15.
It reads this way when Pharaoh

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would hardly let us go.
The Lord slew all the first born

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in the land of Egypt, both first
born of man and 1st born of

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beast.
Therefore, I sacrifice to the

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Lord all that openeth the
matrix.

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Being males, but all the first
born of my children, I redeem.

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So it may be that the Passover
and Feast of Unleavened Bread

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emphasize God’s agency as
Israel’s Redeemer, while the

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sacrifice and and or redemption
of the first born emphasizes the

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price that was paid to affect
Israel’s redemption.

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We, like Israel, can’t begin our
journey toward holiness without

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one who is willing to redeem us
and to pay the price.

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It’s hard to overstate the
significance of the fact that

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the Creator of the universe has
acted on our behalf to pay the

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price of our redemption and put
our feet on the way of holiness.

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What’s more, the fact that He’s
done so has everything to do

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with His grace, His mercy, His
faithfulness, and nothing to do

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with any virtue or merit on our
part.

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Moses captures the sentiment
beautifully in Deuteronomy

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Chapter 7, verses 7 and 8, as he
speaks to the generation that’s

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about to go into and take
possession of the land after 40

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years in the wilderness.
It reads this way.

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For thou art and holy people
unto the Lord thy God.

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The Lord thy God hath chosen
thee to be a special people unto

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Himself, above all people that
are on on the face of the earth.

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The Lord did not set his love
upon you, nor choose you,

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because you were more in number
than any people.

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For ye were the fewest of all
people but the Lord.

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But because the Lord loved you,
and because He would keep the

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oath which He had sworn unto
your Father’s hath, the Lord

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brought you out with a mighty
hand, and redeemed you out of

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the House of bondmen from the
hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.

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Like Israel, we have been bought
with a price.

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Israel’s journey and the way of
holiness began with redemption

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from natural bondage by the hand
of God with the blood of Egypt’s

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first born.
Our journey on the way of

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holiness begins with redemption
from spiritual bondage by the

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hand of God, with the precious
blood of Christ as of a lamb

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without blemish and without
spot.

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If the blood of Egypt’s first
born was potent for Israel’s

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deliverance, how much more so
the blood of the Son of God, who

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did no sin, neither was guile
found in his mouth.

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If it was essential for Israel
to remember their redemption

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from Egypt by the strength of
God’s hand and the price that

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was paid to affect it, how much
more essential is it for us to

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remember the strength of hand
and the great judgements by

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which God, our Redeemer, has
paid the price of our redemption

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and delivered us from the
bondage of sin and death?

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We’ll just conclude this section
with what Paul has to say about

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our redemption and how it’s
related to holiness in

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Colossians chapter 1, verses 12
to 23.

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And for the sake of time, we
will skip over verses 16 to 18.

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This is the way that reads
giving thanks unto the Father,

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which hath made us meet to be
partakers of the inheritance of

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the Saints in light.
The Saints, the holy ones, who

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hath delivered us from the power
of darkness and hath translated

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us into the Kingdom of His dear
Son, in whom we have redemption

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through His blood.
Even the forgiveness of sins,

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who is the image of the
invisible God, the first born of

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every creature.
He is holy now and strove for

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holiness as His Father is holy.
And thus through Him all things

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will be created anew.
And it continues on in verse 19.

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For it please the Father, that
in Him should all fullness

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dwell, and having made peace
through the blood of His cross,

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by Him to reconcile all things
unto himself.

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By Him, I say, whether the they
be things in earth or things in

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heaven, and you that were
sometimes alienated and enemies

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in your mind by wicked works,
yet now have He reconciled in

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the body of his flesh through
death to present to you, what’s

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the purpose of this redemption?
Well, it’s described here in

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verse 22 to present you holy and
unblameable and unreprovable in

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his sight, if he continue in the
faith grounded and settled and

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be not moved away from the hope
of the gospel.

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And here again, we have an
allusion to the idea of a, of a

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path of a journey.
We are to continue in the faith

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grounded and settled and be not
moved away from the hope of the

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gospel.
That concept of hope is, is such

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a lovely idea in our modern day
and age.

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We use it to mean maybe, right?
We we say hope and we mean, I

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don’t know.
I’m not sure.

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And I hope it doesn’t rain
tomorrow.

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I’m not sure if it will, but it
might.

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I hope it doesn’t.
But that’s not the spirit of the

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hope that’s been set before us.
This word means expectation, a

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certain expectation.
That’s the hope of Scripture,

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not a maybe and absolutely a
certainty.

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The hope of the gospel which we
have heard and which was

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preached to every creature which
is under heaven, Wherefore I,

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Paul, and made minister.
So we can’t begin on the way of

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holiness without redemption.
And having been redeemed, we

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have every reason to continue on
the way so that we might be

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among the redeemed that come to
Zion with songs and everlasting

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joy upon our heads.
So if that’s the critical aspect

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of our beginning on the way of
holiness, and it happens through

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00:15:52,240 –> 00:15:56,000
redemption at the mighty hand of
God, where, where does it lead?

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00:15:57,360 –> 00:16:01,440
Well, just as Isaiah 35 alludes
to the means by which we begin

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00:16:01,440 –> 00:16:05,240
on the way, it also alludes to
the character of our

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00:16:05,240 –> 00:16:08,880
destination.
The way of holiness brings the

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00:16:08,880 –> 00:16:17,600
redeemed to Zion.
Zion is the city of the great

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00:16:17,600 –> 00:16:19,800
King.
It will be the capital of the

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00:16:19,800 –> 00:16:23,080
Kingdom established by the Lord
Jesus Christ at his return, and

225
00:16:23,080 –> 00:16:27,080
at that time the law will go
forth from Zion and the word of

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00:16:27,080 –> 00:16:30,880
the Lord from Jerusalem.
So the destination of this way

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00:16:30,880 –> 00:16:34,080
of holiness is the Kingdom of
God.

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00:16:38,520 –> 00:16:41,240
We know that a Kingdom here on
the earth is a well established

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00:16:41,240 –> 00:16:44,360
aspect of God’s purpose.
It’s spoken of here in Daniel 2

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00:16:44,360 –> 00:16:47,640
quite clearly, and we can find
it elsewhere in the prophets.

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00:16:47,880 –> 00:16:51,960
And it was central, as we know,
to the teaching of Jesus and the

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00:16:51,960 –> 00:16:58,240
apostles.
The purpose of this Kingdom is

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00:16:58,240 –> 00:17:00,760
described by Paul in First
Corinthians 15.

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00:17:03,160 –> 00:17:07,200
It’s to prepare mankind and the
earth generally for a time when

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00:17:07,200 –> 00:17:14,720
God will be all and in all, when
all things will be holy as he is

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00:17:14,720 –> 00:17:18,160
holy.
So the picture that emerges is

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00:17:18,160 –> 00:17:21,160
of the redeemed entering the
Kingdom on the way of holiness

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00:17:22,280 –> 00:17:26,119
to help Jesus prepare the earth
for that time when God will be

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00:17:26,119 –> 00:17:30,720
All in all.
So let’s explore how how this

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00:17:30,720 –> 00:17:33,880
picture is reflected in God’s
work with Israel.

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00:17:36,640 –> 00:17:40,720
Now in in perfect parallel to
the pattern that we saw in

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00:17:40,720 –> 00:17:45,560
Isaiah 35, Exodus 19 tells us
that God redeemed Israel from

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00:17:45,560 –> 00:17:51,440
bondage in Egypt in order to
establish a Kingdom, A Kingdom

244
00:17:51,440 –> 00:18:04,800
of priests and a holy nation.
God’s work in Exodus is really

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00:18:04,800 –> 00:18:07,440
the continuation of the work
that he began in Abraham, isn’t

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00:18:07,440 –> 00:18:09,520
it?
We might say that God laid the

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00:18:09,520 –> 00:18:14,000
foundation for the work that he
was doing in Israel in Abraham.

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00:18:15,200 –> 00:18:18,360
It’s interesting when we go all
the way back to Genesis chapters

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00:18:19,080 –> 00:18:21,960
10:00 and 11:00, or at least it
was interesting to me to see the

250
00:18:21,960 –> 00:18:26,040
way in which even as as early as
this, we have, as it were, two

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00:18:26,040 –> 00:18:29,520
kingdoms that seem to be
contrasted the one with the

252
00:18:29,520 –> 00:18:32,160
other in their their early
stages.

253
00:18:33,560 –> 00:18:36,600
It may be that these chapters
are designed to emphasize God’s

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00:18:36,600 –> 00:18:41,160
work to establish his Kingdom in
opposition to the Kingdom of

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00:18:41,160 –> 00:18:45,200
men.
Genesis 10 and 11 have a couple

256
00:18:45,200 –> 00:18:50,040
of of features that have
similarity.

257
00:18:50,040 –> 00:18:55,160
First, the genealogy of Shem is
split between two chapters.

258
00:18:55,520 –> 00:18:59,440
Each traces a similar line of
descent from Shem through Eber,

259
00:18:59,440 –> 00:19:03,960
but chapter 10 continues through
Eber’s son Joctan, and Chapter

260
00:19:03,960 –> 00:19:07,200
11 continues through Eber’s son
Peleg.

261
00:19:08,720 –> 00:19:10,760
The other interesting feature
here is that these two

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00:19:10,760 –> 00:19:14,960
genealogies are are separated.
They’re broken, if you will, by

263
00:19:14,960 –> 00:19:18,360
the events surrounding the
establishment of Babel and the

264
00:19:18,360 –> 00:19:21,400
confusion of tongues.
And it may be that the narrative

265
00:19:21,400 –> 00:19:26,480
flows this way specifically to
under score these two rival

266
00:19:26,480 –> 00:19:32,120
kingdoms, one of them founded to
by men to make themselves a

267
00:19:32,120 –> 00:19:36,400
name, as we remember from the
language of of those who founded

268
00:19:36,400 –> 00:19:43,800
Babel, and the other founded by
God in expression of his name.

269
00:19:48,080 –> 00:19:50,360
So the foundation of this
Kingdom of Israel.

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00:19:50,360 –> 00:19:53,560
We know that Abraham lived in ur
of the Chaldees, which was in

271
00:19:53,560 –> 00:19:57,520
the region of Babel, was it not?
And just as physical and

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00:19:57,960 –> 00:20:01,840
spiritual separation from Egypt
was part of Israel’s journey

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00:20:01,840 –> 00:20:06,360
towards holiness, Abraham had to
separate from country and

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00:20:06,360 –> 00:20:11,840
kindred and father’s house.
As a necessary step on his

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00:20:11,840 –> 00:20:13,640
journey.
And how interesting it is that

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00:20:13,640 –> 00:20:17,720
in in both of these cases, there
was a a physical journey that

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00:20:17,720 –> 00:20:20,000
accompanied the spiritual
journey.

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00:20:21,880 –> 00:20:26,480
Like Abraham and Israel, we have
been called out of our native

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00:20:26,480 –> 00:20:30,320
land to go to a land that God
will show us.

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00:20:30,320 –> 00:20:34,440
Having been persuaded of God’s
promises and embraced them,

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00:20:34,880 –> 00:20:38,640
we’re journeying on the way of
holiness to a better country.

282
00:20:39,680 –> 00:20:43,440
It’s so important to stay
focused on our destination

283
00:20:43,440 –> 00:20:47,920
because if we allow ourselves to
dwell on that country from which

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00:20:47,920 –> 00:20:54,600
we have been called out, then we
will find opportunity to return.

285
00:20:55,720 –> 00:20:59,520
We know that, sadly, this is
exactly what happens to Israel.

286
00:21:05,030 –> 00:21:08,750
Numbers 14 is a is an OFT
referenced statement of God’s

287
00:21:08,750 –> 00:21:12,280
purpose, and the context makes
it clear that it’s inextricably

288
00:21:12,280 –> 00:21:17,560
linked to the Kingdom.
Sadly, the occasion for this

289
00:21:17,560 –> 00:21:21,840
beautiful statement of God’s
purpose is not Israel’s willing

290
00:21:21,840 –> 00:21:25,240
cooperation with it, but their
opposition to it.

291
00:21:25,720 –> 00:21:29,880
The nation had once again
provoked God through faithless

292
00:21:29,920 –> 00:21:33,000
rebellion.
It’s at the moment of Israel’s

293
00:21:33,160 –> 00:21:37,640
utter failure to fulfill God’s
purpose that we find that

294
00:21:37,640 –> 00:21:40,400
purpose so emphatically
expressed.

295
00:21:42,240 –> 00:21:45,800
The way of holiness leads to a
Kingdom in order that all the

296
00:21:45,800 –> 00:21:49,280
earth might be filled with the
glory of God.

297
00:21:50,680 –> 00:21:54,040
But Israel’s refusal to enter
the land was not a moment of

298
00:21:54,040 –> 00:21:57,840
weakness.
It seems more so to be a moment

299
00:21:57,840 –> 00:22:00,920
of truth.
It revealed that they had only

300
00:22:00,920 –> 00:22:05,160
been superficially affected by
their exposure to the will and

301
00:22:05,160 –> 00:22:10,000
the character of God.
Though they had been redeemed in

302
00:22:10,000 –> 00:22:13,560
one sense, that redemption had
not penetrated deep into them

303
00:22:13,840 –> 00:22:17,400
and yielded their commitment to
their heavenly Father.

304
00:22:18,880 –> 00:22:22,320
The report of the 10 spies in
Israel’s reaction demonstrate

305
00:22:22,320 –> 00:22:26,720
that whatever their physical
distance from Sinai, Israel had

306
00:22:26,720 –> 00:22:31,400
not come all that far from
worshipping a golden calf at the

307
00:22:31,400 –> 00:22:35,880
foot of a mountain full of the
manifestation of God’s presence.

308
00:22:37,920 –> 00:22:40,800
We just take a quick survey of
Numbers chapter 14.

309
00:22:40,800 –> 00:22:44,880
In effect, Israel had had
demonstrated contempt for their

310
00:22:44,880 –> 00:22:49,400
Redeemer and the price of their
redemption by expressing their

311
00:22:49,400 –> 00:22:56,760
desire to return to bondage.
God, in His great mercy and love

312
00:22:56,760 –> 00:23:00,280
for them, had redeemed them with
a stretched out arm and with

313
00:23:00,280 –> 00:23:02,360
great judgements.
And what do they do in Numbers

314
00:23:02,360 –> 00:23:06,040
14?
In verse 2, what would God that

315
00:23:06,040 –> 00:23:07,880
we had died in the land of
Egypt?

316
00:23:09,720 –> 00:23:12,720
In verse three, were it not
better for us to return into

317
00:23:12,720 –> 00:23:16,160
Egypt?
In verse 4, let us make us a

318
00:23:16,160 –> 00:23:18,680
captain and let us return into
Egypt.

319
00:23:21,720 –> 00:23:23,920
And they also showed themselves
to be false and that they

320
00:23:23,920 –> 00:23:27,360
refused to obey God’s voice.
We think back to the language of

321
00:23:27,360 –> 00:23:30,440
Exodus 19.
If you will obey my voice, to

322
00:23:30,440 –> 00:23:33,720
which the people say all that
the Lord has said we will do.

323
00:23:36,560 –> 00:23:40,600
And this was a a necessary step.
This was one of those things

324
00:23:40,600 –> 00:23:44,400
that God required them to obey,
and yet they refused to do so.

325
00:23:44,400 –> 00:23:48,320
They refused to go in and to
take the land to fulfill the

326
00:23:48,320 –> 00:23:51,960
very purpose for which they had
been redeemed.

327
00:23:55,120 –> 00:23:58,160
Israel had been in regular
contact with the will and the

328
00:23:58,160 –> 00:24:02,000
character of God, the
sanctifying power of His glory,

329
00:24:03,080 –> 00:24:07,360
but they weren’t able or willing
to see beyond themselves.

330
00:24:08,160 –> 00:24:12,560
Sadly, their unfaithfulness is
not the result of any special

331
00:24:13,600 –> 00:24:16,880
Uber sinful nature that just
Israel had, is it?

332
00:24:18,760 –> 00:24:22,600
It’s the natural outworking of
the same nature that all of us

333
00:24:22,600 –> 00:24:26,280
bear.
This is the unhealable sickness

334
00:24:26,280 –> 00:24:29,320
of our nature.
Israel had direct experience of

335
00:24:29,320 –> 00:24:36,200
God’s power, received His will,
had contact with His glory, and

336
00:24:36,200 –> 00:24:40,400
had contempt for His redemption.
And they rebelled against Him.

337
00:24:41,760 –> 00:24:45,280
Paul offers this reminder should
we ever forget that we are no

338
00:24:45,280 –> 00:24:48,320
less susceptible to sin than
Israel.

339
00:24:49,200 –> 00:24:53,280
He tells us all these things
happened unto them for examples,

340
00:24:53,640 –> 00:24:56,760
and they are written for our
admonition upon whom the ends of

341
00:24:56,760 –> 00:25:01,520
the world are come.
Israel’s experience is a warning

342
00:25:01,520 –> 00:25:07,640
to all those who want to arrive
at the end of the way of

343
00:25:07,640 –> 00:25:12,560
holiness in Zion with songs and
everlasting joy upon our heads.

344
00:25:18,080 –> 00:25:20,720
As we mentioned yesterday, the
beginning of our journey on the

345
00:25:20,720 –> 00:25:24,120
way of holiness is first and
foremost God’s work.

346
00:25:24,120 –> 00:25:27,920
But that doesn’t mean that we
don’t have a work to do as well.

347
00:25:28,720 –> 00:25:32,440
The sanctifying power of God’s
will and character can only have

348
00:25:32,440 –> 00:25:36,560
its transformative effect when
it’s activated by faithful

349
00:25:36,560 –> 00:25:38,680
obedience in those that He’s
called.

350
00:25:39,920 –> 00:25:42,080
In other words, holiness is
something that can only be

351
00:25:42,080 –> 00:25:47,200
affected in us if we obey God’s
will and emulate His character

352
00:25:47,200 –> 00:25:51,200
in respect and in reverence for
our redemption.

353
00:25:52,360 –> 00:25:56,920
Israel had contempt for their
redemption, refused to hearken

354
00:25:56,920 –> 00:26:00,600
to God’s voice, and were
insufficiently affected by their

355
00:26:00,600 –> 00:26:04,560
contact with His glory, and thus
that generation was utterly

356
00:26:04,720 –> 00:26:11,000
inadequate for God’s purpose.
The words they received and the

357
00:26:11,000 –> 00:26:14,240
events that they experienced did
not profit them, says Hebrew,

358
00:26:14,240 –> 00:26:17,960
because they were not mixed with
faith.

359
00:26:20,120 –> 00:26:24,120
That generation chose not to
believe, which meant that true

360
00:26:24,120 –> 00:26:27,760
holiness could not be affected,
and the work that God wanted to

361
00:26:27,760 –> 00:26:35,040
do could not be done with them.
Israel’s experience is a

362
00:26:35,040 –> 00:26:40,040
sobering reminder that this work
God has begun in US requires our

363
00:26:40,160 –> 00:26:43,960
active cooperation.
Though our journey on the way of

364
00:26:43,960 –> 00:26:49,800
holiness does not begin or
depend upon our strength, God

365
00:26:49,800 –> 00:26:55,240
has assigned us a part to play.
Citizenship in God’s Kingdom is

366
00:26:55,240 –> 00:26:58,680
for those who have actively
cooperated with his efforts to

367
00:26:58,840 –> 00:27:02,960
to prepare them for it.
So let’s resolve to be

368
00:27:03,000 –> 00:27:07,400
steadfast, immovable, always
abounding in the work of the

369
00:27:07,400 –> 00:27:10,400
Lord.
For as much as we know, we know,

370
00:27:10,400 –> 00:27:14,520
brothers and sisters, we have
confirmation after confirmation

371
00:27:15,160 –> 00:27:18,560
that our labor is not in vain in
the Lord.

372
00:27:25,520 –> 00:27:29,320
So the way of holiness brings us
to a Kingdom that God will use

373
00:27:29,320 –> 00:27:32,080
to fill the earth with His
glory.

374
00:27:33,240 –> 00:27:37,400
But why?
Well, God’s work with Israel

375
00:27:37,400 –> 00:27:41,520
seems to address at least one
aspect of God’s motive.

376
00:27:41,520 –> 00:27:44,440
And, and for me, this is
something that’s that’s truly

377
00:27:44,880 –> 00:27:48,600
remarkable.
I stand in awe of this idea.

378
00:27:49,640 –> 00:27:53,280
Having redeemed Israel from
bondage in Egypt, God’s next

379
00:27:53,280 –> 00:27:56,200
step is to bring the nation into
covenant relationship with

380
00:27:56,200 –> 00:27:59,440
himself.
And we alluded to these passages

381
00:27:59,440 –> 00:28:03,120
yesterday.
God lays out the basis for

382
00:28:03,120 –> 00:28:11,240
Israel’s calling and their
special status in Exodus 19 to

383
00:28:11,240 –> 00:28:16,040
24, and Israel responds with
acceptance and agreement on

384
00:28:16,200 –> 00:28:19,600
three separate occasions.
Israel gives their assent to

385
00:28:19,600 –> 00:28:23,440
God’s requirements once in
Exodus 19 and then twice in

386
00:28:23,440 –> 00:28:28,360
Exodus 24.
So there’s no doubt the Father

387
00:28:28,360 –> 00:28:32,440
gives them a robust and complete
understanding of this

388
00:28:32,440 –> 00:28:35,240
relationship that they’re
entering into and they they give

389
00:28:35,240 –> 00:28:37,320
their ascent.
They say, yes, this is a

390
00:28:37,320 –> 00:28:40,240
relationship into which we want
to come.

391
00:28:42,880 –> 00:28:46,200
And having brought them into
covenant relationship, what is

392
00:28:46,200 –> 00:28:52,920
God’s next priority?
The answer seems to be here in

393
00:28:52,920 –> 00:28:59,000
Exodus 25 verses 8:00 and 9:00,
where God says to Moses, Let

394
00:28:59,000 –> 00:29:03,560
them make me a sanctuary, that I
may dwell among them.

395
00:29:04,120 –> 00:29:07,360
According to all that I show
thee, after the pattern of the

396
00:29:07,360 –> 00:29:10,680
Tabernacle and the pattern of
all the instruments thereof,

397
00:29:10,680 –> 00:29:18,640
Even so shall ye make it.
God’s desire to dwell with His

398
00:29:18,640 –> 00:29:23,000
people is an important theme of
the Bible and something that

399
00:29:23,000 –> 00:29:26,520
Paul touches on here in Second
Corinthians chapter 6.

400
00:29:26,920 –> 00:29:28,720
You are the temple of the living
God.

401
00:29:28,720 –> 00:29:32,720
As God had said, I will dwell in
them and walk in them, and I

402
00:29:32,720 –> 00:29:36,080
will be their God, and they
shall be my people.

403
00:29:37,760 –> 00:29:41,960
And at the beginning of Chapter
7, having detailed some pretty

404
00:29:41,960 –> 00:29:45,840
incredible promises, Paul goes
on to say, Having therefore

405
00:29:45,840 –> 00:29:49,320
these promises, dearly beloved,
let us cleanse ourselves from

406
00:29:49,320 –> 00:29:55,320
all filthiness of the flesh and
spirit, perfecting holiness in

407
00:29:55,320 –> 00:30:01,320
the fear of God.
Here in 2nd Corinthians 7, Paul

408
00:30:01,320 –> 00:30:05,120
says that being a part of a
future where God dwells with his

409
00:30:05,120 –> 00:30:08,760
people as their Father is
something that depends on the

410
00:30:08,760 –> 00:30:17,600
pursuit of holiness.
Today, right now, it’s

411
00:30:17,600 –> 00:30:22,320
remarkable for me to think that
the Creator of heaven and earth,

412
00:30:23,920 –> 00:30:30,280
I can’t, I can’t fathom it,
truly wants to dwell with me,

413
00:30:31,320 –> 00:30:38,120
with you, with us.
It is His desire to dwell with

414
00:30:38,120 –> 00:30:43,680
His people and that He has
included us in this tremendous

415
00:30:43,920 –> 00:30:50,480
purpose.
But it is not without

416
00:30:50,680 –> 00:30:53,680
requirement.
And that lesson is driven home

417
00:30:53,680 –> 00:30:57,880
by the word sanctuary.
God wants to dwell among his

418
00:30:57,880 –> 00:31:02,440
people, but he will only do so
in a holy place.

419
00:31:04,320 –> 00:31:10,040
He wants to dwell with us, but
it must be a holy place.

420
00:31:13,600 –> 00:31:18,360
And of course, only God can
define the characteristic, the

421
00:31:18,360 –> 00:31:20,160
characteristics.
Apparently that’s a tough word

422
00:31:20,160 –> 00:31:22,800
to say this morning.
Only God can define the

423
00:31:22,800 –> 00:31:27,480
characteristics of the holy
place where he will dwell, and

424
00:31:27,480 –> 00:31:29,680
it’s precisely what he does in
in the case both of the

425
00:31:29,680 –> 00:31:34,960
Tabernacle and the temple.
He provides a pattern to Moses

426
00:31:34,960 –> 00:31:39,440
and to David from which his holy
place must be created.

427
00:31:49,960 –> 00:31:52,400
But interestingly,
interestingly, we have the

428
00:31:52,400 –> 00:31:56,800
testimony of Isaiah 66 quoted
here by Stephen, that the Most

429
00:31:56,800 –> 00:32:00,640
High doesn’t dwell in temples
made with hands.

430
00:32:03,160 –> 00:32:05,920
And when we follow the reference
back to Isaiah, we see that the

431
00:32:05,920 –> 00:32:11,520
dwelling place that God actually
has in mind, indeed, it’s not a

432
00:32:11,520 –> 00:32:17,440
temple made with hands, It’s
within men and women, and it’s

433
00:32:17,440 –> 00:32:22,680
not mystical, it’s not magical.
He simply wants men and women to

434
00:32:22,680 –> 00:32:28,080
choose cooperation rather than
rebellion with his efforts to

435
00:32:28,080 –> 00:32:34,920
develop his character in US.
And of course, what pattern has

436
00:32:34,920 –> 00:32:37,400
he provided?
The pattern alluded to here in

437
00:32:37,400 –> 00:32:42,720
Isaiah 66.
Truly, we know that that pattern

438
00:32:43,320 –> 00:32:48,040
is our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, the Word made flesh, in

439
00:32:48,040 –> 00:32:51,920
whom we can behold the glory of
the only begotten of the Father,

440
00:32:51,920 –> 00:32:57,160
full of grace and truth in Him.
That purpose to manifest the

441
00:32:57,160 –> 00:33:03,760
glory of God was fulfilled in a
way that has never been until

442
00:33:03,760 –> 00:33:08,080
that time or since.
He worked in total cooperation

443
00:33:08,520 –> 00:33:11,320
with God’s efforts to develop
the Father’s character.

444
00:33:12,080 –> 00:33:15,440
And if we want to participate in
this incredible hope to dwell

445
00:33:15,440 –> 00:33:20,680
with God in holiness, then now
is the time to cooperate with

446
00:33:20,680 –> 00:33:24,640
his efforts to prepare a holy
place for himself in US

447
00:33:24,880 –> 00:33:27,760
according to the pattern of his
Son.

448
00:33:30,560 –> 00:33:35,040
Now, as we, as we begin bringing
this, this session to a close,

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00:33:36,280 –> 00:33:40,160
we’ll just touch on the role of
the Sabbath in the pattern that

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00:33:40,160 –> 00:33:43,680
God provided Moses for his holy
dwelling place.

451
00:33:45,440 –> 00:33:48,800
Now, this was a, as I was going
through the process of the study

452
00:33:48,800 –> 00:33:52,960
myself, I found my, my interest
really got piqued because I was

453
00:33:52,960 –> 00:33:57,440
reading through Exodus 25 to 31,
which is an expression of the

454
00:33:57,440 –> 00:34:01,120
pattern of the Tabernacle of
this sanctuary, this holy place.

455
00:34:01,640 –> 00:34:03,520
And it flows along quite
naturally.

456
00:34:03,520 –> 00:34:07,640
The things that that God has to
say to Moses seen at at each

457
00:34:07,640 –> 00:34:11,719
turn to be very clearly
connected with the Tabernacle in

458
00:34:11,719 –> 00:34:14,520
some fashion.
And then I got to the very end

459
00:34:14,520 –> 00:34:18,600
of the section and there seemed
to be to me a kind of a kind of

460
00:34:18,600 –> 00:34:24,159
shift of thought in these very
last few verses of Exodus 31.

461
00:34:24,520 –> 00:34:28,080
The train of thought shifts away
from the Tabernacle,

462
00:34:28,080 –> 00:34:36,239
particularly to the Sabbath, and
that struck me as as strange.

463
00:34:36,239 –> 00:34:40,120
It seemed abrupt when I reached
those verses that that almost

464
00:34:40,120 –> 00:34:43,360
the the the commentary on the
Sabbath had stopped and there

465
00:34:43,360 –> 00:34:45,480
was no real transition.
And now we were going to talk

466
00:34:45,480 –> 00:34:49,360
about the Sabbath.
Here’s how those verses read in

467
00:34:49,520 –> 00:34:52,600
Exodus chapter 31, verses 12 to
17.

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00:34:53,760 –> 00:34:58,920
Verily, my Sabbaths ye shall
keep, for it is a sign between

469
00:34:58,920 –> 00:35:02,680
me and you throughout your
generations, that ye may know

470
00:35:02,680 –> 00:35:05,800
that I am the Lord that doth
sanctify you.

471
00:35:07,400 –> 00:35:10,760
It is a sign between God and
Israel throughout their

472
00:35:10,760 –> 00:35:17,280
generations.
Wherefore the children of Israel

473
00:35:17,280 –> 00:35:21,120
shall keep the Sabbath to
observe the Sabbath throughout

474
00:35:21,120 –> 00:35:24,160
their generations for a
perpetual covenant.

475
00:35:27,040 –> 00:35:31,320
There again in verse 17, it is a
sign between me and the children

476
00:35:31,320 –> 00:35:34,960
of Israel forever.
And so it isn’t just that the

477
00:35:34,960 –> 00:35:38,000
Sabbath is mentioned, since
there’s a great emphasis, a kind

478
00:35:38,000 –> 00:35:41,560
of profound emphasis upon the
Sabbath here.

479
00:35:41,560 –> 00:35:43,920
And of course it’s already been
touched on, hasn’t it?

480
00:35:43,920 –> 00:35:48,760
Earlier in in Exodus chapters 19
to to 24, we already had

481
00:35:48,760 –> 00:35:52,320
mentioned of the significance of
the Sabbath, but but God returns

482
00:35:52,320 –> 00:35:56,720
to it here at the end of a
section that deals with one the

483
00:35:56,720 –> 00:36:02,240
creation of a holy place for God
to dwell.

484
00:36:02,800 –> 00:36:08,280
At the end of that section, God
emphasizes in a profound way the

485
00:36:08,280 –> 00:36:13,480
importance of the Sabbath.
Now, I’m not sure that I have a

486
00:36:13,800 –> 00:36:18,360
definitive answer to why this
is, but it seems reasonable to

487
00:36:18,360 –> 00:36:21,240
start by considering the origin
of the Sabbath.

488
00:36:21,280 –> 00:36:26,680
As we alluded to in our session
yesterday, the Sabbath is

489
00:36:26,680 –> 00:36:32,760
actually the first occasion
where we find the word holy used

490
00:36:32,760 –> 00:36:35,760
in Scripture.
It is the first time that that

491
00:36:35,760 –> 00:36:39,000
word explicitly occurs in the
record of Scripture.

492
00:36:39,000 –> 00:36:43,360
God bless the 7th day, and He
sanctified it.

493
00:36:43,360 –> 00:36:48,000
He set that day apart because
that in it He had rested from

494
00:36:48,000 –> 00:36:51,680
all His work which God created
and made.

495
00:36:56,360 –> 00:36:59,360
Now Young’s literal seemed to do
a nice job of bringing the the

496
00:36:59,440 –> 00:37:03,240
emphasis of these verses forward
for me.

497
00:37:04,200 –> 00:37:07,920
God completed His work which He
hath made by the 7th day.

498
00:37:07,920 –> 00:37:10,920
So He ceased from all his work
which he had made.

499
00:37:11,320 –> 00:37:14,240
And then He blessed the 7th day
and sanctified it, because after

500
00:37:14,240 –> 00:37:19,440
six days he ceased from all his
work which he had prepared for

501
00:37:19,440 –> 00:37:23,240
making.
Simply put, the emphasis seems

502
00:37:23,240 –> 00:37:28,160
to be that God stopped because
the work had been completed.

503
00:37:29,080 –> 00:37:33,760
The work was complete, and so
God ceased to work because those

504
00:37:33,760 –> 00:37:36,960
things which he had set out to
accomplish we’re done.

505
00:37:39,560 –> 00:37:42,640
The Sabbath was set apart and
sanctified to mark the

506
00:37:42,640 –> 00:37:47,080
completion of the natural
creation specifically, but God

507
00:37:47,080 –> 00:37:50,000
gives it a much greater
significance.

508
00:37:52,040 –> 00:37:55,960
Among other things, the Sabbath
is a memorial of God’s status as

509
00:37:56,080 –> 00:38:00,640
the great Creator.
In a natural sense, He appointed

510
00:38:00,640 –> 00:38:05,680
the 7th day to remind us of the
creative work that He finished

511
00:38:05,680 –> 00:38:08,440
in the heavens and the earth and
all the their host.

512
00:38:09,440 –> 00:38:12,680
But in a spiritual sense, He
appointed the 7th day to remind

513
00:38:12,680 –> 00:38:18,320
us of the creative work that He
is still doing right now in you

514
00:38:19,760 –> 00:38:23,000
and in me.
See, the work of creation didn’t

515
00:38:23,000 –> 00:38:24,800
really end on the 7th day, did
it?

516
00:38:26,440 –> 00:38:29,600
God’s purpose was not fully
realized at the end of the that

517
00:38:29,600 –> 00:38:32,280
process.
It’s still ongoing.

518
00:38:33,400 –> 00:38:36,200
He’s still working towards the
end of that purpose.

519
00:38:36,640 –> 00:38:42,640
But He marks out that day at the
end of the natural creation to

520
00:38:42,640 –> 00:38:48,800
become symbolic, a reminder, a
touchstone for all of us that we

521
00:38:48,800 –> 00:38:52,240
might be comforted and
encouraged by the fact that God

522
00:38:52,360 –> 00:38:56,840
will finish the work.
And it doesn’t depend on our

523
00:38:56,840 –> 00:38:59,080
strength, it doesn’t depend upon
our wisdom.

524
00:38:59,760 –> 00:39:05,760
God will finish the work.
And so this day was blessed and

525
00:39:05,760 –> 00:39:08,800
sanctified to remind us that he
is the Lord that created the

526
00:39:08,800 –> 00:39:11,760
heavens and earth.
God himself that formed the

527
00:39:11,760 –> 00:39:14,040
earth and made it.
He have established it.

528
00:39:14,200 –> 00:39:17,880
He created it not in vain.
He formed it to be inhabited.

529
00:39:19,120 –> 00:39:22,680
The Sabbath reminds us that the
same infinitely powerful,

530
00:39:23,080 –> 00:39:27,080
brilliant and loving hands that
formed this magnificent world

531
00:39:27,080 –> 00:39:33,000
that we take so for granted are
still at work in US.

532
00:39:34,000 –> 00:39:37,840
He’s creating a holy place in us
where his character and His

533
00:39:37,840 –> 00:39:42,400
nature can dwell.
This is a wonderful dimension of

534
00:39:42,640 –> 00:39:45,840
the beauty of the Sabbath for
Israel and for us.

535
00:39:47,160 –> 00:39:50,040
Every 7th day they had the
opportunity to meditate on the

536
00:39:50,040 –> 00:39:55,000
fact that God was actively at
work among them, creating a

537
00:39:55,000 –> 00:39:58,960
place to dwell, and the great
responsibility that that

538
00:39:58,960 –> 00:40:05,400
conferred upon them not to undo
His work, not to rebel against

539
00:40:05,400 –> 00:40:10,040
Him, but rather to cooperate
with Him in the work that His

540
00:40:10,040 –> 00:40:13,200
purpose could be fulfilled and
that their incredible calling

541
00:40:13,200 –> 00:40:17,360
could be realized.
His work of spiritual creation

542
00:40:17,360 –> 00:40:22,160
is ongoing, brothers and sisters
and young people, and we are so

543
00:40:22,160 –> 00:40:26,640
privileged to be a part of it.
As surely as God completed the

544
00:40:26,640 –> 00:40:31,280
work of the natural creation, He
will complete the work of

545
00:40:31,280 –> 00:40:36,200
spiritual creation to prepare a
holy place for himself to dwell

546
00:40:36,200 –> 00:40:43,240
in US and in the earth at large.
But we have to, we have to

547
00:40:43,240 –> 00:40:47,200
decide, brothers and sisters, we
have to choose, having come to

548
00:40:47,200 –> 00:40:52,320
this way of holiness, to
continue on the way in trust of

549
00:40:52,320 –> 00:40:59,280
and reverence for our Heavenly
Father, This is the time we make

550
00:40:59,280 –> 00:41:01,880
the answer.
Now, as one of our hymns so

551
00:41:01,880 –> 00:41:07,920
beautifully puts it.
So in our next session, we’ll be

552
00:41:07,920 –> 00:41:10,680
looking at the theme of
priesthood generally.

553
00:41:11,120 –> 00:41:16,520
We’ll take a look at, at the way
in which the priesthood that was

554
00:41:16,520 –> 00:41:19,520
founded in Aaron is a, a shadow
of good things to come, the way

555
00:41:19,720 –> 00:41:23,320
in which it served as a model
for the people of Israel who

556
00:41:23,320 –> 00:41:27,600
were called to be a Kingdom of
priests and a holy nation.

557
00:41:29,400 –> 00:41:31,840
And then we’ll take a couple of
lessons from priestly

558
00:41:31,840 –> 00:41:36,360
responsibilities, namely that of
of teaching and that of

559
00:41:36,360 –> 00:41:39,720
sacrifice.
And so with that, I will turn

560
00:41:39,720 –> 00:41:42,720
things back over to Brother
Aubrey with my thanks to all of

561
00:41:42,720 –> 00:41:43,240
you again.