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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?
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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?
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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."
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But as Travis pointed out, the first wave
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comes back under Zerubbabel.
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Another wave comes back
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under Ezra and Nehemiah,
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but things are not all well, right?
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So they are saying to themselves,
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"You know, we know what got
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our forefathers into trouble,"
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abandoning the agreement with God,
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the covenant with God,
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"let's renew our covenant."
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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?
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(Derek, Team) A list of names.
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(Derek) And I am not going to ask for you,
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Adison, to read that list.
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I'm sure you could,
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but why do you think the Holy Spirit
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inspired Nehemiah to write down
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all of those names?
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What do you think, Adison?
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(Adison) I think it was important
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because this covenant was
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not only for one individual and God,
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but it was a community thing.
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So, here we have an example
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of all these names being listed down,
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and so you can see
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that it was a community covenant
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between God and His people.
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(Derek) You've got Nehemiah there,
certainly, right,
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and then you've got Zedekiah and Seraiah.
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I'm assuming, as the list
is being written,
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that someone says...?
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(Team) "Me, too."
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(Derek) "Me, too," right,
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"add my name," right? Travis?
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(Travis) You know, when we
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sign agreements nowadays,
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we do that so there's accountability,
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so they can't go back and say,
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"Well, you know, I never said that."
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When you put something in writing,
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you know, it's an accountability,
it's official.
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(Derek) So, back to the marriage
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or courting relationship,
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if someone says, "Well, I'd like
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to move in with you,
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but I'm not ready to make
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a formal agreement...
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(Evelyn) Commitment.
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(Derek) What would you say
to them, Evelyn?
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(Evelyn) I would say you guys
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need to do it the way
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the Lord commands us to,
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I mean, to show commitment to one another.
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(Derek) That's true. Yes, Jason.
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(Jason) I would say that's
kind of like cheating.
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You're trying to get the benefits
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of the situation without the commitment.
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(Derek) And the truth is, it won't work
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because there's no...?
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(Team) Commitment.
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(Derek) There's no commitment, right?
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Now, having listed these primary signers,
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I mean, we can think
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of other primary documents
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where there are the signers
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whose names are on there,
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let's take a look, Gladys,
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at verses 28 and 29,
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something that Nehemiah adds
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after that list of names.
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(Gladys) I'm reading
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from the New International Version,
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Nehemiah, chapter 10, verses 28 and 29:
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(Derek) So, what's the significance
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of that little add-on
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to the list of names?
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(Harold) Total commitment.
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(Derek) Total commitment.
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(Harold) It wasn't just the leaders
because we can't forget
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the names listed in verses 1 through 27;
these were the leaders,
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which actually they were supposed to teach
and impart this message.
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But at the same time, the people,
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were like, "We want to be followers, too."
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(Derek) Right? The rest of the people.
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In fact, we find that phrase
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toward the end of verse 29,
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or verse 28, excuse me,
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"everyone who had knowledge
and understanding."
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What does that mean?
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We had that when Ezra
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was reading, too, the Word, right?
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What does that mean?
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Even the little ones
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who could understand, right?
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They said, "Me, too, papa,"
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"Me, too, mama, add my name
to that list.
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I want to be named with the people of God
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who are making this covenant with God."
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So, like Harold said,
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it's, like, a total commitment,
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a total commitment.
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Now, how did the witness of the leaders
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influence the rest of the people?
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We don't know, do we?
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Is there a correlation sometimes, John,
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between the leader, even in a family,
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and where the family goes?
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(John) They often set the example,
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and they set the tone for the family
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or those that they are leading.
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(Derek) So, you've got two key leaders,
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namely Ezra and...?
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(Team) Nehemiah.
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(Derek) who are saying,
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"We're going to follow God.
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This is what God wants us to do.
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They both sacrificed in order to do that.
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Now the other leaders are coming,
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and now all of the people,
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a total commitment,
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"Let's make a covenant,"
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make an agreement, "with God." Stephanie.
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(Stephanie) I guess, what came to my mind
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was that each person has to make
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their own individual commitment.
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So, even though the leaders
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are making the commitment,
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each individual also had
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to make their own commitment.
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(Derek) Now, it said, "those who
have understanding."
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What about the tiny ones?
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How is their destiny determined,
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the ones without understanding yet?
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(Team) The parents.
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(Derek) It was the same
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in the time of Noah.
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It was the same, you know,
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you think of other times
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when people had decisions to make.
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The Exodus, you know,
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"Are we going to go out?"
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The little ones, they don't
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make that choice, do they?
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At that point, their destiny
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is very much impacted
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by the decision of their parents.
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It's a solemn responsibility, right?
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So, we're going to pause for a moment now.
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We've seen this important juncture,
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crossroads, for the people of God
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there in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah,
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"We're going to renew our commitment,
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our covenant, with God."
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But there had been times
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down through sacred history
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when God has made covenants,
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or agreements, with people,
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and we're just going to take a moment
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to look at some of those.
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Some of them might seem massive,
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and some are rather small, but there are
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at least two people in the agreement,
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and they're both agreeing to it,
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and it has implications.
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So, anybody, give me some examples
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of other covenants. Anybody? Yes, Evelyn?
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(Evelyn) There's the covenant
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God had with Adam.
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(Derek) All right, let's look at that
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in the book of Genesis, chapter 3,
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a covenant with Adam.
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Again, a covenant is a what?
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(Team) An agreement.
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(Derek) It's an agreement, okay.
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So let's see, the words spoken
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in verse 15 are actually
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spoken to the serpent,
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but it is describing a covenant
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with the human family.
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So would you read verse 15 for us,
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and then also if you would add verse 21.
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(Evelyn) And I will be reading
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from the New Living Translation; it says:
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Verse 21 says:
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(Derek) So, what does that promise
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in verse 15, that God is not
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going to abandon the human family -
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He's making a promise to them, right,
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that He's going to provide
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a way of salvation for them -
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and verse 21, why are those two related?
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Help me, someone. John?
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(John) These are linked because verse 15
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gives the promise of the Messiah to come,
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and here you have that they
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are clothed with skin.
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That means that there was a sacrifice
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that took place for them
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to receive skins or covering.
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(Derek) And that's not described there
in chapter 3.
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In chapter 4, you've got
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Abel bringing the lamb.
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Cain, in rebellion, bringing
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some fruit from his garden.
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So obviously this idea
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of a lamb pointing forward
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all the way to the Lamb of God, Jesus,
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who will take away the sin of the world,
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had been explained to them.
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Now, did you ever think
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(my wife was sharing this with me
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just a few days ago),
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does that mean that God
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offered the first sacrifice
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to show them the cost
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and also the sign of looking forward?
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And if that's true, was that
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the first time in eternity
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that God had caused any form of death?
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That's a solemn thought, isn't it?
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And yet, the agreement is,
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if you trust My promise,
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I will save you, right?
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And not just you but your children.
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Well, we could spend a lot of time there.
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We may get a thousand emails;
you go, "Really?"
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Or did God just tell Adam,
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"You kill the lamb'"?
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Maybe God told Adam?
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We'll hear from you.
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What do you think, by the way?
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It was certainly not
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within the heart of God
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to witness any death, was it?
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God wanted all things
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to be in perfect harmony.
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We'll get some emails, I'm sure.
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Yeah, I see you thinking. Gladys?
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(Gladys) Yes, the covenant
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that God made with Noah.
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(Derek) Okay, let's take a look at that.
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Of course, you know the story
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of Noah starts in Genesis 6,
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but let's take a look at Genesis 9.
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Perhaps you could read that
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for us, Gladys, verses 8 through 11.
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(Gladys) Sure, I'll be reading
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from the New International Version,
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Genesis 9, verses 8 to 11:
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(Derek) So, that's God part
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of the covenant, a promise,
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and He gives the sign of that with what?
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(Team) A rainbow.
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(Derek) So, what's their part
of the covenant?
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What does He ask them
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to do to enter into it?
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(John) Trust Him.
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(Derek) To just trust Him, that's right.
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You say, "That's not very much,"
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but actually it's the very essence,
isn't it,
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of trusting in the immeasurable
and unfailing love of God.
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One more, another covenant. Brittany.
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(Brittany) I think of Abraham
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when he was called Abram.
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God promised him that He would make
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his descendants like the stars of the sky.
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(Derek) When his name was Abram,
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and I'll have you read
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chapter 12 for us, of Genesis, 1 to 3,
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when his name was Abram,
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how many children did he have?
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(Team) None.
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(Derek) And how old was he at that time?
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Oh, can you remember that? Was he...?
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Seventy-five years old, right?
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Well, let's take a look, Brittany,
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in chapter 12, verses 1 to 3.
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And then we could look at many others,
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but I'm going to ask you
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what you've noticed
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they all have in common so far.
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(Brittany) I'll be reading
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from the New King James Version,
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Genesis, chapter 12, verses 1 through 3:
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(Derek) Now, that's a beautiful promise.
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By the way, if you look
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at the family tree of Jesus,
get to Matthew,
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He's a son of Abraham, right?
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Because the, "In you, all the families
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of the earth will be blessed," is also...?
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A prophecy pointing forward to Messiah
-
just like the lamb is a prophecy
-
pointing forward to Messiah, right?
-
"In you all the nations..."
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We have to look at one more, Moses,
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the covenant made with Moses and Israel.
-
If someone could look in Exodus 19,
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verses 4 through 6.
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Exodus 19, Jason, if you
-
could read verses 4 through 6,
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what does the Word say there?
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(Jason) I'll be reading
-
from the New King James Version,
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Exodus, chapter 19, verses 4 through 6:
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(Derek) So, now God's making
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a covenant with Moses and...?
All of Israel.
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What do you see that all
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of these covenants have in common?
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We could look at more, too,
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but what do you see
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that they have in common, Harold?
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(Harold) God is the Initiator.
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(Derek) Okay.
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(Harold) He starts the covenant.
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(Derek) Very important, God is
the Initiator,
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and what's motivating Him?
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(Team) Love.
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(Derek) That's right.
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He doesn't need, like,
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"And I really need your help
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to build this city of...," whatever,"
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you know, like the Egyptians, right.
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No, it's just motivated by love.
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He's like, "I want to bless you.
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Can we make an agreement?"
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In fact, all of the sacrifice
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is coming from Him.
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Anything else that you're noticing? John?
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(John) It appears that in each
of the covenants,
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it's based on what God
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has done or will do,
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so, based on His actions and His doing.
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(Derek) So, trusting Him
-
because we've seen what He's done
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in the past, maybe?
-
Abram must have had some confidence
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in God's leading in his past. Nicole?
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(Nicole) It's all based on us trusting.
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He doesn't ask us to do anything.
-
He said, "I'm going to do
everything for you,
-
if you can just trust Me and accept it,
-
then that's the covenant."
-
(Derek) It's almost like
-
they're about to set off
-
this nuclear explosion,
-
"Here's the shelter; just come in," right?
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"My love has provided for you,
-
just enter in." Harold?
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(Harold) I wanted to add
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that all these covenants
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have to do with a relationship.
-
It's always about this relationship,
-
entering this harmonious relationship
with God,
-
because the part, as it's been mentioned,
is the trust.
-
When you trust, you're willing to obey.
-
You're like, "Oh, yes, I love You.
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I want to do this,"
-
because, again, I believe John
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said that we love Him
-
because He first loved us.
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(Derek) That's right.
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So, we're going to go now
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to a beautiful statement
-
of what is called the New Covenant,
-
but it's another revelation
-
of the immeasurable and unfailing
love of God
-
in Jeremiah, chapter 31, verses 31 to 34.
-
Stephanie, if you could read that for us.
-
(Stephanie) And I'll be reading
-
from the King James Version:
-
(Derek) Now, that expression,
-
"They shall all know Me,"
-
what does that mean?
-
Anybody know? The Hebrew understanding
-
of that "knowing." Yes, Gladys.
-
(Gladys) It's an intimate relationship.
-
(Derek) That's right; it's actually
-
the same word where Adam
-
knew his wife, Eve, and she conceived
-
and bore a child, right?
-
So it's that close, intimate relationship,
-
and that's God's ideal, for how many?
-
(Team) For all of us.
-
(Derek) Yeah, that everyone
-
(we won't need to go and say...),
-
that all will experience
-
that intimate relationship.
-
What do you hear different...
-
The Lord Himself says,
-
"This is not like the covenant
-
I made with their fathers
-
the day I brought them out of Egypt."
-
What's different in this covenant,
-
the wording of this New Covenant? Jason?
-
(Jason) There is some description
-
about putting the Law
-
in their hearts and in their minds.
-
And in the sort of previous covenant,
-
there was a lot of external activity
written down.
-
And so there's something kind of happening
-
more internal here, it seems.
-
(Derek) Okay, yes, you're
absolutely right.
-
Let's expand on that a little. Travis?
-
(Travis) I'd like to say
-
that this New Covenant was based
-
on God's promise to change us
-
internally, like you said,
-
but the first covenant was,
-
"I promise, if you do this,"
-
and this promise was based
-
just on God's promise, which never fails.
-
Man failed in keeping the covenant,
-
and God says, "I'm going
-
to do something within you
-
so that you can keep
-
this covenant with me.
-
(Derek) All right, so, again,
more internal.
-
Were there any other covenants
-
that talked about, "I will forgive
their iniquities
-
and remember their sins no more"?
-
(Team) No.
-
(Derek) I suppose you could
-
go back to Genesis and say
-
that by trusting in the sacrifice.
-
This is much more explicit,
though, isn't it?
-
"And I'm going to do something..."?
-
"...in their hearts," right?
-
"I'm going to change their hearts."
-
So, what are your thoughts about God
-
wanting to do that for you?
-
Because that's not just written
-
in the time of Jeremiah, right?
-
That covenant is a covenant He wants
-
to make with each one of us, right?
-
Give me a new heart, forgive my sins,
-
give me a new start,
-
what are your thoughts about that?
Yes, Alex.
-
(Alex) It's just really humbling to me.
-
I think of all the things
-
that I've done to hurt Him,
-
the things I still do to hurt Him,
-
and that He wants to have
-
a covenant with me,
-
that He still wants to reach out to me
to have it.
-
(Derek) So, back to what we said earlier.
-
Again, He's taking the initiative
(always, right),
-
and it's based on His...?
-
(Team) Love.
-
(Derek) His immeasurable, unfailing love.
-
And Alex says that's kind of humbling
-
because He knows me, right? Nicole?
-
(Nicole) It's encouraging also,
-
that, even when I fall, He's still there
to pick me up,
-
and He still wants to be with me.
-
It's kind of self-esteem booster
-
that this God of the universe
-
wants little 'ole me
-
to be in the covenant with Him.
-
(Derek) And if it was a human being,
-
you might say, "Well,
-
that's because they don't
-
really know me," right?
-
But He does! John?
-
(John) The terms of the covenant,
-
and there are terms of agreement,
-
and God says that He will complete them,
-
so He's fulfilling those terms
in our lives,
-
and it's to us to receive and believe in.
-
(Derek) All right. Adison?
-
(Adison) I just love this concept,
-
in part because that same Law
-
that was written on the tables of stone,
-
the Holy Spirit takes it,
-
and He engraves it
-
upon the tables of our hearts.
-
And we find Christ's righteousness,
not our own;
-
He puts His righteousness on us.
-
And I just think it's a tremendous gift.
-
(Derek) And it's important
-
to "rememberize," to remember
-
("rememberize," that's not
an English word),
-
to remember what Jesus said,
-
that all of that Law He wants
-
to write on our hearts is summarized
-
in two great commandments, right?
-
Because, remember, this is
all about wanting
-
an intimate love relationship with us,
-
and those two great commandments,
-
Jesus said, are...?
-
(Team) Love God.
-
(Derek) Love God how?
-
With all your heart, soul,
mind and strength.
-
And love your neighbor...?
-
(Team) As yourself.
-
(Derek) It's in the context
-
of that relationship.
-
All right, Travis, how do you feel
-
about, God's like, "I want to make
-
this covenant with you"?
-
(Travis) I just think
-
that, when we look at the new covenant,
-
it just shows how relentless God is,
-
because He's doing something in us
-
that we couldn't do ourselves.
-
What God is doing to us
-
is He's enabling us to be
-
a part of His Kingdom,
-
something that was
-
just absolutely impossible
within ourselves.
-
And we got to see that
-
through the Old Testament Scriptures.
-
(Derek) I've been told
-
that that's something
-
about Judeo-Christian faith
that is unique,
-
because many religions have us
-
trying to earn God's favor.
-
You know, we beat ourselves,
-
we walk on hot rocks,
-
or put fish hooks in our back,
-
or whatever, you know,
-
to try to...or we offer chickens...
-
to try to placate God or earn His favor.
-
Here, we're seeing God
take the initiative.
-
And He loves us with an everlasting love.
-
Now, one other aspect of covenant
-
before we move on.
-
The Bible also speaks
-
about God wanting to make
-
an everlasting covenant.
-
Is that different from this new covenant
-
we're talking about?
-
Well, let's read two verses,
-
and then you can give me
-
the answer to that question.
-
Hebrews 13, verses 20 and 21,
-
Malaina, if you have that,
-
you could read it for us,
-
Hebrews, chapter 13, verses 20 and 21,
-
and then someone could find
-
Isaiah 55 and verse 3.
-
(Malaina) I will be reading
-
from the New King James Version,
-
Hebrews, chapter 13, verses 20 through 21:
-
(Derek) Amen. All right,
-
"through the blood
-
of the eternal covenant."
-
Isaiah 55 and verse 3,
-
someone have that already?
-
Alex, do you have it already? Verse 3.
-
(Alex) Okay, and I'll be reading
-
from the King James Version:
-
(Derek) So, is this the same covenant,
-
or is it "Oh, that's a different one."
-
The everlasting one
-
is different from Jeremiah 31.
-
What do you think?
-
(Team) Same.
-
(Derek) Same. So, why does God
-
go out of His way
-
to say "everlasting covenant," Stephanie?
-
(Stephanie) That's really important
-
because it is forever;
-
it's down through the ages.
-
It's His covenant that is sure.
-
We know that it will be accomplished.
-
(Derek) Because we said
-
He takes the initiative,
-
and it's based on what He...?
-
(Team) Has promised.
-
(Derek) And so by saying
-
it's an everlasting covenant,
-
He's saying, "I am the Lord, and I..."?
-
(Stephanie) Change not.
-
(Derek) "I change not."
-
"I am the same..."?
-
(Derek, Team) Yesterday, today
and forever.
-
(Derek) So, that gives us comfort.
-
We ought to get a little happy, right?
Praise God!
-
He's not going to say,
-
"You know, I thought about this, Alex.
-
You're right; you don't deserve
-
this covenant I'm making with you
-
because I've noticed, in fact,
-
I have a record of all of your failings."
-
And you say, "Lord, have mercy."
-
You say, "No, they've been washed away."
-
But you know, to think
-
that God is never going to come there
-
and go, "I've changed My mind
-
about this agreement with you."
-
Everlasting covenant, someone says?
-
(Team) Amen!
-
(Derek) Gladys?
-
(Gladys) I've been struggling with this,
-
with the fact that, yes,
-
God is love; He doesn't change,
-
but what happened with Noah?
-
He said that He regretted
-
or resented making man?
-
My husband asked me that this morning
-
when we were reviewing this...
-
(Derek) Okay. Well, how do you think
-
God feels when we reject His offer
-
of immeasurable and unfailing love
-
and throw dirt in His face, so to speak?
-
How does He feel about that?
-
(Team) Hurt. It's painful.
-
(Derek) It's heartbreaking for Him, right?
-
I don't think He stopped loving those
-
when He regretted.
-
I think He wept over those
-
who refused to come into the Ark, right?
-
But He wants to make
-
this everlasting covenant with us.
-
He wants us to know
-
that even when we are not trustworthy,
-
He is trustworthy. Travis?
-
(Travis) If anyone's ever had
-
a child who has rebelled,
-
I think that verse
-
is really explained in that term,
you know?
-
Once you've experienced that,
-
of course you love that child,
-
but, boy, it just really
-
brings sorrow to your heart,
-
and it just tears you up inside.
-
And you just get that feeling inside
like, why? You know?
-
But you would do anything
-
for that child even yet, you know.
-
(Derek) Sure. Sure.
-
So, I have a question for you,
-
and I want you to look with me
-
in Joshua 24, [verses] 14 and 15.
-
Can you make a decision
-
for someone else to accept
-
that immeasurable and unfailing offer
of God's love?
-
Well, before you say no,
-
let's look at Joshua 24, 14 and 15,
-
and maybe you're absolutely right.
-
Maybe he talked to the family,
-
and they said, "Me, too."
-
And so he comes and says...
-
Well, let's see what the text says.
-
Joshua 24, Evelyn, do you
-
have it there, verses 14 and 15.
-
(Evelyn) I will be reading
-
from the New Living Translation:
-
(Derek) Amen? By the way,
-
that is capitalized in my Bible;
-
that's the name, Yahweh.
-
That's the name of the Lord God,
-
Creator of heaven and the earth.
-
(John) His covenant name.
-
(Derek) His covenant name, that's right.
-
That's the agreement He's made with us.
-
Now, Joshua says, "As for me and my house,
-
we will serve the Lord."
-
But you're saying you can't make
-
that decision for your spouse,
-
or, if you have children,
-
for your children, for your siblings.
-
So, what, what do you think, Jason?
-
(Jason) Well, when you're
-
a family relationship,
-
particularly the marriage one,
is a covenant,
-
so when you have that covenant,
-
you aren't making
-
the individual choice for the person,
-
but you're kind of setting the tone,
-
like we said with the leaders,
-
you're kind of setting the direction
for the person.
-
Ultimately, each of the individual
family members
-
have to make their own choice,
-
but you can kind of set the stage
-
which way it will go.
-
(Derek) Yes. Remember that phrase,
-
"those who have understanding,"
-
so, for all those that do,
-
this would be a good time
-
for a family council, right,
-
and say, "As the mother,"
-
or, "As the father," "As the parent,"
-
some families only have one parent,
some have two,
-
"but this is my decision,
-
and here's why I'm making my decision,"
-
and they say, "Mommy, we see that,"
-
or, "Daddy, we see that,"
-
or, "Mommy and daddy,
-
we see that. Me, too!"
-
So, no matter how young they are,
-
if they have understanding,
-
like it says in the text,
-
they can say, "Me, too."
-
And I think that's helpful.
-
It's not like, you know, Joshua's dragging
-
his family kicking and screaming,
-
but they thought it through together,
-
and he can come and say,
-
"The decision of me and my family
-
is we will serve the Lord."
-
Anybody want to respond to that.
Yes, Gladys?
-
(Gladys) In a family, usually...
-
I will say, for my family it's like that.
-
When we were little, he always said,
-
"In the morning, in my house
-
we will have worship."
-
So everyone who will come and visit,
-
that's what we do in my house.
-
So, I think that that's what the Lord
represents.
-
This is what He wants,
-
to have that relationship,
-
and the leader of the home,
-
or the representative of the home,
-
makes the decision, not forcing it
-
on the family member,
-
but kind of like being the representative
-
of God in the home
-
and bringing his family along.
-
(Derek) Okay, and back
-
to what we've talked about earlier,
-
that list of names,
-
and then it said, "and the..."?
-
"Rest of the people," right?
-
So it became a total commitment.
-
But leadership is not unimportant, is it?
-
That can have an influence.
-
Well, let's talk about some
-
of the promises now.
-
We'll go back to Ezra and Nehemiah's time.
-
They said, "We need
-
to renew our covenant with God."
-
Let's look at some
-
of the promises that they made.
-
John, would you read for us
-
in Nehemiah, chapter 10,
-
beginning with verse 29 through verse 38.
-
And while John reads that, are they
-
getting the most important things here?
-
Maybe what is the most important promise
that we make,
-
let's think about that.
-
But let's hear how they respond now.
-
They're renewing their covenant with God.
-
(John) From the New King James Version,
it says:
-
(Derek) So, that seems like
a lot of details, yes?
-
But it's all part of a ceremonial system
-
which points to what?
-
(Brittany) The Lamb of God.
-
(Derek) To the Lamb of God who's coming
-
and reflects the immeasurable
and unfailing love of God.
-
If, when we're doing all of that,
-
we don't forget what it's pointing to
-
and that God wants
-
what kind of relationship with us?
-
(Team) Intimate.
-
(Derek) An intimate, loving, personal
relationship with us, then it's okay.
-
If we lose sight of that,
-
then we're in trouble, right?
-
Could that happen
-
even in the twenty-first century?
-
You know, we don't bring lambs
-
and have grain offerings, right?
-
We typically, when we come to worship,
-
what are some things that we do
-
when we come to worship?
-
(Team) Praise. Sing.
-
(Derek) We sing praise to God and we...?
-
(Team Member) Pray.
-
(Derek) And we pray, and...?
-
(Nicole) Read the Bible.
-
(Team Member) Give offering.
-
(Derek) We give offerings, that's right;
We read the Bible.
-
We listen to someone
-
teaching from the Scriptures, right?
-
So there are things that we do,
-
but we always need to remember
-
when we come that it's all about what?
-
(Team) Jesus.
-
(Derek) It's all about God
-
who loves us with a...?
-
An immeasurable and unfailing love,
wanting a...?
-
(Team) Relationship.
-
(Derek) A relationship with us.
-
And, of course, as someone mentioned,
-
He showed that most vividly
and perfectly...?
-
(Team) At the cross.
-
(Derek) Through the coming of Jesus,
-
who lived, died on the cross,
-
rose again the third day,
-
and has ascended to Heaven.
-
He's ministering there
-
in the heavenly sanctuary,
-
and He's coming back soon.
-
(Team) Amen!
-
(Derek) We forget that if we think,
-
"I went to church this week, did you?"
-
We could miss the whole point, right?
-
Promises are not bad.
-
The Bible does tell us
-
we should be careful
-
about making promises to God.
-
And so I'm going to read that,
-
have someone read it from Ecclesiastes 5,
-
and then I have an important question
for you, and that is,
-
what is the most important promise
-
anyone can ever make to God? Okay?
-
But let's look first in Ecclesiastes,
-
which basically says, "Don't be careless
-
in making promises to God."
-
Ecclesiastes, chapter 5, and, Adison,
-
could you read the first five verses,
-
Ecclesiastes 5:1-5?
-
(Adison) And I'll be reading
-
from the King James Version:
-
(Derek) So, what's the sacrifice of fools?
-
Making rash promises
-
without any intention of keeping them.
-
Better not to say anything, right?
-
So, we don't want to be careless,
-
but there's at least one promise
-
that God really wants us to make.
-
What's the most important promise
-
He wants us to make to Him?
-
I don't know; is there
-
a right answer to that?
-
Or most important decision, I don't know.
-
What do you think, Brittany?
-
(Brittany) I think He wants us
-
to give Him our whole heart
-
and to promise to give it to Him every day
-
the rest of our lives.
-
(Derek) Can we do that?
-
(Brittany) Only with His help.
-
(Derek) Or can I promise
-
to at least allow Him
-
to enable me to do that?
-
(Team) Yes.
-
(Derek) You know, isn't there...
-
I remember a prayer,
-
"Take my heart, I cannot give it,"
you know?
-
(Adison) Keep it pure.
-
(Derek) Yeah, keep it pure.
-
I mean, it's like, "God, here I am.
-
I promise to be..."?
-
(Team) Willing.
-
(Derek) Willing. "I promise to be..."?
-
(Derek, Team) Open.
-
(Derek) "...to Your immeasurable
and unfailing love.
-
Your covenant with me.
-
You know me, God,"
-
but can I promise that, "I will,
-
by Your grace, never close myself
up to You"?
-
Yeah, "I promise to be open to You,"
-
most important promise.
-
Can anybody think, either of that promise,
-
a time when you made
-
that promise to God,
-
or an important promise you made to God?
-
Anybody think of a time
-
you made an important promise? Travis?
-
(Travis) Yeah, it was a few years ago.
-
I was in a tree reading a book...
-
(Derek) What were you doing
in a tree, Travis?
-
(Travis) I was actually...
-
(Derek) You mean, like Zacchaeus?
-
(Travis) Actually that's the story
-
that got my attention
-
in the book I was reading,
-
and I realized then and there
-
that I wanted to live the rest of my life
-
in ministry, working for Jesus.
-
And I told Him, that's what I'll do.
-
And I've had bumps along the way,
but still going.
-
(Derek) So, that promise was to just say,
-
"God, take my heart,
-
I cannot give it."
-
I mean, "Here I am.
-
I give myself to You; hold onto Me."
-
Bumps along the way.
-
Anybody else have a testimony?
-
Jason and then John.
-
(Jason) Towards the end
-
of my collegiate experience,
-
I was trying to figure out
-
where I should go in life,
-
and I was struggling
-
with different opportunities and paths.
-
And during that time,
-
I had a conversation with God,
-
and the conclusion of it was,
-
"All right, Lord, I promise
-
that whatever direction You show me,
-
I'm going to go; do You want me
-
to go to this school?
-
Do you want me to go to this job?"
-
And He ended up sending me
-
to be a student missionary for a year
-
before sending me on a career,
-
and I know I needed to make that promise.
-
I needed to open myself to God's will
-
so that He could put me
-
where He wanted to put me
-
along the path that He had for my life.
-
(Derek) And maybe you hadn't thought
-
about the student missionary for a year,
-
but God says, "As part of the plan,
-
I need you to go here,"
-
which was where, by the way?
-
(Jason) In Central America.
-
(Derek) In Central America.
All right. John.
-
(John) In 2013 my wife
-
was involved in an accident
-
while she was jogging.
-
A vehicle struck her from behind.
-
She had been life-flighted
-
to the nearest trauma center.
-
A policeman showed up at my door
-
with the police chaplain
-
and told me about it.
-
And during the hour-and-a-half drive
to the hospital,
-
not knowing her condition
-
other than she was flown,
-
and all these things
-
going through my mind,
-
I had made a promise to God
-
that I will never doubt
-
His goodness and love,
-
regardless of the outcome.
-
The promise was, "I'm going
-
to serve You still."
-
And I can praise God
-
that she's restored fully,
-
but I was going to serve God regardless.
-
(Derek) Powerful.
-
That's a Holy-Spirit-enabled promise,
-
right, because the enemy says,
-
"Curse God and die."
-
But, "No, I will trust You still."
-
That's kind of Job, isn't it?
-
"No matter what happens,
-
I'll trust in You."
-
Well, God wants us
-
to enter into that promise.
-
What do you do...
-
Maybe someone comes to you,
-
and we don't have a lot of time,
-
you're just going to have
-
to quote the text for me,
-
someone comes to you and says, "Derek,
-
I made that promise up in the tree,
-
but I had a bump along the way,
-
and I feel like I broke my promise.
-
I went out and I did something stupid
-
after I had made a promise.
-
I just wanted to follow Jesus
no matter what."
-
What would you say to that friend
-
if she came to you and said,
-
"I guess it didn't work out
for me," Brittany?
-
(Brittany) I think about the story
of Peter
-
and how he promised
-
he would never leave Christ,
-
and then Jesus said to him,
"I'll pray for you,
-
that even after your faith fails you,
-
that you will come and return to Me."
-
And Jesus said that to Him
-
even before he failed.
-
He said, "I'll be praying for you."
-
And so that's something
-
that we can remember.
-
Jesus knows when we're going to fail;
-
He knows when we're going to stumble,
but He's still praying for us.
-
He knows that we'll come back; He's giving
us the opportunity to come back.
-
(Derek) So there are stories,
-
there are promises.
-
Someone else in the Scripture
-
that gives us hope? Gladys?
-
(Gladys) Yes, I love the story of David
-
when he fell, and in Psalm 51
-
he said, "A broken and contrite heart,
-
You will not despise."
-
So even when we fail, God doesn't.
-
(Derek) I love those words
-
in Psalm 51, verse 10,
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"Create in me a clean heart, O God;
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and renew a right spirit within me.
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Do not cast me away from Your presence,
-
or take Your Holy Spirit from me.
-
Restore to me..."
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(Derek, Team) "... the joy
of Your salvation."
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(Derek) So it's coming back
-
into that intimate relationship
-
with a God who loves us how?
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With an immeasurable and unfailing love.
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You know, we cannot fail when we fall
-
into the arms of a loving Savior;
we can't.
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There's one last thought in our study.
-
We've just got a couple of minutes left.
-
Did you notice, talking about caring
-
for the house of God.
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Go back to Nehemiah 10 and verse 39,
-
at the end of this renewing
of the covenant.
-
Nehemiah makes this interesting record
-
in chapter 10, Nehemiah,
-
chapter 10, and verse 39.
-
Brittany, would you read
that verse for us?
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(Brittany) I'll be reading
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from the New King James Version,
-
Nehemiah, chapter 10 and verse 39:
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(Derek) Why is that last phrase
so important?
-
Why is it important today, too,
-
but let's go back there,
-
"We will not neglect
-
the house of our God"?
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Why is that important?
-
God doesn't need that house, or does He?
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Why is it important that they said,
-
"We're not going to neglect
-
the house of our God"?
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Short answer, Travis.
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(Travis) Because that was
-
the picture of salvation
-
of the land that was going to be...
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(Derek) That is telling the story
-
about a God who loves us
-
with an immeasurable and unfailing love.
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Hyperspace forward to our time.
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What does that mean for us today?
-
We'd say, "Okay, we're followers of Jesus,
-
preparing for His soon return."
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How many does Jesus
-
want to be saved in His Kingdom?
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(Team) All.
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(Derek) "We will not neglect
-
the house of our God."
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What does that mean
-
for us today? Stephanie?
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(Stephanie) I think it means showing up
-
and being presently active.
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(Derek) Okay, so you'd say
-
it's very physical, actually going
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and being active in what?
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(Stephanie) In ministry.
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(Derek) In, in...?
-
(Stephanie) The ministry of the church.
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(Derek) In the ministry of the church,
which is what, Harold?
-
What is the ministry of the church?
-
(Harold) To share the gospel.
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(Derek) That's right, to share
-
the good news about a God who loves us
-
with an immeasurable and unfailing love.
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Now, back then it took sacrifice, right?
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They brought their tithes;
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they brought their offerings.
-
Does it require sacrifice today?
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(Team) Yes!
-
(Derek) What kind of sacrifices?
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(Team Member) A living sacrifice.
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(Derek) A living sacrifice
-
because, actually, while God
-
does want us to return our faithful tithes
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and to honor Him with praise and prayer,
-
what He wants more than anything is...?
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(Team) Our hearts.
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(Derek) He wants us,
-
that living sacrifice that will love Him
-
with all of our hearts
-
and will go out and...?
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(Team) Share...
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(Derek) Share the good news
-
about a God who loves us
-
with an immeasurable and unfailing love.
-
What we'll discover
-
is that when we do that,
-
out of the context
-
of an intimate relationship with God,
-
what's going to happen
-
when we go out to share with people
-
about a God who loves them?
-
Out of the context
-
of a life-changing relationship with God,
-
what's going to happen?
-
(Team) We'll be changed.
-
(Derek) It's going to change lives,
including...?
-
(Team) Ours.
-
(Derek) That's right.
-
You know, when God asks us
to do something,
-
it's not just because He
-
can't find anybody else.
-
He could ask angels,
-
but He wants us to experience
-
his immeasurable and unfailing love
-
as we join Him in His harvest work.
-
We will not let it be said of us
-
in this last generation,
-
we will not neglect the house of our God.
-
And that covenant that He initiated,
-
that He will put His love
-
in our hearts, right,
-
His law in our hearts,
-
embrace us in an intimate,
life-changing relationship.
-
Do you want that today?
-
Every day that's a choice we can make.
-
Every day, "Lord, I'm here, open to You."
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Let's pray; Father in Heaven,
-
let that be each of our prayers,
-
that we may see clearer
-
and yet clearer revelations
-
of your immeasurable and unfailing love,
-
and that through us that love
-
would be revealed to those around us.
-
In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
-
(Team) Amen.
-
(Derek) Someone else needs to konw
-
that God loves her
-
with an immeasurable and unfailing love.
-
Someone else, maybe that you work with,
-
needs to know that God loves him
-
with an immeasurable and unfailing love.
-
Take that good news and be a blessing
-
to those around you.
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♪ theme music ♪