WEBVTT
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♪ theme music ♪
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(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,
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an in-depth, interactive study
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of the Word of God.
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We're in the middle of a series
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on Ezra and Nehemiah,
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an ancient Jewish priest
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and a government official in Persia.
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And you say, "Derek, what could
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that have to do with us today?"
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God and the covenant today,
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but God wants to make
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a covenant with us, too.
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It's a new covenant
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and an everlasting covenant,
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that will change us,
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not only today but forever; so I'm excited
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about Hope Sabbath School today,
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God and the Covenant.
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I'm glad you joined us.
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And this has been a great series,
hasn't it?
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(Team) Yes.
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(Derek) Fifth century B.C.,
a Jewish priest,
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inspired by the Holy Spirit,
named Ezra,
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and a government official
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living in Persia - he was a Jew in exile
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by the name of Nehemiah,
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also guided by the Holy Spirit -
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write a record for us
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by the Holy Spirit today.
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It's exciting to know what God can do.
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And we're happy you're part
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of our Hope Sabbath School family
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wherever you are around the world.
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Here's a note from Mutale in Zambia.
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Lots of Hope Sabbath School members there.
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"Hi, Hope Sabbath School team."
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(Team) Hello!
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(Derek) "My name is Mutale.
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I've always enjoyed
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the discussions every day at my office
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before I start work in the morning."
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Begin the day with God, right?
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"May the good Lord Jesus
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continue to grant you good health
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so that you can reach
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many people around the world,
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even as God also helps you
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in your Christian journey."
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) "Let's be prayerful
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in these Last Days as believers.
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Pray for everyone so that God
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can take control. Amen."
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) Mutale, thanks for writing
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to us from Zambia,
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and I know there are
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many Hope Sabbath School members there.
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Carlos writes from Chile.
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I don't remember one from Chile,
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but I'm sure we've had some.
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Carlos says, "I just want to thank you,
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Hope Sabbath School team, for being there.
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I'm an English teacher in Chile,"
South America.
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"Let me tell you, watching
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Hope Sabbath School every Friday night
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has been a double blessing for me.
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I can study the Bible,
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listening to your beautiful English.
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Greetings to everyone, from Chile."
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Well, Carlos, thanks for writing to us,
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and I'm sure you're
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a great English teacher, but even more,
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to be a great man of God, right,
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a great woman of God,
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that you can bless students.
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Here's a note from Marcia in Jamaica.
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Long live Jamaica, Nicole.
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(Nicole) Long live.
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(Derek) All right.
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"Thank you, Hope Sabbath School.
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I watch your show to help me
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understand more about the Bible.
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Keep teaching and sharing God's Word
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so that Jesus can come soon."
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) Well, Marcia,
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a simple message from Jamaica,
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but we believe with all of our hearts
what you said.
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Jesus is coming soon,
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and He wants us all to be ready.
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A donor writes from Oklahoma in the U.S.,
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and I just want to say thank you
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to all of our donors; Hope Channel
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is a donor-supported ministry.
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"I love the program," the donor writes.
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"Young people are inspiring to me."
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They must be talking
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about the folks sitting there and not me,
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but I just want to say
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that we are excited to see young leaders
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taking their place in this ministry.
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"I'm 90 years old," writes the donor,
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"and I want you to know
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that you are an inspiration."
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Somebody smile and say Amen.
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(Team) Amen!
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(Derek) All right, praise God.
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You know, I know this donor.
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By the way, a gift for 20 dollars,
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and that may be a major donation
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when you're 90 years old.
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Thanks for being part of our ministry
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and for each one of you
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that supports this ministry.
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Last note, from Justina in the Bahamas.
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Justina writes and says, "Thank you,
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Hope Sabbath School team,
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for your explanation of the Word of God.
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I listen during the week
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so that I can receive
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a clear understanding of the Bible.
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Hope Sabbath School uplifts me
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and allows me more and more
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to understand God's faithfulness
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and His grace to me.
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I love you all.
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I look forward to the day
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when all of God's people
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will meet in His Kingdom.
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Please do not get weary in well-doing.
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Keep up the excellent work.
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I'm sure that God has a special reward
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for each one of you."
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And you know what the reward will be?
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To see each other there
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and to be with Jesus.
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) So, thanks, Justina,
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for writing to us from the Bahamas.
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And we'd love to hear from you.
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You can write to us
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at sshope@hopetv.org.
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And those email testimonies
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really do encourage us.
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Right now, though, we have
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a Scripture song to sing,
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taken from Psalm 25,
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a 3,000-year-old Scripture song.
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My wife put a happy tune to it, and we're
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going to sing it together right now.
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♪ music ♪
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(Derek) You know, as we
were singing that song,
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it suddenly hit me
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that Jesus, as a young lad in Nazareth,
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might have sung those words.
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It was a thousand-year-old Scripture song
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written by the psalmist at that time,
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but Jesus memorized Scripture in song.
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He had these beautiful Psalms.
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Now, you say, "It's a different tune."
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I know; Maybe He'll hear us,
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"To You, O Lord," and He'll pause
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and say, "I know the words.
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Who wrote the tune?"
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But the Word of God
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is so powerful, isn't it?
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And I'm glad that you can sing
along with us
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wherever you are around the world,
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that we can sing Scripture together,
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and we can be blessed.
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But right now we want to pray
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that God will guide us in our study.
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God and the Covenant is the title.
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God wants to make a covenant with us.
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Let's pray; Father in Heaven, we thank You
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that from these ancient writings
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of Ezra and Nehemiah,
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we can learn practical lessons
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for our lives today.
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And I pray that we would catch a glimpse
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of Your immeasurable and unfailing love,
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that we would catch a glimpse
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of all that You want to do for us,
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in us and through us.
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May lives be blessed today.
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We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) Before we begin
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reading from the Scripture
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about God and the Covenant,
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someone give me a simple explanation,
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what is a covenant? Anybody. Brittany.
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(Brittany) It's an agreement
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between two or more people.
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(Derek) Okay, an agreement
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between two or more people.
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Jason, you want to add to that?
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(Jason) It often has a lot
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of emotional significance
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related to a relationship.
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(Derek) Certainly a well-known covenant
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in today's culture is?
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(Derek, Team) Marriage.
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(Derek) And unfortunately those covenants
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are not always kept, right?
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But it's an agreement.
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So, both people are consenting.
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Are they equal, the two parties?
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Sometimes, that's right;
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that's a good answer.
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Sometimes they're equal.
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Other times, for example,
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if a monarch and people
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are making decisions.
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Certainly God and us
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making a covenant together,
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we're not equal are we?
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But we're both agreeing,
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a covenant that is made.
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Let's go to Nehemiah, chapter 9,
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beginning with verse 36.
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And, Nicole, would you
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begin our study today? Verses 36 to 38.
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What is the setting for the people of God
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here during the time
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of Ezra and Nehemiah
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when they say, "We're going
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to renew our covenant with God"?
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(Nicole) So the New King James Version
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of Nehemiah 9:36-38 says:
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(Derek) So, what's the setting
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of making this new covenant?
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Where are we history-wise?
Anybody? Travis?
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(Travis) They're prisoners
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in their own land.
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(Derek) That's an interesting way
of describing it
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because they're not really prisoners
in a jail, right?
00:10:07.467 --> 00:10:10.040
But they're in a very difficult situation.
John?
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(John) So, this is shortly
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after the completion
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of the city walls of Jerusalem.
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They had been restored and rebuilt,
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but they were still
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under Persian rule at the time.
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(Derek) And how did all of that happen?
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Give me a little history, Stephanie.
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How did they end up in exile,
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and now they've come back from exile?
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Why do they go, "We need
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to renew our commitment to God"?
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(Stephanie) When they've gone away,
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when they were taken into captivity,
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it was because of their disobedience.
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(Derek) They had abandoned
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the covenant with God, right?
00:10:40.005 --> 00:10:42.528
Okay, and how long were they there?
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(Derek, Team) Seventy years.
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(Derek) And we're going
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to study about that
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because then they go,
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"You know, God promised
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we could come back."
00:10:49.387 --> 00:10:52.095
But as Travis pointed out, the first wave
00:10:52.095 --> 00:10:53.964
comes back under Zerubbabel.
00:10:53.964 --> 00:10:55.331
Another wave comes back
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under Ezra and Nehemiah,
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but things are not all well, right?
00:11:00.417 --> 00:11:02.451
So they are saying to themselves,
00:11:02.451 --> 00:11:04.482
"You know, we know what got
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our forefathers into trouble,"
00:11:07.124 --> 00:11:10.001
abandoning the agreement with God,
00:11:10.001 --> 00:11:11.109
the covenant with God,
00:11:11.109 --> 00:11:13.744
"let's renew our covenant."
00:11:13.744 --> 00:11:14.851
Now, in chapter 10,
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you've got your Bible there,
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you'll notice in verses 1 through 27
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what do you see, anybody?
00:11:22.520 --> 00:11:24.169
(Derek, Team) A list of names.
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(Derek) And I am not going to ask for you,
00:11:26.218 --> 00:11:27.471
Adison, to read that list.
00:11:27.471 --> 00:11:28.997
I'm sure you could,
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but why do you think the Holy Spirit
00:11:32.040 --> 00:11:37.383
inspired Nehemiah to write down
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all of those names?
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What do you think, Adison?
00:11:40.789 --> 00:11:42.358
(Adison) I think it was important
00:11:42.358 --> 00:11:44.034
because this covenant was
00:11:44.034 --> 00:11:45.831
not only for one individual and God,
00:11:45.831 --> 00:11:47.944
but it was a community thing.
00:11:47.944 --> 00:11:49.474
So, here we have an example
00:11:49.474 --> 00:11:51.323
of all these names being listed down,
00:11:51.323 --> 00:11:52.280
and so you can see
00:11:52.280 --> 00:11:53.839
that it was a community covenant
00:11:53.839 --> 00:11:55.395
between God and His people.
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(Derek) You've got Nehemiah there,
certainly, right,
00:11:59.340 --> 00:12:04.746
and then you've got Zedekiah and Seraiah.
00:12:04.746 --> 00:12:07.824
I'm assuming, as the list
is being written,
00:12:07.824 --> 00:12:10.464
that someone says...?
00:12:10.464 --> 00:12:11.491
(Team) "Me, too."
00:12:11.491 --> 00:12:12.701
(Derek) "Me, too," right,
00:12:12.701 --> 00:12:14.611
"add my name," right? Travis?
00:12:14.611 --> 00:12:15.890
(Travis) You know, when we
00:12:15.890 --> 00:12:17.111
sign agreements nowadays,
00:12:17.111 --> 00:12:18.871
we do that so there's accountability,
00:12:18.871 --> 00:12:20.318
so they can't go back and say,
00:12:20.318 --> 00:12:22.423
"Well, you know, I never said that."
00:12:22.423 --> 00:12:25.293
When you put something in writing,
00:12:25.293 --> 00:12:28.457
you know, it's an accountability,
it's official.
00:12:28.457 --> 00:12:30.483
(Derek) So, back to the marriage
00:12:30.483 --> 00:12:32.168
or courting relationship,
00:12:32.168 --> 00:12:34.649
if someone says, "Well, I'd like
00:12:34.649 --> 00:12:35.640
to move in with you,
00:12:35.640 --> 00:12:37.329
but I'm not ready to make
00:12:37.329 --> 00:12:40.027
a formal agreement...
00:12:40.027 --> 00:12:42.958
(Evelyn) Commitment.
00:12:42.958 --> 00:12:45.349
(Derek) What would you say
to them, Evelyn?
00:12:45.349 --> 00:12:46.986
(Evelyn) I would say you guys
00:12:46.986 --> 00:12:48.010
need to do it the way
00:12:48.010 --> 00:12:50.637
the Lord commands us to,
00:12:50.637 --> 00:12:52.992
I mean, to show commitment to one another.
00:12:52.992 --> 00:12:54.514
(Derek) That's true. Yes, Jason.
00:12:54.514 --> 00:12:56.816
(Jason) I would say that's
kind of like cheating.
00:12:56.816 --> 00:12:58.384
You're trying to get the benefits
00:12:58.384 --> 00:13:00.300
of the situation without the commitment.
00:13:00.300 --> 00:13:02.154
(Derek) And the truth is, it won't work
00:13:02.154 --> 00:13:03.436
because there's no...?
00:13:03.436 --> 00:13:04.661
(Team) Commitment.
00:13:04.661 --> 00:13:06.439
(Derek) There's no commitment, right?
00:13:06.439 --> 00:13:09.766
Now, having listed these primary signers,
00:13:09.766 --> 00:13:10.738
I mean, we can think
00:13:10.738 --> 00:13:12.284
of other primary documents
00:13:12.284 --> 00:13:13.639
where there are the signers
00:13:13.639 --> 00:13:15.466
whose names are on there,
00:13:15.466 --> 00:13:17.053
let's take a look, Gladys,
00:13:17.053 --> 00:13:19.964
at verses 28 and 29,
00:13:19.964 --> 00:13:21.866
something that Nehemiah adds
00:13:21.866 --> 00:13:24.076
after that list of names.
00:13:24.076 --> 00:13:25.065
(Gladys) I'm reading
00:13:25.065 --> 00:13:26.956
from the New International Version,
00:13:26.956 --> 00:13:31.603
Nehemiah, chapter 10, verses 28 and 29:
00:14:09.043 --> 00:14:10.891
(Derek) So, what's the significance
00:14:10.891 --> 00:14:12.124
of that little add-on
00:14:12.124 --> 00:14:14.122
to the list of names?
00:14:14.122 --> 00:14:16.146
(Harold) Total commitment.
00:14:16.146 --> 00:14:17.413
(Derek) Total commitment.
00:14:17.413 --> 00:14:20.203
(Harold) It wasn't just the leaders
because we can't forget
00:14:20.203 --> 00:14:23.258
the names listed in verses 1 through 27;
these were the leaders,
00:14:23.258 --> 00:14:26.432
which actually they were supposed to teach
and impart this message.
00:14:26.432 --> 00:14:28.037
But at the same time, the people,
00:14:28.037 --> 00:14:30.263
were like, "We want to be followers, too."
00:14:30.263 --> 00:14:32.247
(Derek) Right? The rest of the people.
00:14:32.247 --> 00:14:35.137
In fact, we find that phrase
00:14:35.137 --> 00:14:37.529
toward the end of verse 29,
00:14:37.529 --> 00:14:39.438
or verse 28, excuse me,
00:14:39.438 --> 00:14:42.591
"everyone who had knowledge
and understanding."
00:14:42.591 --> 00:14:43.583
What does that mean?
00:14:43.583 --> 00:14:44.793
We had that when Ezra
00:14:44.793 --> 00:14:47.061
was reading, too, the Word, right?
00:14:47.061 --> 00:14:49.649
What does that mean?
00:14:49.649 --> 00:14:50.716
Even the little ones
00:14:50.716 --> 00:14:52.607
who could understand, right?
00:14:52.607 --> 00:14:56.260
They said, "Me, too, papa,"
00:14:56.260 --> 00:14:58.653
"Me, too, mama, add my name
to that list.
00:14:58.653 --> 00:15:02.115
I want to be named with the people of God
00:15:02.115 --> 00:15:04.617
who are making this covenant with God."
00:15:04.617 --> 00:15:06.513
So, like Harold said,
00:15:06.513 --> 00:15:10.638
it's, like, a total commitment,
00:15:10.638 --> 00:15:11.897
a total commitment.
00:15:11.897 --> 00:15:16.715
Now, how did the witness of the leaders
00:15:16.715 --> 00:15:19.331
influence the rest of the people?
00:15:19.331 --> 00:15:22.933
We don't know, do we?
00:15:22.933 --> 00:15:25.095
Is there a correlation sometimes, John,
00:15:25.095 --> 00:15:28.145
between the leader, even in a family,
00:15:28.145 --> 00:15:30.261
and where the family goes?
00:15:30.261 --> 00:15:32.338
(John) They often set the example,
00:15:32.338 --> 00:15:34.805
and they set the tone for the family
00:15:34.805 --> 00:15:37.164
or those that they are leading.
00:15:37.164 --> 00:15:39.087
(Derek) So, you've got two key leaders,
00:15:39.087 --> 00:15:40.942
namely Ezra and...?
00:15:40.942 --> 00:15:41.797
(Team) Nehemiah.
00:15:41.797 --> 00:15:43.318
(Derek) who are saying,
00:15:43.318 --> 00:15:44.670
"We're going to follow God.
00:15:44.670 --> 00:15:46.603
This is what God wants us to do.
00:15:46.603 --> 00:15:49.401
They both sacrificed in order to do that.
00:15:49.401 --> 00:15:51.088
Now the other leaders are coming,
00:15:51.088 --> 00:15:52.598
and now all of the people,
00:15:52.598 --> 00:15:53.761
a total commitment,
00:15:53.761 --> 00:15:54.978
"Let's make a covenant,"
00:15:54.978 --> 00:15:56.961
make an agreement, "with God." Stephanie.
00:15:56.961 --> 00:15:58.936
(Stephanie) I guess, what came to my mind
00:15:58.936 --> 00:16:00.514
was that each person has to make
00:16:00.514 --> 00:16:02.060
their own individual commitment.
00:16:02.060 --> 00:16:03.371
So, even though the leaders
00:16:03.371 --> 00:16:04.644
are making the commitment,
00:16:04.644 --> 00:16:05.837
each individual also had
00:16:05.837 --> 00:16:07.322
to make their own commitment.
00:16:07.322 --> 00:16:09.801
(Derek) Now, it said, "those who
have understanding."
00:16:09.801 --> 00:16:11.024
What about the tiny ones?
00:16:11.024 --> 00:16:14.066
How is their destiny determined,
00:16:14.066 --> 00:16:17.955
the ones without understanding yet?
00:16:17.955 --> 00:16:21.420
(Team) The parents.
00:16:21.420 --> 00:16:22.562
(Derek) It was the same
00:16:22.562 --> 00:16:24.378
in the time of Noah.
00:16:24.378 --> 00:16:26.127
It was the same, you know,
00:16:26.127 --> 00:16:27.372
you think of other times
00:16:27.372 --> 00:16:30.345
when people had decisions to make.
00:16:30.345 --> 00:16:31.950
The Exodus, you know,
00:16:31.950 --> 00:16:33.181
"Are we going to go out?"
00:16:33.181 --> 00:16:34.489
The little ones, they don't
00:16:34.489 --> 00:16:36.694
make that choice, do they?
00:16:36.694 --> 00:16:38.343
At that point, their destiny
00:16:38.343 --> 00:16:39.781
is very much impacted
00:16:39.781 --> 00:16:41.378
by the decision of their parents.
00:16:41.378 --> 00:16:43.390
It's a solemn responsibility, right?
00:16:43.390 --> 00:16:45.860
So, we're going to pause for a moment now.
00:16:45.860 --> 00:16:49.165
We've seen this important juncture,
00:16:49.165 --> 00:16:52.036
crossroads, for the people of God
00:16:52.036 --> 00:16:53.903
there in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah,
00:16:53.903 --> 00:16:55.682
"We're going to renew our commitment,
00:16:55.682 --> 00:16:56.847
our covenant, with God."
00:16:56.847 --> 00:16:58.012
But there had been times
00:16:58.012 --> 00:17:00.037
down through sacred history
00:17:00.037 --> 00:17:01.971
when God has made covenants,
00:17:01.971 --> 00:17:03.793
or agreements, with people,
00:17:03.793 --> 00:17:05.567
and we're just going to take a moment
00:17:05.567 --> 00:17:06.777
to look at some of those.
00:17:06.777 --> 00:17:08.526
Some of them might seem massive,
00:17:08.526 --> 00:17:11.424
and some are rather small, but there are
00:17:11.424 --> 00:17:13.593
at least two people in the agreement,
00:17:13.593 --> 00:17:15.904
and they're both agreeing to it,
00:17:15.904 --> 00:17:17.333
and it has implications.
00:17:17.333 --> 00:17:21.047
So, anybody, give me some examples
00:17:21.047 --> 00:17:25.768
of other covenants. Anybody? Yes, Evelyn?
00:17:25.768 --> 00:17:27.155
(Evelyn) There's the covenant
00:17:27.155 --> 00:17:28.470
God had with Adam.
00:17:28.470 --> 00:17:30.426
(Derek) All right, let's look at that
00:17:30.426 --> 00:17:33.734
in the book of Genesis, chapter 3,
00:17:33.734 --> 00:17:35.102
a covenant with Adam.
00:17:35.102 --> 00:17:36.842
Again, a covenant is a what?
00:17:36.842 --> 00:17:37.815
(Team) An agreement.
00:17:37.815 --> 00:17:39.420
(Derek) It's an agreement, okay.
00:17:39.420 --> 00:17:41.725
So let's see, the words spoken
00:17:41.725 --> 00:17:46.177
in verse 15 are actually
00:17:46.177 --> 00:17:48.853
spoken to the serpent,
00:17:48.853 --> 00:17:51.961
but it is describing a covenant
00:17:51.961 --> 00:17:53.653
with the human family.
00:17:53.653 --> 00:17:55.449
So would you read verse 15 for us,
00:17:55.449 --> 00:17:59.055
and then also if you would add verse 21.
00:17:59.055 --> 00:18:00.525
(Evelyn) And I will be reading
00:18:00.525 --> 00:18:03.370
from the New Living Translation; it says:
00:18:14.944 --> 00:18:16.912
Verse 21 says:
00:18:22.334 --> 00:18:24.274
(Derek) So, what does that promise
00:18:24.274 --> 00:18:26.260
in verse 15, that God is not
00:18:26.260 --> 00:18:28.348
going to abandon the human family -
00:18:28.348 --> 00:18:30.543
He's making a promise to them, right,
00:18:30.543 --> 00:18:31.930
that He's going to provide
00:18:31.930 --> 00:18:33.919
a way of salvation for them -
00:18:33.919 --> 00:18:36.481
and verse 21, why are those two related?
00:18:36.481 --> 00:18:38.704
Help me, someone. John?
00:18:38.704 --> 00:18:40.765
(John) These are linked because verse 15
00:18:40.765 --> 00:18:43.976
gives the promise of the Messiah to come,
00:18:43.976 --> 00:18:45.701
and here you have that they
00:18:45.701 --> 00:18:46.767
are clothed with skin.
00:18:46.767 --> 00:18:48.700
That means that there was a sacrifice
00:18:48.700 --> 00:18:51.235
that took place for them
00:18:51.235 --> 00:18:52.931
to receive skins or covering.
00:18:52.931 --> 00:18:55.567
(Derek) And that's not described there
in chapter 3.
00:18:55.567 --> 00:18:57.689
In chapter 4, you've got
00:18:57.689 --> 00:18:59.992
Abel bringing the lamb.
00:18:59.992 --> 00:19:01.772
Cain, in rebellion, bringing
00:19:01.772 --> 00:19:03.863
some fruit from his garden.
00:19:03.863 --> 00:19:05.473
So obviously this idea
00:19:05.473 --> 00:19:07.725
of a lamb pointing forward
00:19:07.725 --> 00:19:09.919
all the way to the Lamb of God, Jesus,
00:19:09.919 --> 00:19:11.984
who will take away the sin of the world,
00:19:11.984 --> 00:19:13.340
had been explained to them.
00:19:13.340 --> 00:19:14.843
Now, did you ever think
00:19:14.843 --> 00:19:16.452
(my wife was sharing this with me
00:19:16.452 --> 00:19:18.040
just a few days ago),
00:19:18.040 --> 00:19:22.259
does that mean that God
00:19:22.259 --> 00:19:24.116
offered the first sacrifice
00:19:24.116 --> 00:19:28.134
to show them the cost
00:19:28.134 --> 00:19:30.462
and also the sign of looking forward?
00:19:30.462 --> 00:19:33.865
And if that's true, was that
00:19:33.865 --> 00:19:36.730
the first time in eternity
00:19:36.730 --> 00:19:43.462
that God had caused any form of death?
00:19:43.462 --> 00:19:45.928
That's a solemn thought, isn't it?
00:19:45.928 --> 00:19:47.832
And yet, the agreement is,
00:19:47.832 --> 00:19:50.947
if you trust My promise,
00:19:50.947 --> 00:19:53.341
I will save you, right?
00:19:53.341 --> 00:19:55.452
And not just you but your children.
00:19:55.452 --> 00:19:57.438
Well, we could spend a lot of time there.
00:19:57.438 --> 00:20:00.288
We may get a thousand emails;
you go, "Really?"
00:20:00.288 --> 00:20:02.405
Or did God just tell Adam,
00:20:02.405 --> 00:20:03.818
"You kill the lamb'"?
00:20:03.818 --> 00:20:05.807
Maybe God told Adam?
00:20:05.807 --> 00:20:06.928
We'll hear from you.
00:20:06.928 --> 00:20:08.370
What do you think, by the way?
00:20:08.370 --> 00:20:09.806
It was certainly not
00:20:09.806 --> 00:20:10.938
within the heart of God
00:20:10.938 --> 00:20:12.970
to witness any death, was it?
00:20:12.970 --> 00:20:14.389
God wanted all things
00:20:14.389 --> 00:20:16.840
to be in perfect harmony.
00:20:16.840 --> 00:20:19.401
We'll get some emails, I'm sure.
00:20:19.401 --> 00:20:21.130
Yeah, I see you thinking. Gladys?
00:20:21.130 --> 00:20:22.374
(Gladys) Yes, the covenant
00:20:22.374 --> 00:20:23.860
that God made with Noah.
00:20:23.860 --> 00:20:25.829
(Derek) Okay, let's take a look at that.
00:20:25.829 --> 00:20:27.224
Of course, you know the story
00:20:27.224 --> 00:20:29.059
of Noah starts in Genesis 6,
00:20:29.059 --> 00:20:32.033
but let's take a look at Genesis 9.
00:20:32.033 --> 00:20:33.380
Perhaps you could read that
00:20:33.380 --> 00:20:37.190
for us, Gladys, verses 8 through 11.
00:20:37.190 --> 00:20:38.686
(Gladys) Sure, I'll be reading
00:20:38.686 --> 00:20:40.506
from the New International Version,
00:20:40.506 --> 00:20:43.946
Genesis 9, verses 8 to 11:
00:21:21.247 --> 00:21:22.546
(Derek) So, that's God part
00:21:22.546 --> 00:21:23.892
of the covenant, a promise,
00:21:23.892 --> 00:21:26.513
and He gives the sign of that with what?
00:21:26.513 --> 00:21:27.414
(Team) A rainbow.
00:21:27.414 --> 00:21:30.510
(Derek) So, what's their part
of the covenant?
00:21:30.510 --> 00:21:31.817
What does He ask them
00:21:31.817 --> 00:21:34.285
to do to enter into it?
00:21:34.285 --> 00:21:35.250
(John) Trust Him.
00:21:35.250 --> 00:21:37.236
(Derek) To just trust Him, that's right.
00:21:37.236 --> 00:21:39.796
You say, "That's not very much,"
00:21:39.796 --> 00:21:42.651
but actually it's the very essence,
isn't it,
00:21:42.651 --> 00:21:45.951
of trusting in the immeasurable
and unfailing love of God.
00:21:45.951 --> 00:21:47.946
One more, another covenant. Brittany.
00:21:47.946 --> 00:21:49.348
(Brittany) I think of Abraham
00:21:49.348 --> 00:21:50.842
when he was called Abram.
00:21:50.842 --> 00:21:52.519
God promised him that He would make
00:21:52.519 --> 00:21:55.001
his descendants like the stars of the sky.
00:21:55.001 --> 00:21:56.523
(Derek) When his name was Abram,
00:21:56.523 --> 00:21:57.599
and I'll have you read
00:21:57.599 --> 00:21:59.771
chapter 12 for us, of Genesis, 1 to 3,
00:21:59.771 --> 00:22:00.984
when his name was Abram,
00:22:00.984 --> 00:22:02.473
how many children did he have?
00:22:02.473 --> 00:22:03.372
(Team) None.
00:22:03.372 --> 00:22:05.297
(Derek) And how old was he at that time?
00:22:05.297 --> 00:22:07.336
Oh, can you remember that? Was he...?
00:22:07.336 --> 00:22:10.925
Seventy-five years old, right?
00:22:10.925 --> 00:22:12.635
Well, let's take a look, Brittany,
00:22:12.635 --> 00:22:14.746
in chapter 12, verses 1 to 3.
00:22:14.746 --> 00:22:17.021
And then we could look at many others,
00:22:17.021 --> 00:22:18.176
but I'm going to ask you
00:22:18.176 --> 00:22:19.148
what you've noticed
00:22:19.148 --> 00:22:20.666
they all have in common so far.
00:22:20.666 --> 00:22:21.924
(Brittany) I'll be reading
00:22:21.924 --> 00:22:23.469
from the New King James Version,
00:22:23.469 --> 00:22:26.031
Genesis, chapter 12, verses 1 through 3:
00:22:51.495 --> 00:22:53.481
(Derek) Now, that's a beautiful promise.
00:22:53.481 --> 00:22:54.666
By the way, if you look
00:22:54.666 --> 00:22:56.714
at the family tree of Jesus,
get to Matthew,
00:22:56.714 --> 00:22:58.717
He's a son of Abraham, right?
00:22:58.717 --> 00:23:01.209
Because the, "In you, all the families
00:23:01.209 --> 00:23:04.736
of the earth will be blessed," is also...?
00:23:04.736 --> 00:23:06.789
A prophecy pointing forward to Messiah
00:23:06.789 --> 00:23:09.416
just like the lamb is a prophecy
00:23:09.416 --> 00:23:11.805
pointing forward to Messiah, right?
00:23:11.805 --> 00:23:13.904
"In you all the nations..."
00:23:13.904 --> 00:23:15.890
We have to look at one more, Moses,
00:23:15.890 --> 00:23:18.320
the covenant made with Moses and Israel.
00:23:18.320 --> 00:23:20.706
If someone could look in Exodus 19,
00:23:20.706 --> 00:23:23.360
verses 4 through 6.
00:23:23.360 --> 00:23:26.429
Exodus 19, Jason, if you
00:23:26.429 --> 00:23:28.288
could read verses 4 through 6,
00:23:28.288 --> 00:23:30.831
what does the Word say there?
00:23:30.831 --> 00:23:31.978
(Jason) I'll be reading
00:23:31.978 --> 00:23:33.530
from the New King James Version,
00:23:33.530 --> 00:23:37.470
Exodus, chapter 19, verses 4 through 6:
00:24:07.929 --> 00:24:09.282
(Derek) So, now God's making
00:24:09.282 --> 00:24:12.979
a covenant with Moses and...?
All of Israel.
00:24:12.979 --> 00:24:14.479
What do you see that all
00:24:14.479 --> 00:24:16.107
of these covenants have in common?
00:24:16.107 --> 00:24:17.710
We could look at more, too,
00:24:17.710 --> 00:24:18.674
but what do you see
00:24:18.674 --> 00:24:20.382
that they have in common, Harold?
00:24:20.382 --> 00:24:21.863
(Harold) God is the Initiator.
00:24:21.863 --> 00:24:22.577
(Derek) Okay.
00:24:22.577 --> 00:24:24.105
(Harold) He starts the covenant.
00:24:24.105 --> 00:24:26.200
(Derek) Very important, God is
the Initiator,
00:24:26.200 --> 00:24:27.440
and what's motivating Him?
00:24:27.440 --> 00:24:28.256
(Team) Love.
00:24:28.256 --> 00:24:29.321
(Derek) That's right.
00:24:29.321 --> 00:24:30.730
He doesn't need, like,
00:24:30.730 --> 00:24:32.089
"And I really need your help
00:24:32.089 --> 00:24:34.260
to build this city of...," whatever,"
00:24:34.260 --> 00:24:36.598
you know, like the Egyptians, right.
00:24:36.598 --> 00:24:40.000
No, it's just motivated by love.
00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:42.259
He's like, "I want to bless you.
00:24:42.259 --> 00:24:44.289
Can we make an agreement?"
00:24:44.289 --> 00:24:47.136
In fact, all of the sacrifice
00:24:47.136 --> 00:24:49.701
is coming from Him.
00:24:49.701 --> 00:24:51.680
Anything else that you're noticing? John?
00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:53.960
(John) It appears that in each
of the covenants,
00:24:53.960 --> 00:24:55.020
it's based on what God
00:24:55.020 --> 00:24:57.090
has done or will do,
00:24:57.090 --> 00:25:00.712
so, based on His actions and His doing.
00:25:00.712 --> 00:25:03.512
(Derek) So, trusting Him
00:25:03.512 --> 00:25:05.263
because we've seen what He's done
00:25:05.263 --> 00:25:07.626
in the past, maybe?
00:25:07.626 --> 00:25:09.753
Abram must have had some confidence
00:25:09.753 --> 00:25:11.937
in God's leading in his past. Nicole?
00:25:11.937 --> 00:25:14.385
(Nicole) It's all based on us trusting.
00:25:14.385 --> 00:25:15.998
He doesn't ask us to do anything.
00:25:15.998 --> 00:25:18.116
He said, "I'm going to do
everything for you,
00:25:18.116 --> 00:25:20.036
if you can just trust Me and accept it,
00:25:20.036 --> 00:25:21.305
then that's the covenant."
00:25:21.305 --> 00:25:22.476
(Derek) It's almost like
00:25:22.476 --> 00:25:23.747
they're about to set off
00:25:23.747 --> 00:25:25.271
this nuclear explosion,
00:25:25.271 --> 00:25:31.269
"Here's the shelter; just come in," right?
00:25:31.269 --> 00:25:32.713
"My love has provided for you,
00:25:32.713 --> 00:25:33.904
just enter in." Harold?
00:25:33.904 --> 00:25:35.163
(Harold) I wanted to add
00:25:35.163 --> 00:25:36.370
that all these covenants
00:25:36.370 --> 00:25:37.889
have to do with a relationship.
00:25:37.889 --> 00:25:39.627
It's always about this relationship,
00:25:39.627 --> 00:25:42.044
entering this harmonious relationship
with God,
00:25:42.044 --> 00:25:45.000
because the part, as it's been mentioned,
is the trust.
00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:46.876
When you trust, you're willing to obey.
00:25:46.876 --> 00:25:48.494
You're like, "Oh, yes, I love You.
00:25:48.494 --> 00:25:49.439
I want to do this,"
00:25:49.439 --> 00:25:51.483
because, again, I believe John
00:25:51.483 --> 00:25:52.502
said that we love Him
00:25:52.502 --> 00:25:54.237
because He first loved us.
00:25:54.237 --> 00:25:55.954
(Derek) That's right.
00:25:55.954 --> 00:25:57.173
So, we're going to go now
00:25:57.173 --> 00:25:58.334
to a beautiful statement
00:25:58.334 --> 00:26:00.985
of what is called the New Covenant,
00:26:00.985 --> 00:26:03.281
but it's another revelation
00:26:03.281 --> 00:26:05.552
of the immeasurable and unfailing
love of God
00:26:05.552 --> 00:26:09.946
in Jeremiah, chapter 31, verses 31 to 34.
00:26:09.946 --> 00:26:13.050
Stephanie, if you could read that for us.
00:26:13.050 --> 00:26:14.601
(Stephanie) And I'll be reading
00:26:14.601 --> 00:26:16.009
from the King James Version:
00:27:18.576 --> 00:27:20.661
(Derek) Now, that expression,
00:27:20.661 --> 00:27:23.537
"They shall all know Me,"
00:27:23.537 --> 00:27:26.477
what does that mean?
00:27:26.477 --> 00:27:28.955
Anybody know? The Hebrew understanding
00:27:28.955 --> 00:27:32.009
of that "knowing." Yes, Gladys.
00:27:32.009 --> 00:27:34.443
(Gladys) It's an intimate relationship.
00:27:34.443 --> 00:27:36.146
(Derek) That's right; it's actually
00:27:36.146 --> 00:27:37.336
the same word where Adam
00:27:37.336 --> 00:27:39.321
knew his wife, Eve, and she conceived
00:27:39.321 --> 00:27:41.038
and bore a child, right?
00:27:41.038 --> 00:27:45.413
So it's that close, intimate relationship,
00:27:45.413 --> 00:27:48.683
and that's God's ideal, for how many?
00:27:48.683 --> 00:27:49.738
(Team) For all of us.
00:27:49.738 --> 00:27:51.071
(Derek) Yeah, that everyone
00:27:51.071 --> 00:27:52.778
(we won't need to go and say...),
00:27:52.778 --> 00:27:54.956
that all will experience
00:27:54.956 --> 00:27:56.357
that intimate relationship.
00:27:56.357 --> 00:27:58.630
What do you hear different...
00:27:58.630 --> 00:27:59.926
The Lord Himself says,
00:27:59.926 --> 00:28:02.330
"This is not like the covenant
00:28:02.330 --> 00:28:04.592
I made with their fathers
00:28:04.592 --> 00:28:06.725
the day I brought them out of Egypt."
00:28:06.725 --> 00:28:09.786
What's different in this covenant,
00:28:09.786 --> 00:28:12.416
the wording of this New Covenant? Jason?
00:28:12.416 --> 00:28:14.011
(Jason) There is some description
00:28:14.011 --> 00:28:15.029
about putting the Law
00:28:15.029 --> 00:28:16.991
in their hearts and in their minds.
00:28:16.991 --> 00:28:18.845
And in the sort of previous covenant,
00:28:18.845 --> 00:28:22.978
there was a lot of external activity
written down.
00:28:22.978 --> 00:28:25.009
And so there's something kind of happening
00:28:25.009 --> 00:28:26.585
more internal here, it seems.
00:28:26.585 --> 00:28:28.989
(Derek) Okay, yes, you're
absolutely right.
00:28:28.989 --> 00:28:31.049
Let's expand on that a little. Travis?
00:28:31.049 --> 00:28:32.515
(Travis) I'd like to say
00:28:32.515 --> 00:28:35.295
that this New Covenant was based
00:28:35.295 --> 00:28:38.504
on God's promise to change us
00:28:38.504 --> 00:28:39.748
internally, like you said,
00:28:39.748 --> 00:28:41.613
but the first covenant was,
00:28:41.613 --> 00:28:43.151
"I promise, if you do this,"
00:28:43.151 --> 00:28:44.828
and this promise was based
00:28:44.828 --> 00:28:47.237
just on God's promise, which never fails.
00:28:47.237 --> 00:28:50.446
Man failed in keeping the covenant,
00:28:50.446 --> 00:28:51.703
and God says, "I'm going
00:28:51.703 --> 00:28:52.974
to do something within you
00:28:52.974 --> 00:28:54.490
so that you can keep
00:28:54.490 --> 00:28:55.748
this covenant with me.
00:28:55.748 --> 00:28:58.481
(Derek) All right, so, again,
more internal.
00:28:58.481 --> 00:29:00.503
Were there any other covenants
00:29:00.503 --> 00:29:02.928
that talked about, "I will forgive
their iniquities
00:29:02.928 --> 00:29:05.368
and remember their sins no more"?
00:29:05.368 --> 00:29:06.675
(Team) No.
00:29:06.675 --> 00:29:07.967
(Derek) I suppose you could
00:29:07.967 --> 00:29:09.288
go back to Genesis and say
00:29:09.288 --> 00:29:11.733
that by trusting in the sacrifice.
00:29:11.733 --> 00:29:14.054
This is much more explicit,
though, isn't it?
00:29:14.054 --> 00:29:16.292
"And I'm going to do something..."?
00:29:16.292 --> 00:29:18.241
"...in their hearts," right?
00:29:18.241 --> 00:29:21.528
"I'm going to change their hearts."
00:29:21.528 --> 00:29:23.449
So, what are your thoughts about God
00:29:23.449 --> 00:29:24.957
wanting to do that for you?
00:29:24.957 --> 00:29:26.787
Because that's not just written
00:29:26.787 --> 00:29:29.851
in the time of Jeremiah, right?
00:29:29.851 --> 00:29:33.407
That covenant is a covenant He wants
00:29:33.407 --> 00:29:35.856
to make with each one of us, right?
00:29:35.856 --> 00:29:37.652
Give me a new heart, forgive my sins,
00:29:37.652 --> 00:29:40.185
give me a new start,
00:29:40.185 --> 00:29:42.935
what are your thoughts about that?
Yes, Alex.
00:29:42.935 --> 00:29:44.972
(Alex) It's just really humbling to me.
00:29:44.972 --> 00:29:46.224
I think of all the things
00:29:46.224 --> 00:29:47.586
that I've done to hurt Him,
00:29:47.586 --> 00:29:49.433
the things I still do to hurt Him,
00:29:49.433 --> 00:29:50.778
and that He wants to have
00:29:50.778 --> 00:29:51.753
a covenant with me,
00:29:51.753 --> 00:29:54.629
that He still wants to reach out to me
to have it.
00:29:54.629 --> 00:29:56.699
(Derek) So, back to what we said earlier.
00:29:56.699 --> 00:29:59.604
Again, He's taking the initiative
(always, right),
00:29:59.604 --> 00:30:01.389
and it's based on His...?
00:30:01.389 --> 00:30:02.274
(Team) Love.
00:30:02.274 --> 00:30:04.225
(Derek) His immeasurable, unfailing love.
00:30:04.225 --> 00:30:06.740
And Alex says that's kind of humbling
00:30:06.740 --> 00:30:09.642
because He knows me, right? Nicole?
00:30:09.642 --> 00:30:11.423
(Nicole) It's encouraging also,
00:30:11.423 --> 00:30:14.495
that, even when I fall, He's still there
to pick me up,
00:30:14.495 --> 00:30:16.554
and He still wants to be with me.
00:30:16.554 --> 00:30:18.095
It's kind of self-esteem booster
00:30:18.095 --> 00:30:19.873
that this God of the universe
00:30:19.873 --> 00:30:21.005
wants little 'ole me
00:30:21.005 --> 00:30:23.068
to be in the covenant with Him.
00:30:23.068 --> 00:30:24.975
(Derek) And if it was a human being,
00:30:24.975 --> 00:30:25.980
you might say, "Well,
00:30:25.980 --> 00:30:27.176
that's because they don't
00:30:27.176 --> 00:30:28.677
really know me," right?
00:30:28.677 --> 00:30:30.070
But He does! John?
00:30:30.070 --> 00:30:31.940
(John) The terms of the covenant,
00:30:31.940 --> 00:30:34.370
and there are terms of agreement,
00:30:34.370 --> 00:30:37.100
and God says that He will complete them,
00:30:37.100 --> 00:30:40.850
so He's fulfilling those terms
in our lives,
00:30:40.850 --> 00:30:44.508
and it's to us to receive and believe in.
00:30:44.508 --> 00:30:45.886
(Derek) All right. Adison?
00:30:45.886 --> 00:30:48.878
(Adison) I just love this concept,
00:30:48.878 --> 00:30:50.912
in part because that same Law
00:30:50.912 --> 00:30:52.892
that was written on the tables of stone,
00:30:52.892 --> 00:30:54.154
the Holy Spirit takes it,
00:30:54.154 --> 00:30:55.178
and He engraves it
00:30:55.178 --> 00:30:56.965
upon the tables of our hearts.
00:30:56.965 --> 00:31:02.478
And we find Christ's righteousness,
not our own;
00:31:02.478 --> 00:31:05.566
He puts His righteousness on us.
00:31:05.566 --> 00:31:07.522
And I just think it's a tremendous gift.
00:31:07.522 --> 00:31:08.855
(Derek) And it's important
00:31:08.855 --> 00:31:10.279
to "rememberize," to remember
00:31:10.279 --> 00:31:12.489
("rememberize," that's not
an English word),
00:31:12.489 --> 00:31:14.575
to remember what Jesus said,
00:31:14.575 --> 00:31:16.059
that all of that Law He wants
00:31:16.059 --> 00:31:18.189
to write on our hearts is summarized
00:31:18.189 --> 00:31:20.407
in two great commandments, right?
00:31:20.407 --> 00:31:22.642
Because, remember, this is
all about wanting
00:31:22.643 --> 00:31:24.953
an intimate love relationship with us,
00:31:24.953 --> 00:31:27.603
and those two great commandments,
00:31:27.603 --> 00:31:28.977
Jesus said, are...?
00:31:28.977 --> 00:31:29.881
(Team) Love God.
00:31:29.881 --> 00:31:31.122
(Derek) Love God how?
00:31:31.122 --> 00:31:33.669
With all your heart, soul,
mind and strength.
00:31:33.669 --> 00:31:34.952
And love your neighbor...?
00:31:34.952 --> 00:31:36.754
(Team) As yourself.
00:31:36.754 --> 00:31:38.063
(Derek) It's in the context
00:31:38.063 --> 00:31:39.130
of that relationship.
00:31:39.130 --> 00:31:40.758
All right, Travis, how do you feel
00:31:40.758 --> 00:31:42.378
about, God's like, "I want to make
00:31:42.378 --> 00:31:44.327
this covenant with you"?
00:31:44.327 --> 00:31:45.411
(Travis) I just think
00:31:45.411 --> 00:31:48.527
that, when we look at the new covenant,
00:31:48.527 --> 00:31:51.307
it just shows how relentless God is,
00:31:51.307 --> 00:31:53.052
because He's doing something in us
00:31:53.052 --> 00:31:55.201
that we couldn't do ourselves.
00:31:55.201 --> 00:31:56.658
What God is doing to us
00:31:56.658 --> 00:31:58.608
is He's enabling us to be
00:31:58.608 --> 00:31:59.793
a part of His Kingdom,
00:31:59.793 --> 00:32:00.962
something that was
00:32:00.962 --> 00:32:03.065
just absolutely impossible
within ourselves.
00:32:03.065 --> 00:32:04.498
And we got to see that
00:32:04.498 --> 00:32:07.320
through the Old Testament Scriptures.
00:32:07.320 --> 00:32:08.440
(Derek) I've been told
00:32:08.440 --> 00:32:09.458
that that's something
00:32:09.458 --> 00:32:14.398
about Judeo-Christian faith
that is unique,
00:32:14.398 --> 00:32:16.534
because many religions have us
00:32:16.534 --> 00:32:19.045
trying to earn God's favor.
00:32:19.045 --> 00:32:20.477
You know, we beat ourselves,
00:32:20.477 --> 00:32:22.079
we walk on hot rocks,
00:32:22.079 --> 00:32:23.921
or put fish hooks in our back,
00:32:23.921 --> 00:32:25.808
or whatever, you know,
00:32:25.808 --> 00:32:28.922
to try to...or we offer chickens...
00:32:28.922 --> 00:32:31.625
to try to placate God or earn His favor.
00:32:31.625 --> 00:32:33.976
Here, we're seeing God
take the initiative.
00:32:33.976 --> 00:32:36.322
And He loves us with an everlasting love.
00:32:36.322 --> 00:32:39.011
Now, one other aspect of covenant
00:32:39.011 --> 00:32:40.546
before we move on.
00:32:40.546 --> 00:32:41.852
The Bible also speaks
00:32:41.852 --> 00:32:43.914
about God wanting to make
00:32:43.914 --> 00:32:46.797
an everlasting covenant.
00:32:46.797 --> 00:32:48.709
Is that different from this new covenant
00:32:48.709 --> 00:32:49.760
we're talking about?
00:32:49.760 --> 00:32:51.331
Well, let's read two verses,
00:32:51.331 --> 00:32:53.212
and then you can give me
00:32:53.212 --> 00:32:54.761
the answer to that question.
00:32:54.761 --> 00:33:00.298
Hebrews 13, verses 20 and 21,
00:33:00.298 --> 00:33:01.856
Malaina, if you have that,
00:33:01.856 --> 00:33:03.084
you could read it for us,
00:33:03.084 --> 00:33:06.709
Hebrews, chapter 13, verses 20 and 21,
00:33:06.709 --> 00:33:08.399
and then someone could find
00:33:08.399 --> 00:33:10.189
Isaiah 55 and verse 3.
00:33:10.189 --> 00:33:11.492
(Malaina) I will be reading
00:33:11.492 --> 00:33:13.082
from the New King James Version,
00:33:13.082 --> 00:33:15.638
Hebrews, chapter 13, verses 20 through 21:
00:33:35.428 --> 00:33:36.744
(Derek) Amen. All right,
00:33:36.744 --> 00:33:38.610
"through the blood
00:33:38.610 --> 00:33:42.129
of the eternal covenant."
00:33:42.129 --> 00:33:45.503
Isaiah 55 and verse 3,
00:33:45.503 --> 00:33:46.988
someone have that already?
00:33:46.988 --> 00:33:49.568
Alex, do you have it already? Verse 3.
00:33:49.568 --> 00:33:51.104
(Alex) Okay, and I'll be reading
00:33:51.104 --> 00:33:52.488
from the King James Version:
00:34:03.998 --> 00:34:06.316
(Derek) So, is this the same covenant,
00:34:06.316 --> 00:34:08.341
or is it "Oh, that's a different one."
00:34:08.341 --> 00:34:09.356
The everlasting one
00:34:09.356 --> 00:34:10.943
is different from Jeremiah 31.
00:34:10.943 --> 00:34:11.985
What do you think?
00:34:11.985 --> 00:34:12.875
(Team) Same.
00:34:12.875 --> 00:34:15.385
(Derek) Same. So, why does God
00:34:15.385 --> 00:34:16.596
go out of His way
00:34:16.596 --> 00:34:20.735
to say "everlasting covenant," Stephanie?
00:34:20.735 --> 00:34:22.413
(Stephanie) That's really important
00:34:22.413 --> 00:34:24.317
because it is forever;
00:34:24.317 --> 00:34:26.267
it's down through the ages.
00:34:26.267 --> 00:34:28.812
It's His covenant that is sure.
00:34:28.812 --> 00:34:31.162
We know that it will be accomplished.
00:34:31.162 --> 00:34:32.292
(Derek) Because we said
00:34:32.292 --> 00:34:34.032
He takes the initiative,
00:34:34.032 --> 00:34:35.749
and it's based on what He...?
00:34:35.749 --> 00:34:36.789
(Team) Has promised.
00:34:36.789 --> 00:34:37.974
(Derek) And so by saying
00:34:37.974 --> 00:34:39.421
it's an everlasting covenant,
00:34:39.421 --> 00:34:41.291
He's saying, "I am the Lord, and I..."?
00:34:41.291 --> 00:34:42.419
(Stephanie) Change not.
00:34:42.419 --> 00:34:43.626
(Derek) "I change not."
00:34:43.626 --> 00:34:44.576
"I am the same..."?
00:34:44.576 --> 00:34:47.757
(Derek, Team) Yesterday, today
and forever.
00:34:47.757 --> 00:34:49.541
(Derek) So, that gives us comfort.
00:34:49.541 --> 00:34:52.984
We ought to get a little happy, right?
Praise God!
00:34:52.984 --> 00:34:54.046
He's not going to say,
00:34:54.046 --> 00:34:55.880
"You know, I thought about this, Alex.
00:34:55.880 --> 00:34:58.025
You're right; you don't deserve
00:34:58.025 --> 00:34:59.631
this covenant I'm making with you
00:34:59.631 --> 00:35:01.090
because I've noticed, in fact,
00:35:01.090 --> 00:35:03.162
I have a record of all of your failings."
00:35:03.162 --> 00:35:05.282
And you say, "Lord, have mercy."
00:35:05.282 --> 00:35:07.250
You say, "No, they've been washed away."
00:35:07.250 --> 00:35:08.340
But you know, to think
00:35:08.340 --> 00:35:10.251
that God is never going to come there
00:35:10.251 --> 00:35:12.729
and go, "I've changed My mind
00:35:12.729 --> 00:35:14.568
about this agreement with you."
00:35:14.568 --> 00:35:16.264
Everlasting covenant, someone says?
00:35:16.264 --> 00:35:17.567
(Team) Amen!
00:35:17.567 --> 00:35:18.917
(Derek) Gladys?
00:35:18.917 --> 00:35:22.383
(Gladys) I've been struggling with this,
00:35:22.383 --> 00:35:24.246
with the fact that, yes,
00:35:24.246 --> 00:35:26.443
God is love; He doesn't change,
00:35:26.443 --> 00:35:29.000
but what happened with Noah?
00:35:29.000 --> 00:35:31.390
He said that He regretted
00:35:31.390 --> 00:35:33.976
or resented making man?
00:35:33.976 --> 00:35:35.736
My husband asked me that this morning
00:35:35.736 --> 00:35:37.170
when we were reviewing this...
00:35:37.170 --> 00:35:38.899
(Derek) Okay. Well, how do you think
00:35:38.899 --> 00:35:41.218
God feels when we reject His offer
00:35:41.218 --> 00:35:42.862
of immeasurable and unfailing love
00:35:42.862 --> 00:35:47.206
and throw dirt in His face, so to speak?
00:35:47.206 --> 00:35:48.635
How does He feel about that?
00:35:48.635 --> 00:35:49.983
(Team) Hurt. It's painful.
00:35:49.983 --> 00:35:52.924
(Derek) It's heartbreaking for Him, right?
00:35:52.924 --> 00:35:56.146
I don't think He stopped loving those
00:35:56.146 --> 00:35:57.702
when He regretted.
00:35:57.702 --> 00:35:58.989
I think He wept over those
00:35:58.989 --> 00:36:02.502
who refused to come into the Ark, right?
00:36:02.502 --> 00:36:03.748
But He wants to make
00:36:03.748 --> 00:36:05.406
this everlasting covenant with us.
00:36:05.406 --> 00:36:06.877
He wants us to know
00:36:06.877 --> 00:36:11.288
that even when we are not trustworthy,
00:36:11.288 --> 00:36:13.022
He is trustworthy. Travis?
00:36:13.022 --> 00:36:14.430
(Travis) If anyone's ever had
00:36:14.430 --> 00:36:18.977
a child who has rebelled,
00:36:18.977 --> 00:36:20.324
I think that verse
00:36:20.324 --> 00:36:22.715
is really explained in that term,
you know?
00:36:22.715 --> 00:36:24.188
Once you've experienced that,
00:36:24.188 --> 00:36:26.230
of course you love that child,
00:36:26.230 --> 00:36:27.934
but, boy, it just really
00:36:27.934 --> 00:36:29.597
brings sorrow to your heart,
00:36:29.597 --> 00:36:31.849
and it just tears you up inside.
00:36:31.849 --> 00:36:37.568
And you just get that feeling inside
like, why? You know?
00:36:37.568 --> 00:36:38.781
But you would do anything
00:36:38.781 --> 00:36:40.428
for that child even yet, you know.
00:36:40.428 --> 00:36:41.625
(Derek) Sure. Sure.
00:36:41.625 --> 00:36:43.091
So, I have a question for you,
00:36:43.091 --> 00:36:44.572
and I want you to look with me
00:36:44.572 --> 00:36:48.731
in Joshua 24, [verses] 14 and 15.
00:36:48.731 --> 00:36:51.655
Can you make a decision
00:36:51.655 --> 00:36:55.490
for someone else to accept
00:36:55.490 --> 00:36:59.074
that immeasurable and unfailing offer
of God's love?
00:36:59.074 --> 00:37:02.282
Well, before you say no,
00:37:02.282 --> 00:37:06.060
let's look at Joshua 24, 14 and 15,
00:37:06.060 --> 00:37:07.847
and maybe you're absolutely right.
00:37:07.847 --> 00:37:09.374
Maybe he talked to the family,
00:37:09.374 --> 00:37:13.725
and they said, "Me, too."
00:37:13.725 --> 00:37:15.523
And so he comes and says...
00:37:15.523 --> 00:37:17.216
Well, let's see what the text says.
00:37:17.216 --> 00:37:19.258
Joshua 24, Evelyn, do you
00:37:19.258 --> 00:37:21.957
have it there, verses 14 and 15.
00:37:21.957 --> 00:37:23.228
(Evelyn) I will be reading
00:37:23.228 --> 00:37:25.492
from the New Living Translation:
00:37:56.862 --> 00:37:58.411
(Derek) Amen? By the way,
00:37:58.411 --> 00:38:00.614
that is capitalized in my Bible;
00:38:00.614 --> 00:38:02.652
that's the name, Yahweh.
00:38:02.652 --> 00:38:04.236
That's the name of the Lord God,
00:38:04.236 --> 00:38:06.147
Creator of heaven and the earth.
00:38:06.147 --> 00:38:07.362
(John) His covenant name.
00:38:07.362 --> 00:38:09.298
(Derek) His covenant name, that's right.
00:38:09.298 --> 00:38:11.179
That's the agreement He's made with us.
00:38:11.179 --> 00:38:14.573
Now, Joshua says, "As for me and my house,
00:38:14.573 --> 00:38:16.242
we will serve the Lord."
00:38:16.242 --> 00:38:18.386
But you're saying you can't make
00:38:18.386 --> 00:38:20.480
that decision for your spouse,
00:38:20.480 --> 00:38:21.830
or, if you have children,
00:38:21.830 --> 00:38:25.585
for your children, for your siblings.
00:38:25.585 --> 00:38:27.874
So, what, what do you think, Jason?
00:38:27.874 --> 00:38:29.158
(Jason) Well, when you're
00:38:29.158 --> 00:38:30.432
a family relationship,
00:38:30.432 --> 00:38:32.539
particularly the marriage one,
is a covenant,
00:38:32.539 --> 00:38:34.057
so when you have that covenant,
00:38:34.057 --> 00:38:35.355
you aren't making
00:38:35.355 --> 00:38:37.128
the individual choice for the person,
00:38:37.128 --> 00:38:39.201
but you're kind of setting the tone,
00:38:39.201 --> 00:38:40.643
like we said with the leaders,
00:38:40.643 --> 00:38:43.741
you're kind of setting the direction
for the person.
00:38:43.741 --> 00:38:46.049
Ultimately, each of the individual
family members
00:38:46.049 --> 00:38:47.485
have to make their own choice,
00:38:47.485 --> 00:38:49.061
but you can kind of set the stage
00:38:49.061 --> 00:38:51.471
which way it will go.
00:38:51.471 --> 00:38:53.998
(Derek) Yes. Remember that phrase,
00:38:53.998 --> 00:38:56.259
"those who have understanding,"
00:38:56.259 --> 00:38:57.739
so, for all those that do,
00:38:57.739 --> 00:38:59.202
this would be a good time
00:38:59.202 --> 00:39:01.571
for a family council, right,
00:39:01.571 --> 00:39:04.610
and say, "As the mother,"
00:39:04.610 --> 00:39:06.988
or, "As the father," "As the parent,"
00:39:06.988 --> 00:39:10.114
some families only have one parent,
some have two,
00:39:10.114 --> 00:39:12.839
"but this is my decision,
00:39:12.839 --> 00:39:15.042
and here's why I'm making my decision,"
00:39:15.042 --> 00:39:17.014
and they say, "Mommy, we see that,"
00:39:17.014 --> 00:39:18.546
or, "Daddy, we see that,"
00:39:18.546 --> 00:39:19.653
or, "Mommy and daddy,
00:39:19.653 --> 00:39:22.924
we see that. Me, too!"
00:39:22.924 --> 00:39:27.710
So, no matter how young they are,
00:39:27.710 --> 00:39:31.288
if they have understanding,
00:39:31.288 --> 00:39:33.130
like it says in the text,
00:39:33.130 --> 00:39:35.860
they can say, "Me, too."
00:39:35.860 --> 00:39:37.586
And I think that's helpful.
00:39:37.586 --> 00:39:41.836
It's not like, you know, Joshua's dragging
00:39:41.836 --> 00:39:44.502
his family kicking and screaming,
00:39:44.502 --> 00:39:46.781
but they thought it through together,
00:39:46.781 --> 00:39:48.543
and he can come and say,
00:39:48.543 --> 00:39:51.572
"The decision of me and my family
00:39:51.572 --> 00:39:53.965
is we will serve the Lord."
00:39:53.965 --> 00:39:56.564
Anybody want to respond to that.
Yes, Gladys?
00:39:56.564 --> 00:39:58.892
(Gladys) In a family, usually...
00:39:58.892 --> 00:40:01.119
I will say, for my family it's like that.
00:40:01.119 --> 00:40:03.208
When we were little, he always said,
00:40:03.208 --> 00:40:05.294
"In the morning, in my house
00:40:05.294 --> 00:40:06.570
we will have worship."
00:40:06.570 --> 00:40:08.923
So everyone who will come and visit,
00:40:08.923 --> 00:40:10.429
that's what we do in my house.
00:40:10.429 --> 00:40:12.758
So, I think that that's what the Lord
represents.
00:40:12.758 --> 00:40:15.602
This is what He wants,
00:40:15.602 --> 00:40:17.069
to have that relationship,
00:40:17.069 --> 00:40:18.401
and the leader of the home,
00:40:18.401 --> 00:40:20.292
or the representative of the home,
00:40:20.292 --> 00:40:23.198
makes the decision, not forcing it
00:40:23.198 --> 00:40:24.351
on the family member,
00:40:24.351 --> 00:40:26.343
but kind of like being the representative
00:40:26.343 --> 00:40:27.403
of God in the home
00:40:27.403 --> 00:40:29.043
and bringing his family along.
00:40:29.043 --> 00:40:30.117
(Derek) Okay, and back
00:40:30.117 --> 00:40:31.873
to what we've talked about earlier,
00:40:31.873 --> 00:40:32.827
that list of names,
00:40:32.827 --> 00:40:34.737
and then it said, "and the..."?
00:40:34.737 --> 00:40:36.093
"Rest of the people," right?
00:40:36.093 --> 00:40:39.603
So it became a total commitment.
00:40:39.603 --> 00:40:42.669
But leadership is not unimportant, is it?
00:40:42.669 --> 00:40:44.357
That can have an influence.
00:40:44.357 --> 00:40:45.938
Well, let's talk about some
00:40:45.938 --> 00:40:47.240
of the promises now.
00:40:47.240 --> 00:40:49.417
We'll go back to Ezra and Nehemiah's time.
00:40:49.417 --> 00:40:50.368
They said, "We need
00:40:50.368 --> 00:40:52.108
to renew our covenant with God."
00:40:52.108 --> 00:40:53.191
Let's look at some
00:40:53.191 --> 00:40:56.431
of the promises that they made.
00:40:56.431 --> 00:40:57.791
John, would you read for us
00:40:57.791 --> 00:40:59.733
in Nehemiah, chapter 10,
00:40:59.733 --> 00:41:04.730
beginning with verse 29 through verse 38.
00:41:04.730 --> 00:41:07.956
And while John reads that, are they
00:41:07.956 --> 00:41:11.225
getting the most important things here?
00:41:11.225 --> 00:41:15.227
Maybe what is the most important promise
that we make,
00:41:15.227 --> 00:41:17.191
let's think about that.
00:41:17.191 --> 00:41:19.781
But let's hear how they respond now.
00:41:19.781 --> 00:41:22.878
They're renewing their covenant with God.
00:41:22.878 --> 00:41:25.269
(John) From the New King James Version,
it says:
00:43:36.535 --> 00:43:40.902
(Derek) So, that seems like
a lot of details, yes?
00:43:40.902 --> 00:43:46.615
But it's all part of a ceremonial system
00:43:46.615 --> 00:43:49.875
which points to what?
00:43:49.875 --> 00:43:51.235
(Brittany) The Lamb of God.
00:43:51.235 --> 00:43:53.134
(Derek) To the Lamb of God who's coming
00:43:53.134 --> 00:43:56.347
and reflects the immeasurable
and unfailing love of God.
00:43:56.347 --> 00:43:59.543
If, when we're doing all of that,
00:43:59.543 --> 00:44:05.041
we don't forget what it's pointing to
00:44:05.041 --> 00:44:06.084
and that God wants
00:44:06.084 --> 00:44:08.100
what kind of relationship with us?
00:44:08.100 --> 00:44:09.143
(Team) Intimate.
00:44:09.143 --> 00:44:15.258
(Derek) An intimate, loving, personal
relationship with us, then it's okay.
00:44:15.258 --> 00:44:18.241
If we lose sight of that,
00:44:18.241 --> 00:44:21.141
then we're in trouble, right?
00:44:21.141 --> 00:44:22.268
Could that happen
00:44:22.268 --> 00:44:26.340
even in the twenty-first century?
00:44:26.340 --> 00:44:27.805
You know, we don't bring lambs
00:44:27.805 --> 00:44:29.504
and have grain offerings, right?
00:44:29.504 --> 00:44:31.444
We typically, when we come to worship,
00:44:31.444 --> 00:44:32.929
what are some things that we do
00:44:32.929 --> 00:44:34.221
when we come to worship?
00:44:34.221 --> 00:44:35.232
(Team) Praise. Sing.
00:44:35.232 --> 00:44:37.202
(Derek) We sing praise to God and we...?
00:44:37.202 --> 00:44:38.151
(Team Member) Pray.
00:44:38.151 --> 00:44:39.577
(Derek) And we pray, and...?
00:44:39.577 --> 00:44:40.750
(Nicole) Read the Bible.
00:44:40.750 --> 00:44:42.165
(Team Member) Give offering.
00:44:42.165 --> 00:44:44.962
(Derek) We give offerings, that's right;
We read the Bible.
00:44:44.962 --> 00:44:45.960
We listen to someone
00:44:45.960 --> 00:44:49.256
teaching from the Scriptures, right?
00:44:49.256 --> 00:44:52.178
So there are things that we do,
00:44:52.178 --> 00:44:55.424
but we always need to remember
00:44:55.424 --> 00:44:57.938
when we come that it's all about what?
00:44:57.938 --> 00:44:58.730
(Team) Jesus.
00:44:58.730 --> 00:45:00.346
(Derek) It's all about God
00:45:00.346 --> 00:45:02.101
who loves us with a...?
00:45:02.101 --> 00:45:05.022
An immeasurable and unfailing love,
wanting a...?
00:45:05.022 --> 00:45:06.011
(Team) Relationship.
00:45:06.011 --> 00:45:07.522
(Derek) A relationship with us.
00:45:07.522 --> 00:45:09.314
And, of course, as someone mentioned,
00:45:09.314 --> 00:45:12.149
He showed that most vividly
and perfectly...?
00:45:12.149 --> 00:45:13.276
(Team) At the cross.
00:45:13.276 --> 00:45:15.040
(Derek) Through the coming of Jesus,
00:45:15.040 --> 00:45:17.024
who lived, died on the cross,
00:45:17.024 --> 00:45:19.048
rose again the third day,
00:45:19.048 --> 00:45:20.687
and has ascended to Heaven.
00:45:20.687 --> 00:45:22.354
He's ministering there
00:45:22.354 --> 00:45:23.624
in the heavenly sanctuary,
00:45:23.624 --> 00:45:25.024
and He's coming back soon.
00:45:25.024 --> 00:45:25.728
(Team) Amen!
00:45:25.728 --> 00:45:27.790
(Derek) We forget that if we think,
00:45:27.790 --> 00:45:31.608
"I went to church this week, did you?"
00:45:31.608 --> 00:45:36.308
We could miss the whole point, right?
00:45:36.308 --> 00:45:37.699
Promises are not bad.
00:45:37.699 --> 00:45:39.309
The Bible does tell us
00:45:39.309 --> 00:45:40.287
we should be careful
00:45:40.287 --> 00:45:42.377
about making promises to God.
00:45:42.377 --> 00:45:44.432
And so I'm going to read that,
00:45:44.432 --> 00:45:46.802
have someone read it from Ecclesiastes 5,
00:45:46.802 --> 00:45:49.566
and then I have an important question
for you, and that is,
00:45:49.566 --> 00:45:51.473
what is the most important promise
00:45:51.473 --> 00:45:54.893
anyone can ever make to God? Okay?
00:45:54.893 --> 00:45:57.464
But let's look first in Ecclesiastes,
00:45:57.464 --> 00:45:59.706
which basically says, "Don't be careless
00:45:59.706 --> 00:46:02.294
in making promises to God."
00:46:02.294 --> 00:46:06.013
Ecclesiastes, chapter 5, and, Adison,
00:46:06.013 --> 00:46:08.610
could you read the first five verses,
00:46:08.610 --> 00:46:10.561
Ecclesiastes 5:1-5?
00:46:10.561 --> 00:46:11.926
(Adison) And I'll be reading
00:46:11.926 --> 00:46:13.580
from the King James Version:
00:47:03.940 --> 00:47:07.400
(Derek) So, what's the sacrifice of fools?
00:47:10.050 --> 00:47:13.548
Making rash promises
00:47:13.548 --> 00:47:16.035
without any intention of keeping them.
00:47:16.035 --> 00:47:19.193
Better not to say anything, right?
00:47:19.193 --> 00:47:21.639
So, we don't want to be careless,
00:47:21.639 --> 00:47:24.187
but there's at least one promise
00:47:24.187 --> 00:47:28.027
that God really wants us to make.
00:47:28.027 --> 00:47:31.632
What's the most important promise
00:47:31.632 --> 00:47:34.378
He wants us to make to Him?
00:47:34.378 --> 00:47:35.488
I don't know; is there
00:47:35.488 --> 00:47:37.216
a right answer to that?
00:47:37.216 --> 00:47:39.929
Or most important decision, I don't know.
00:47:39.929 --> 00:47:41.444
What do you think, Brittany?
00:47:41.444 --> 00:47:42.918
(Brittany) I think He wants us
00:47:42.918 --> 00:47:44.230
to give Him our whole heart
00:47:44.230 --> 00:47:46.655
and to promise to give it to Him every day
00:47:46.655 --> 00:47:48.173
the rest of our lives.
00:47:48.173 --> 00:47:49.990
(Derek) Can we do that?
00:47:49.990 --> 00:47:53.059
(Brittany) Only with His help.
00:47:53.059 --> 00:47:54.290
(Derek) Or can I promise
00:47:54.290 --> 00:47:55.721
to at least allow Him
00:47:55.721 --> 00:47:57.828
to enable me to do that?
00:47:57.828 --> 00:47:58.698
(Team) Yes.
00:47:58.698 --> 00:48:00.249
(Derek) You know, isn't there...
00:48:00.249 --> 00:48:01.226
I remember a prayer,
00:48:01.226 --> 00:48:08.054
"Take my heart, I cannot give it,"
you know?
00:48:08.054 --> 00:48:09.162
(Adison) Keep it pure.
00:48:09.162 --> 00:48:10.477
(Derek) Yeah, keep it pure.
00:48:10.477 --> 00:48:16.605
I mean, it's like, "God, here I am.
00:48:16.605 --> 00:48:18.112
I promise to be..."?
00:48:18.112 --> 00:48:19.057
(Team) Willing.
00:48:19.057 --> 00:48:22.171
(Derek) Willing. "I promise to be..."?
00:48:22.171 --> 00:48:24.122
(Derek, Team) Open.
00:48:24.122 --> 00:48:26.629
(Derek) "...to Your immeasurable
and unfailing love.
00:48:26.629 --> 00:48:28.354
Your covenant with me.
00:48:28.354 --> 00:48:30.127
You know me, God,"
00:48:30.127 --> 00:48:33.274
but can I promise that, "I will,
00:48:33.274 --> 00:48:36.801
by Your grace, never close myself
up to You"?
00:48:36.801 --> 00:48:38.703
Yeah, "I promise to be open to You,"
00:48:38.703 --> 00:48:40.568
most important promise.
00:48:40.568 --> 00:48:44.003
Can anybody think, either of that promise,
00:48:44.003 --> 00:48:45.040
a time when you made
00:48:45.040 --> 00:48:46.172
that promise to God,
00:48:46.172 --> 00:48:49.686
or an important promise you made to God?
00:48:49.686 --> 00:48:50.908
Anybody think of a time
00:48:50.908 --> 00:48:54.674
you made an important promise? Travis?
00:48:54.674 --> 00:48:56.492
(Travis) Yeah, it was a few years ago.
00:48:56.492 --> 00:49:00.113
I was in a tree reading a book...
00:49:00.113 --> 00:49:02.288
(Derek) What were you doing
in a tree, Travis?
00:49:02.288 --> 00:49:03.567
(Travis) I was actually...
00:49:03.567 --> 00:49:05.156
(Derek) You mean, like Zacchaeus?
00:49:05.156 --> 00:49:06.821
(Travis) Actually that's the story
00:49:06.821 --> 00:49:07.893
that got my attention
00:49:07.893 --> 00:49:09.181
in the book I was reading,
00:49:09.181 --> 00:49:10.647
and I realized then and there
00:49:10.647 --> 00:49:14.402
that I wanted to live the rest of my life
00:49:14.402 --> 00:49:16.391
in ministry, working for Jesus.
00:49:16.391 --> 00:49:18.194
And I told Him, that's what I'll do.
00:49:18.194 --> 00:49:21.596
And I've had bumps along the way,
but still going.
00:49:21.596 --> 00:49:24.257
(Derek) So, that promise was to just say,
00:49:24.257 --> 00:49:26.442
"God, take my heart,
00:49:26.442 --> 00:49:27.671
I cannot give it."
00:49:27.671 --> 00:49:29.630
I mean, "Here I am.
00:49:29.630 --> 00:49:33.333
I give myself to You; hold onto Me."
00:49:33.333 --> 00:49:35.430
Bumps along the way.
00:49:35.430 --> 00:49:37.623
Anybody else have a testimony?
00:49:37.623 --> 00:49:38.789
Jason and then John.
00:49:38.789 --> 00:49:39.969
(Jason) Towards the end
00:49:39.969 --> 00:49:41.408
of my collegiate experience,
00:49:41.408 --> 00:49:42.712
I was trying to figure out
00:49:42.712 --> 00:49:43.982
where I should go in life,
00:49:43.982 --> 00:49:44.978
and I was struggling
00:49:44.978 --> 00:49:47.055
with different opportunities and paths.
00:49:47.055 --> 00:49:48.907
And during that time,
00:49:48.907 --> 00:49:50.687
I had a conversation with God,
00:49:50.687 --> 00:49:52.259
and the conclusion of it was,
00:49:52.259 --> 00:49:53.945
"All right, Lord, I promise
00:49:53.945 --> 00:49:56.601
that whatever direction You show me,
00:49:56.601 --> 00:49:58.400
I'm going to go; do You want me
00:49:58.400 --> 00:49:59.564
to go to this school?
00:49:59.564 --> 00:50:01.215
Do you want me to go to this job?"
00:50:01.215 --> 00:50:02.728
And He ended up sending me
00:50:02.728 --> 00:50:05.450
to be a student missionary for a year
00:50:05.450 --> 00:50:07.071
before sending me on a career,
00:50:07.071 --> 00:50:09.627
and I know I needed to make that promise.
00:50:09.627 --> 00:50:11.418
I needed to open myself to God's will
00:50:11.418 --> 00:50:12.542
so that He could put me
00:50:12.542 --> 00:50:13.777
where He wanted to put me
00:50:13.777 --> 00:50:16.209
along the path that He had for my life.
00:50:16.209 --> 00:50:18.018
(Derek) And maybe you hadn't thought
00:50:18.018 --> 00:50:19.982
about the student missionary for a year,
00:50:19.982 --> 00:50:22.141
but God says, "As part of the plan,
00:50:22.141 --> 00:50:23.710
I need you to go here,"
00:50:23.710 --> 00:50:25.074
which was where, by the way?
00:50:25.074 --> 00:50:26.572
(Jason) In Central America.
00:50:26.572 --> 00:50:28.891
(Derek) In Central America.
All right. John.
00:50:28.891 --> 00:50:30.677
(John) In 2013 my wife
00:50:30.677 --> 00:50:32.487
was involved in an accident
00:50:32.487 --> 00:50:33.837
while she was jogging.
00:50:33.837 --> 00:50:36.017
A vehicle struck her from behind.
00:50:36.017 --> 00:50:37.933
She had been life-flighted
00:50:37.933 --> 00:50:39.906
to the nearest trauma center.
00:50:39.906 --> 00:50:41.516
A policeman showed up at my door
00:50:41.516 --> 00:50:43.065
with the police chaplain
00:50:43.065 --> 00:50:44.409
and told me about it.
00:50:44.409 --> 00:50:47.636
And during the hour-and-a-half drive
to the hospital,
00:50:47.636 --> 00:50:49.160
not knowing her condition
00:50:49.160 --> 00:50:52.450
other than she was flown,
00:50:52.450 --> 00:50:53.494
and all these things
00:50:53.494 --> 00:50:54.925
going through my mind,
00:50:54.925 --> 00:50:56.280
I had made a promise to God
00:50:56.280 --> 00:50:58.625
that I will never doubt
00:50:58.625 --> 00:51:00.210
His goodness and love,
00:51:00.210 --> 00:51:02.287
regardless of the outcome.
00:51:02.287 --> 00:51:03.579
The promise was, "I'm going
00:51:03.579 --> 00:51:06.000
to serve You still."
00:51:06.000 --> 00:51:07.329
And I can praise God
00:51:07.329 --> 00:51:10.207
that she's restored fully,
00:51:10.207 --> 00:51:13.423
but I was going to serve God regardless.
00:51:13.423 --> 00:51:17.991
(Derek) Powerful.
00:51:17.991 --> 00:51:21.962
That's a Holy-Spirit-enabled promise,
00:51:21.962 --> 00:51:24.622
right, because the enemy says,
00:51:24.622 --> 00:51:27.629
"Curse God and die."
00:51:27.629 --> 00:51:29.464
But, "No, I will trust You still."
00:51:29.464 --> 00:51:31.413
That's kind of Job, isn't it?
00:51:31.413 --> 00:51:32.627
"No matter what happens,
00:51:32.627 --> 00:51:34.854
I'll trust in You."
00:51:34.854 --> 00:51:36.078
Well, God wants us
00:51:36.078 --> 00:51:38.368
to enter into that promise.
00:51:38.368 --> 00:51:39.223
What do you do...
00:51:39.223 --> 00:51:40.547
Maybe someone comes to you,
00:51:40.547 --> 00:51:42.141
and we don't have a lot of time,
00:51:42.141 --> 00:51:43.395
you're just going to have
00:51:43.395 --> 00:51:44.604
to quote the text for me,
00:51:44.604 --> 00:51:46.619
someone comes to you and says, "Derek,
00:51:46.619 --> 00:51:48.885
I made that promise up in the tree,
00:51:48.885 --> 00:51:51.226
but I had a bump along the way,
00:51:51.226 --> 00:51:53.005
and I feel like I broke my promise.
00:51:53.005 --> 00:51:56.637
I went out and I did something stupid
00:51:56.637 --> 00:51:58.077
after I had made a promise.
00:51:58.077 --> 00:52:01.434
I just wanted to follow Jesus
no matter what."
00:52:01.434 --> 00:52:04.046
What would you say to that friend
00:52:04.046 --> 00:52:05.466
if she came to you and said,
00:52:05.466 --> 00:52:09.575
"I guess it didn't work out
for me," Brittany?
00:52:09.575 --> 00:52:11.585
(Brittany) I think about the story
of Peter
00:52:11.585 --> 00:52:12.532
and how he promised
00:52:12.532 --> 00:52:13.997
he would never leave Christ,
00:52:13.997 --> 00:52:17.440
and then Jesus said to him,
"I'll pray for you,
00:52:17.440 --> 00:52:19.772
that even after your faith fails you,
00:52:19.772 --> 00:52:21.991
that you will come and return to Me."
00:52:21.991 --> 00:52:24.188
And Jesus said that to Him
00:52:24.188 --> 00:52:26.057
even before he failed.
00:52:26.057 --> 00:52:27.785
He said, "I'll be praying for you."
00:52:27.785 --> 00:52:29.010
And so that's something
00:52:29.010 --> 00:52:31.106
that we can remember.
00:52:31.106 --> 00:52:32.930
Jesus knows when we're going to fail;
00:52:32.930 --> 00:52:36.114
He knows when we're going to stumble,
but He's still praying for us.
00:52:36.114 --> 00:52:39.653
He knows that we'll come back; He's giving
us the opportunity to come back.
00:52:39.653 --> 00:52:41.343
(Derek) So there are stories,
00:52:41.343 --> 00:52:43.586
there are promises.
00:52:43.586 --> 00:52:45.220
Someone else in the Scripture
00:52:45.220 --> 00:52:46.672
that gives us hope? Gladys?
00:52:46.672 --> 00:52:48.562
(Gladys) Yes, I love the story of David
00:52:48.562 --> 00:52:51.992
when he fell, and in Psalm 51
00:52:51.992 --> 00:52:55.566
he said, "A broken and contrite heart,
00:52:55.566 --> 00:52:56.990
You will not despise."
00:52:56.990 --> 00:52:59.712
So even when we fail, God doesn't.
00:52:59.712 --> 00:53:01.092
(Derek) I love those words
00:53:01.092 --> 00:53:03.376
in Psalm 51, verse 10,
00:53:03.376 --> 00:53:06.221
"Create in me a clean heart, O God;
00:53:06.221 --> 00:53:09.889
and renew a right spirit within me.
00:53:09.889 --> 00:53:11.763
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
00:53:11.763 --> 00:53:14.435
or take Your Holy Spirit from me.
00:53:14.435 --> 00:53:16.049
Restore to me..."
00:53:16.049 --> 00:53:18.197
(Derek, Team) "... the joy
of Your salvation."
00:53:18.197 --> 00:53:19.527
(Derek) So it's coming back
00:53:19.527 --> 00:53:21.053
into that intimate relationship
00:53:21.053 --> 00:53:23.005
with a God who loves us how?
00:53:23.005 --> 00:53:25.914
With an immeasurable and unfailing love.
00:53:25.914 --> 00:53:29.252
You know, we cannot fail when we fall
00:53:29.252 --> 00:53:32.931
into the arms of a loving Savior;
we can't.
00:53:32.931 --> 00:53:34.958
There's one last thought in our study.
00:53:34.958 --> 00:53:36.932
We've just got a couple of minutes left.
00:53:36.932 --> 00:53:39.636
Did you notice, talking about caring
00:53:39.636 --> 00:53:40.798
for the house of God.
00:53:40.798 --> 00:53:44.350
Go back to Nehemiah 10 and verse 39,
00:53:44.350 --> 00:53:47.728
at the end of this renewing
of the covenant.
00:53:47.728 --> 00:53:54.739
Nehemiah makes this interesting record
00:53:54.739 --> 00:53:57.051
in chapter 10, Nehemiah,
00:53:57.051 --> 00:53:59.527
chapter 10, and verse 39.
00:53:59.527 --> 00:54:01.778
Brittany, would you read
that verse for us?
00:54:01.778 --> 00:54:03.038
(Brittany) I'll be reading
00:54:03.038 --> 00:54:04.582
from the New King James Version,
00:54:04.582 --> 00:54:07.465
Nehemiah, chapter 10 and verse 39:
00:54:28.100 --> 00:54:32.591
(Derek) Why is that last phrase
so important?
00:54:32.591 --> 00:54:34.859
Why is it important today, too,
00:54:34.859 --> 00:54:36.089
but let's go back there,
00:54:36.089 --> 00:54:37.789
"We will not neglect
00:54:37.789 --> 00:54:39.576
the house of our God"?
00:54:39.576 --> 00:54:41.031
Why is that important?
00:54:41.031 --> 00:54:45.015
God doesn't need that house, or does He?
00:54:45.015 --> 00:54:46.870
Why is it important that they said,
00:54:46.870 --> 00:54:48.177
"We're not going to neglect
00:54:48.177 --> 00:54:49.264
the house of our God"?
00:54:49.264 --> 00:54:50.701
Short answer, Travis.
00:54:50.701 --> 00:54:51.935
(Travis) Because that was
00:54:51.935 --> 00:54:53.275
the picture of salvation
00:54:53.275 --> 00:54:54.986
of the land that was going to be...
00:54:54.986 --> 00:54:56.957
(Derek) That is telling the story
00:54:56.957 --> 00:54:58.277
about a God who loves us
00:54:58.277 --> 00:55:00.719
with an immeasurable and unfailing love.
00:55:00.719 --> 00:55:03.094
Hyperspace forward to our time.
00:55:03.094 --> 00:55:05.432
What does that mean for us today?
00:55:05.432 --> 00:55:08.346
We'd say, "Okay, we're followers of Jesus,
00:55:08.346 --> 00:55:09.908
preparing for His soon return."
00:55:09.908 --> 00:55:11.319
How many does Jesus
00:55:11.319 --> 00:55:12.876
want to be saved in His Kingdom?
00:55:12.876 --> 00:55:13.717
(Team) All.
00:55:13.717 --> 00:55:15.116
(Derek) "We will not neglect
00:55:15.116 --> 00:55:16.209
the house of our God."
00:55:16.209 --> 00:55:17.165
What does that mean
00:55:17.165 --> 00:55:19.088
for us today? Stephanie?
00:55:19.088 --> 00:55:21.018
(Stephanie) I think it means showing up
00:55:21.018 --> 00:55:22.380
and being presently active.
00:55:22.380 --> 00:55:23.687
(Derek) Okay, so you'd say
00:55:23.687 --> 00:55:25.801
it's very physical, actually going
00:55:25.801 --> 00:55:27.728
and being active in what?
00:55:27.728 --> 00:55:28.994
(Stephanie) In ministry.
00:55:28.994 --> 00:55:29.898
(Derek) In, in...?
00:55:29.898 --> 00:55:31.798
(Stephanie) The ministry of the church.
00:55:31.798 --> 00:55:34.652
(Derek) In the ministry of the church,
which is what, Harold?
00:55:34.652 --> 00:55:36.355
What is the ministry of the church?
00:55:36.355 --> 00:55:37.817
(Harold) To share the gospel.
00:55:37.817 --> 00:55:39.277
(Derek) That's right, to share
00:55:39.277 --> 00:55:41.116
the good news about a God who loves us
00:55:41.116 --> 00:55:43.038
with an immeasurable and unfailing love.
00:55:43.038 --> 00:55:46.012
Now, back then it took sacrifice, right?
00:55:46.012 --> 00:55:47.264
They brought their tithes;
00:55:47.264 --> 00:55:48.683
they brought their offerings.
00:55:48.683 --> 00:55:50.411
Does it require sacrifice today?
00:55:50.411 --> 00:55:51.139
(Team) Yes!
00:55:51.139 --> 00:55:52.890
(Derek) What kind of sacrifices?
00:55:52.890 --> 00:55:54.500
(Team Member) A living sacrifice.
00:55:54.500 --> 00:55:55.757
(Derek) A living sacrifice
00:55:55.757 --> 00:55:57.107
because, actually, while God
00:55:57.107 --> 00:55:59.157
does want us to return our faithful tithes
00:55:59.157 --> 00:56:02.387
and to honor Him with praise and prayer,
00:56:02.387 --> 00:56:04.833
what He wants more than anything is...?
00:56:04.833 --> 00:56:05.864
(Team) Our hearts.
00:56:05.864 --> 00:56:07.295
(Derek) He wants us,
00:56:07.295 --> 00:56:10.218
that living sacrifice that will love Him
00:56:10.218 --> 00:56:11.359
with all of our hearts
00:56:11.359 --> 00:56:13.054
and will go out and...?
00:56:13.054 --> 00:56:14.510
(Team) Share...
00:56:14.510 --> 00:56:15.805
(Derek) Share the good news
00:56:15.805 --> 00:56:16.983
about a God who loves us
00:56:16.983 --> 00:56:19.234
with an immeasurable and unfailing love.
00:56:19.234 --> 00:56:21.285
What we'll discover
00:56:21.285 --> 00:56:25.289
is that when we do that,
00:56:25.289 --> 00:56:26.485
out of the context
00:56:26.485 --> 00:56:29.600
of an intimate relationship with God,
00:56:29.600 --> 00:56:30.982
what's going to happen
00:56:30.982 --> 00:56:33.106
when we go out to share with people
00:56:33.106 --> 00:56:35.310
about a God who loves them?
00:56:35.310 --> 00:56:36.589
Out of the context
00:56:36.589 --> 00:56:38.599
of a life-changing relationship with God,
00:56:38.599 --> 00:56:39.936
what's going to happen?
00:56:39.936 --> 00:56:41.136
(Team) We'll be changed.
00:56:41.136 --> 00:56:43.494
(Derek) It's going to change lives,
including...?
00:56:43.494 --> 00:56:44.492
(Team) Ours.
00:56:44.492 --> 00:56:45.547
(Derek) That's right.
00:56:45.547 --> 00:56:49.277
You know, when God asks us
to do something,
00:56:49.277 --> 00:56:51.021
it's not just because He
00:56:51.021 --> 00:56:52.910
can't find anybody else.
00:56:52.910 --> 00:56:54.814
He could ask angels,
00:56:54.814 --> 00:56:56.719
but He wants us to experience
00:56:56.719 --> 00:56:58.668
his immeasurable and unfailing love
00:56:58.668 --> 00:57:01.844
as we join Him in His harvest work.
00:57:01.844 --> 00:57:04.451
We will not let it be said of us
00:57:04.451 --> 00:57:05.938
in this last generation,
00:57:05.938 --> 00:57:09.135
we will not neglect the house of our God.
00:57:09.135 --> 00:57:12.022
And that covenant that He initiated,
00:57:12.022 --> 00:57:13.972
that He will put His love
00:57:13.972 --> 00:57:15.495
in our hearts, right,
00:57:15.495 --> 00:57:16.825
His law in our hearts,
00:57:16.825 --> 00:57:20.357
embrace us in an intimate,
life-changing relationship.
00:57:20.357 --> 00:57:21.580
Do you want that today?
00:57:21.580 --> 00:57:24.573
Every day that's a choice we can make.
00:57:24.573 --> 00:57:27.690
Every day, "Lord, I'm here, open to You."
00:57:27.690 --> 00:57:29.325
Let's pray; Father in Heaven,
00:57:29.325 --> 00:57:31.309
let that be each of our prayers,
00:57:31.309 --> 00:57:33.111
that we may see clearer
00:57:33.111 --> 00:57:35.127
and yet clearer revelations
00:57:35.127 --> 00:57:37.994
of your immeasurable and unfailing love,
00:57:37.994 --> 00:57:40.473
and that through us that love
00:57:40.473 --> 00:57:43.049
would be revealed to those around us.
00:57:43.049 --> 00:57:45.716
In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
00:57:45.716 --> 00:57:47.001
(Team) Amen.
00:57:47.001 --> 00:57:49.895
(Derek) Someone else needs to konw
00:57:49.895 --> 00:57:51.840
that God loves her
00:57:51.840 --> 00:57:53.930
with an immeasurable and unfailing love.
00:57:53.930 --> 00:57:55.935
Someone else, maybe that you work with,
00:57:55.935 --> 00:57:57.958
needs to know that God loves him
00:57:57.958 --> 00:58:00.099
with an immeasurable and unfailing love.
00:58:00.099 --> 00:58:02.881
Take that good news and be a blessing
00:58:02.881 --> 00:58:04.155
to those around you.
00:58:04.155 --> 00:58:29.185
♪ theme music ♪