Archive for the ‘Covenant’ Category

Covenant Making God

Sunday, September 21st, 2008

ДекалогGod operates by law, by principle. You have a legal marriage. Does it guarantee intimacy? It makes room and protection for intimacy. He wants intimate relationships with you. When He set out His law His ultimate purpose was not to conform to rules, He did it for our good. Deuteronomy 5:29 “O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!”What is a covenant? It is similar to a contract, a binding agreement. There are differences: 1) But contract is based on distrust, but covenant is based on trust. 2) Covenant has unlimited vs limited responsibility. Contract can be broken when new circumstances occur. Coventant can not be changed.

Series of 3 sermons.

Willi Slabaugh
Sermon 1.

Part 1 of 5.

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3. What is the Sanctuary - Tabernacle or the Ark?

Saturday, August 23rd, 2008

Richard Noel

Chapter 3 of “The Sanctuary” series

Most Christian and Jewish readers may think I am asking a crazy question. After all, for centuries they have understood that the “sanctuary” is either the tabernacle or a room in the tabernacle. As we progress you will see that this question is relevant to a correct understanding of the entire plan of Salvation.

Why would I bother to suggest that the popular, well-know answer might be wrong? As I was reading in the Torah/Books of Moses, I came on a most interesting verse. It is found in Numbers chapter 10. This chapter is describing the orderly way the camp of Israel was to move from one place to another. It spends most of the chapter listing the various tribes and where they were to be during the travel. Hidden in this story are some important verses.

NAU Numbers 10:17 Then the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who were carrying the tabernacle, set out.

The text continues with more tribes setting out on the trip and then this astounding note.

KJV Numbers 10:21 And the Kohathites set forward, bearing the sanctuary: and the other did set up the tabernacle against they came.

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4. Getting Our Facts Straight From Moses

Saturday, August 23rd, 2008

Chapter 4 of “The Sanctuary” series

In chapter three, we reviewed the general identification of the sanctuary from accessible translations and minimal Hebrew to demonstrate God’s viewpoint of the tabernacle was from His throne inside the tabernacle. Thus all descriptions are from God, not a bystander. In addition, this chapter is for the enthusiastic Hebrew and Greek students. If you are not in this category feel free to skip forward to chapter 5.

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5. How God Deals With Sinful People

Saturday, August 23rd, 2008

Chapter 5 of “The Sanctuary” series

“I have seen the enemy and it is us.”

-Pogo

The problem is us. Since the fall of Adam, humans have demonstrated that they are prone to violate God’s design for themselves. The Bible is filled with the stories of God pursuing a relationship with humans like He had with Adam and Eve before sin entered this world.

The most elaborate explanation and demonstration of how God wants to keep us in an acceptable relation with Him is found in the Tabernacle services. If we are so prone to rebel, how can God tolerate staying anywhere near us?

by Richard Noel

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Covenant Law

Sunday, August 3rd, 2008

Willi Slabaugh

Sermon. MP3. Duration 54 min

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What Law?

Saturday, May 10th, 2008

Ted Noel

What is the law? Where do we find it? In the Old Testament, in Deuteronomy 4, we find two sets of laws mentioned.

13 “So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone.
14
“And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might perform them in the land where you are going over to possess it.

ДекалогGod gave the Ten Commandments. He spoke them (Exodus 20:1) and wrote them with his own finger on tables of stone (Exodus 31:18). God also commanded Moses to instruct the people in “statutes and judgments”. We find these “statutes and judgments ” discussed at length in Exodus and Leviticus. They are the laws of civil governance and of the ceremonies of the Tabernacle. Moses wrote them down, then commanded in Deuteronomy 31:26

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Spirit, Flesh and Blood

Thursday, April 3rd, 2008

Richard Noel

I have always puzzled over the language used by the Apostle Paul in describing the Christian life. My problem came in reading 1 Corinthians 15:50. The language seems so strange.

NAU 1 Corinthians 15:50: “Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.”

This raised a group of questions I will attempt to answer explicitly from the Word of God. I don’t object to logic, as long as it is firmly rooted in the facts of the Word.

  • Why is inheritance so important? Who do we inherit from? How?
  • What is it about “flesh and blood” that makes it impossible to inherit the kingdom of God?
  • What is the solution to this impossible situation?

I listened to many people give explanations. They all seemed to partly answer my confusion, but not completely. Finally, I gave up on other people giving me a satisfactory answer. I decided to see what Paul and the other Bible writers meant when they used words like “flesh”, “blood”, and “spirit”.

I had already figured out that these terms occasionally were used in an ordinary secular sense. Other times they obviously meant something I was still missing.

My search began with a concordance. These words are used many times. In the Bible:

  1. “flesh” is used over 300 times
  2. “blood” is used over 400 times
  3. “spirit” is used over 550 times

This could be a long study, so I will try to focus on the important points in a simple and practical way.

Context and other verses

Fortunately, only a few verses in the Bible use this special expression “flesh and blood“, let’s look at them first for the overall context. Matt. 16:17; 1 Co. 15:50; Gal. 1:16; Eph. 6:12; Heb. 2:14

Jesus used the expression in Matthew 16:17

“And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” Obviously, God is not “flesh and blood”.

Paul used the expression 4 times including the text I am concerned about.

Galatians 1:16 , “. immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: 17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia..” Here Paul seems to be referring to humans in contrast to God.

NAU Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places .”

Clearly this separates supernatural forces from human powers.

KJV Hebrews 2:14 “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;”

This text tells us that Jesus participated in humanity, i.e . flesh and blood.

1. Why is inheritance so important? Who do we inherit from? How?

KJV Genesis 15:7 “And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.”

Clearly it is not a new idea for a human to inherit something from God. This seems to imply that God is the real owner or Abram could not inherit it from God. The fact is it is God’s creation so He is the real owner. But.. The Hebrew language is really different from English in this text. The word translated “inherit” can mean: to seize, dispossess, take possession off, inherit, disinherit, occupy, impoverish, be an heir.1

KJV Numbers 13:30 “And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.”

Here is another usage of the same Hebrew word. In fact, this is the more common usage of the word. Many other texts confirm that this word refers to ” possession” more than to what we call “inheritance”.

Another Hebrew term is also used. It has similar meanings. In the following text it clearly refers to what we call “inheritance”. However, the basic meaning is “possess”.2

KJV Psalm 69:36 “The seed also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein.”

The Greek word used by Paul clearly contains the same group of ideas as the Hebrew words.3 Thus, it is impossible to force this text strictly into the mould of Western thought. We must allow for the idea of obtaining or receiving a possession.

Having gone this far, I still don’t see the impossibility of possessing the kingdom solved, so that I can obtain a place in the kingdom of God. Do we have to cease to be human to get into the kingdom?

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  1. 3423 yarash {yaw-rash’} or vrey” yaresh {yaw-raysh’}

    Meaning: 1) to seize, dispossess, take possession off, inherit, disinherit, occupy, impoverish, be an heir
    1a) (Qal) 1a1) to take possession of 1a2) to inherit 1a3) to impoverish, come to poverty, be poor
    1b) (Niphal) to be dispossessed, be impoverished, come to poverty
    1c) (Piel) to devour
    1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to possess or inherit 1d2) to cause others to possess or inherit 1d3) to impoverish 1d4) to dispossess 1d5) to destroy, bring to ruin, disinherit [-]

  2. 5159 nachalah {nakh-al-aw’}

    Meaning: 1) possession, property, inheritance, heritage 1a) property 1b) portion, share 1c) inheritance, portion [-]

  3. 2816 kleronomeo {klay-ron-om-eh’-o}

    Meaning: 1) to receive a lot, receive by lot
    - 1a) esp. to receive a part of an inheritance, receive as an inheritance, obtain by right of inheritance
    - 1b) to be an heir, to inherit
    2) to receive the portion assigned to one, receive an allotted portion, receive as one’s own or as a possession
    3) to become partaker of, to obtain [-]

Prophecy In The Autumn Festivals

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

Richard Noel

As we previously studied, the Spring Festivals of Israel had both a commemorative and a prophetic function. As the believers celebrated they rehearsed both the past and the future. The future of the Spring Festivals became reality in the ministry of Jesus, His death, resurrection, and ascension. I believe that just like the Spring Festivals, the Autumn festivals serve both as a memorial and a prophecy.

Jesus fulfilled the Spring Festivals and He will fulfill the Autumn festivals.

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Written in Stone

Monday, March 17th, 2008

Richard Noel

I used to earn my living in the construction business. I cannot help looking at buildings to discover how well they were constructed. Most builders build for quick sale. As a result they minimize quality for profit. It is very rare to examine a large brick building and not find any cracks in the mortar joints. This is because most buildings are prone to settling as the underlying earth compresses under the weight of the building.

In 1972, a church was selling their old building to my congregation because they had merged with another church and had a large new building. With another builder, I examined the building thoroughly. We were unable to find even one small crack in this 50 year old building. (more…)

Inferiority Complex

Sunday, March 16th, 2008

What are modern Christians built on? Many live in a dwelling place, which is inferior to what they could have had. It is inferiority complex in the body of Christ, which appear through inferior teaching. But Bible says in Hebrews 8:6 it says, “But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises “.

Pastor Kevin Campbell

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But I Say Unto You…

Thursday, December 20th, 2007

by Richard Noel,

BA in Theology

I believe that Christianity is really the continuation of what Judaism was intended by God to be.

NIV John 5:39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me.

Old Testament (OT) covenants vs. New Testament (NT): “but I say unto you”….
This seems to imply that the OT is wrong or that God is inadequate to save by the same means and thus has changed the rules of salvation. If it were possible for God to change the rules of salvation then it was not necessary for Jesus to die on the Cross!!

I will now document for you that Jesus did not change anything.

KJV Matthew 5:17: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
All he did was to contradict the Pharisees and their traditions, which were in contradiction to the Bible.

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Walking in the Covenant

Sunday, July 1st, 2007

Pastor Kevin Campbell

Sermon. Audio. MP3 format. Duration 52 min.

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