♪ theme music ♪
(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,
an in-depth, interactive study
of the Word of God.
Well, we're coming towards the end of our series,
Present Truth in Deuteronomy,
today, Deuteronomy in the New Testament.
You say, "Pastor Derek,
what's it doing in the New Testament?
Well, the prophets in the New Testament
recognized the authority
of those inspired Scriptures,
and they were guiding their thoughts
and their actions in their day;
I believe God wants that
to happen in our day, too.
So, glad you're with us
for Hope Sabbath School today, welcome,
and welcome to the team.
What a beautiful team, I'm looking there.
You know, more than 200 countries around the world,
and you know what people
tell me when they write?
They say, "I like
the Hope Sabbath School team;
you look like the world."
And that's beautiful because God
is gathering people,
not only our small team
here in the studio,
still with some restrictions,
but we've got some
of our remote team members joining us.
I want to welcome Adison
from British Columbia.
Adison, good to see you today.
Travis, from Michigan,
Travis, good to see you.
And Pastor Puia, all the way from Hawaii,
Puia, good to see you,
always great to have
our remote team members with us.
And we're always happy to hear from you,
our Hope Sabbath School members
around the world, 200-plus countries.
Here's a note from Trinidad,
the island of Trinidad,
Trinidad and Tobago, right,
are twin islands in the Caribbean,
and a pastor writes.
His first name is Hilary, and he says,
"Hope you're all doing well by God's grace.
I recently discovered Hope Sabbath School
through my wife," I say, "Way to go, Wife," right?
Thanks for telling your pastor husband
about Hope Sabbath School.
"I've been truly inspired and edified
by your handling of the Word of God." Amen?
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) "Continue the good work."
Well, Pastor, thanks for writing
to us from Trinidad.
We're glad that you and your wife are part
of our Hope Sabbath School family.
One of the things we noticed,
we have a very mobile community.
We have a lot of young adults watching.
Melvin is a Zambian,
but he's living in the Netherlands.
That's a long way from home, right?
"Greetings in the name
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
Good to wave for Melvin here.
"Thank you so much
for the wonderful studies
on Hope Sabbath School.
They're always a great blessing to me.
I watch here in the Netherlands
every Friday evening,
the beginning hours of the Sabbath.
May the good Lord continue to bless
Hope Sabbath School," and we say?
(Derek, Team) Amen.
(Derek) Because God's the miracle worker, not us,
but we're glad to be a part of it, right?
And talking about being part of the miracle,
I want to just thank our donors
for supporting this ministry,
because it's because of you saying,
"Pastor Derek, I want
to partner with you."
Here's a note from a donor in Denmark,
actually a donor couple in Denmark write
and say, "Thank you very much
for the important work
and teaching that you're doing.
It's a great blessing.
It lifts our spirits and moves our hearts.
I've especially needed that,
having gone through some difficult times for several years."
We have no idea who's watching, do we?
But God knows, and the Spirit of God
is blessing their hearts.
"Over time watching the team,
we feel like we know you
as members of our church.
It's very nice, and it's uplifting
and moving to hear the testimonies
from the members of the team
and your enthusiasm.
Greet them from us and say thank you.
We would like to give a donation.
Thank you, and God bless you,"
and a donation of 500 dollars to bless
the ministry of Hope Sabbath School.
Well, you know who you are,
thank you, Denmark, for being part of this miracle
called Hope Sabbath School.
And if you'd like to help us, you say,
"Pastor Derek, can I be a part
of this impact movement?" Absolutely.
Write to me at sshope@hopetv.org.
I'd like to share with you
how God can use you
to bless lives around the world.
You can also go to our website,
hopetv.org/hopess, click
on the yellow donate button and say,
"I want to be part of the miracle."
Thank you for your support.
Well, this is an interesting name.
From Zambia, his name is Wham, Wham.
I don't know; there are
some interesting names.
Maybe he made a powerful entrance,
and they said, "We're going
to name our son 'Wham.'"
"Living in Zambia in the capital city,
I've been a church member since childhood.
I've been following your program
since 2012," that's a long time.
"Believe me, I have come to believe
in Jesus better than ever
through your interactive study
of the Word of God."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) "May God bless each of you
and save you from this pandemic,
as He saves the entire world."
Well, Wham, thanks for writing to us
from the great country of Zambia.
We have many Hope Sabbath School members
in your beautiful country.
And, oh, I was just thinking
about my friend Adison on our remote.
Adison, give a wave to Zambia, would you?
Adison came with me to hold meetings
at the Rusangu University there in Zambia.
What a blessing that was, Adison,
and just hearing from one
of our viewers there.
And one last note from New York
in the United States of America,
writing from the Bronx;
that's about as New York
as you can get, I think, right?
"I've been watching and listening for many years.
I like the interactivity, and I'm
so grateful for the Scripture songs.
They're beautiful and serve
to imprint the Word of God
in my mind and heart."
Well, you know, that's interesting.
Thank you, Lorraine, by the way,
writing from the Bronx in New York.
That's exactly what we're talking about
today in our study,
is that the Word of God in Deuteronomy
is imprinted in the hearts and lives
of New Testament leaders,
and I believe God wants that
in our lives, too.
Well, thanks again.
We'd love to hear from you,
sshope@hopetv.org.
I feel like we're a global family,
and when you share the miracle
that's happening for you,
we praise God with you.
Right now we need to hear you sing.
Our theme song's taken
from the book of Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy 31:6, I love it.
It's simple but powerful,
"Be strong and of good courage,
do not fear nor be afraid of them;
for the Lord your God,
He is the One who goes with you.
He will not leave you or forsake you."
Let's sing it together.
♪ music ♪
(Derek) Let's pray together.
Father in heaven, we're excited to see
how that inspired witness in Deuteronomy
impacted the lives
of New Testament Christians
and how Your Word can continue
to be "a lamp to our feet
and a light to our path."
So, I pray in the name of Jesus
You would guide our study today.
Hope Sabbath School family around the world,
maybe someone watching for the first time,
that they would experience a breakthrough,
understanding the truth of Your Word
and how much You love them
and want them to spend eternity with You.
I thank You. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) Well, we're going
to start our study today with Jesus
in the New Testament because Jesus quoted
from the book of Deuteronomy,
well, quite a few times.
I begin to wonder, I don't think He was
carrying the Deuteronomy scroll around,
but He had hidden that Word in His heart.
So, we're going to start
in Matthew, chapter 4, and, Daisy,
would you begin our study today
with Matthew 4, verses 1 through 4?
The setting, Jesus has just been baptized,
the Father has spoken and said,
"This is My beloved Son
in whom I am well pleased,"
and the Spirit descended upon Jesus
in the form of...?
(Derek, Team) A dove.
(Derek) And rested upon Him.
Now, filled with the Holy Spirit,
He's going to begin His ministry as Messiah.
And, Daisy, read for us
the first four verses
of Matthew, chapter 4.
(Daisy) I'll be reading
from the New Living Translation:
(Derek) I like your translation, Daisy,
"The Scripture says."
Another translation is...?
(Daisy) "It is written"?
(Derek) "It is written," that's right.
"It is written,"
that's in the King James, New King James,
but, "The Scripture says."
So, before we even know
what Scripture Jesus quotes,
Travis, what can we learn
from just those first few words,
"The Scripture says," or "It is written"?
(Travis) We can learn that Jesus
recognizes that there's authority in the Scriptures.
(Derek) Alright, before we
even know which Scripture.
By the way, how does Jesus know
which Scripture to share
in response to Satan's attack?
How do we know when we
come under attack, Sabina?
(Sabina) Well, if we keep
the Scripture on our heart,
when some lie comes against us, we can
respond to what we know from Scripture.
(Derek) And is Someone
going to help us, Daisy?
(Daisy) The Spirit brings that to your mind.
The Scripture actually does tell us
that whenever we are
in a difficult situation,
after we have studied the Word of God,
even if it's been so long,
the Spirit brings it back to memory
so we know when to use it.
(Derek) And you know, Jesus was fully God,
but He was also fully human,
and there is no doubt that the Holy Spirit
is bringing that Word to His remembrance.
So, before we read it, and I'm going
to have Heide read again what Jesus
quotes from in your translation,
the Bible says, before we even know,
the Bible says, we're in verse 4,
of Matthew, chapter 4,
how does that read, Heide,
in your translation?
(Heide) Alright, I'll be reading
from the New King James Version, and it says:
(Derek) Now, that would be true, right,
even if Jesus was just making it up right there, Puia, right?
That would be true
because He is the Word made flesh, right?
But He is actually quoting
from inspired Scripture.
Do you know where He's quoting from?
(Puia) Yes, I believe it's
from Deuteronomy, chapter 8, verse 3.
(Derek) So now, my next question, Puia
(you can stay with us),
how did He know that verse?
(Puia) Well, I believe,
as we pointed out earlier,
He must have studied that a lot.
(Derek) So, He had hidden that in His heart,
and Daisy said the Spirit can help us
to bring that to our remembrance.
Alright, the story continues, Sabina,
if you'd read for us, still in Matthew 4,
now verses 5 through 7,
and remember the enemy
has had a lot of time to plan.
Jesus is now 30 years of age
when He's baptized; the enemy
has been planning these attacks,
so here comes another attack.
(Sabina) Okay, so I'll be reading
from the New King James Version, and it says:
(Derek) So, I'm a little troubled here
because Satan says, "The Bible says,"
or, what was your..., "The Scriptures say," right?
So, what does that tell us,
Adison, about the enemy?
Why is he quoting the Bible here?
(Adison) Well, it turns out
Satan has had at least 6,000 years
to become more crafty,
and he knows the Bible
better than any human being does,
so he uses it; he manipulates the words.
He mixes truth with error
to serve his purpose to tempt and decieve.
(Derek) So, he takes a text out of context
and makes it sound like it's fine for us
to presume on God's mercy,
"I'm going to jump off that building,
or step in front of that speeding train,
and if God loves me,
He'll stop the train, or He'll prevent me
from having a difficult landing."
And how does Jesus respond again?
What were those words, Daisy?
(Daisy) "The Scriptures say."
(Derek) "The Scriptures say."
And Jesus says, "You shall not tempt
the Lord your God."
John, do you have a chain reference
in your Bible that tells you
where Jesus is quoting from there?
(John) Yes, He is quoting
from Deuteronomy 6:16.
(Derek) Same book,
the fifth book of the Pentateuch
that we've been studying, right,
Present Truth in Deuteronomy.
Jason, would you read on now,
same story, Matthew 4,
verses 8 through 11.
(Jason) I have the New King James Version here,
Matthew, chapter 4, verses 8 through 11:
(Derek) I'm hearing Daisy's Scripture translation,
"The Scriptures say," it's coming back,
"It is written," right?
"The Scriptures say," I like
that translation, "The Scriptures say,"
because it's not just any written.
It's the Scriptures that say,
"You shall worship the Lord your God,
and Him only you shall serve."
Travis, I have a question for you.
I don't know that we
have a definitive answer,
but just a thought, why do you think
that Jesus responds all three times
from just one book of the Bible?
He could have found other...
I'm sure He knew other places.
He quotes from the Psalms.
He quotes from other parts of the Bible.
Travis, why Deuteronomy, and by the way,
that last one was, what,
Deuteronomy 6:13, right?
Travis, any idea?
(Travis) Well, Derek, I'm thinking
of Matthew, chapter 5:17, where He said,
"I did not come to destroy the Law,
but to fulfill the Law."
And of course, the second giving
of the Law is recorded in Deuteronomy.
And so, here is Jesus in the flesh,
as you had mentioned, God in the flesh,
coming as a Man, and fulfilling
the Law on our behalf.
And so, I believe He's quoting
from that book because Jesus
is ultimately going to be the fulfillment of the Law.
(Derek) And He certainly knew it,
"The Scriptures say," right?
Puia, I saw your hand.
(Puia) Yes, I also believe
that it parallels the temptation of Jesus,
the temptation that He faced
in the wilderness, for 40 days
and 40 nights He was there,
I believe parallels with Moses
who was also with the Lord
for 40 days and 40 nights
and fasted as well.
And at the same time, the children
of Israel were in the wilderness for 40 years,
and so there seems to be some sort
of parallel comparison here, too,
that God spoke to them
these words in Deuteronomy
when they were in the wilderness.
And now Jesus in the wilderness
used the same words
that were provided earlier.
(Derek) There was one difference
between Moses and Jesus.
Moses was supernaturally sustained,
because it says he ate
and drank nothing for 40 days,
and he wasn't weakened
and about to die like Jesus, right?
He came down, and his head
was shining so much
they wanted to cover his head
with a veil, right?
And of course, Jesus faces that
without supernatural assistance,
lest the enemy says, "Well,
You're being unfairly protected."
But it's interesting, He comes back, "The Scriptures say,"
"The Scriptures say."
Finally, the devil leaves Him and, what?
Angels came, so I'm so thankful
for God's deliverance.
He will not allow us...
What does the Bible say?
He will not allow us
to be tested or tempted
more than we can stand,
but will, with the temptation,
provide a way of escape, that we
may be able to stand under it. John?
(John) What's interesting
is that in the Garden of Eden,
Satan tempted our first parents to bite,
making them doubt the Word of God,
but Jesus, He is quoting the Word of God
once again to overcome those temptations.
(Derek) And of course, Satan
is using deception again,
"If You are the Son of God."
He knew that Jesus is the Son of God.
He knew that Jesus,
Son of God, was His Commander.
He knew all of those things,
but he comes again with deception.
We could take a whole study
on this one little theme,
but we're just illustrating that Jesus,
recognized, as Travis said earlier,
the authority of Scripture, and specifically
Present Truth in Deuteronomy.
Let's look at one other place
where He quotes from Deuteronomy
in Matthew 22, and, Adison,
if you could read verse 37.
It's a very familiar verse, but perhaps
some of our Hope Sabbath School members
don't know that Jesus was actually quoting
from the fifth book
of the Pentateuch, from Deuteronomy.
(Adison) And I'm reading
from the New King James Version:
(Derek) And He said that's actually
the first and great commandment, right?
And, Sabina, you know
where that's found, right?
(Sabina) Yes, that's in Deuteronomy 6, verse 5.
(Derek) Right after the Shema, right,
"The Lord, the Lord our God is one!"
I like that; He's the only One, right.
And then, "Love Him
with all your heart, soul and might."
So, Jesus again, what does
this tell you, Jason?
He's quoting the Scriptures, both in temptation
but also in His teaching.
(Jason) So, this tells me that He saw
the Word of God as practical
in many different areas of life.
It tells me that He's familiar
with the Word of God,
and that He has a relationship
with the Word of God
that's not just intellectual.
It also applies to how He lives His life.
(Derek) So, I've heard people say,
"If Jesus prayed, and He's the Son of God,
we surely should pray," are you with me?
(Team) Yes.
(Derek) If Jesus filled His mind
and heart with the Word of God...?
(Team) We should as well.
(Derek) We should, too, right?! Pastor Puia.
(Puia) Yes, I also believe
that we could learn from this story
that, when it comes to temptations
that we face from Satan,
the Scripture is our only defense
for ourselves, too,
and Jesus didn't seem to take the time
to debate and engage or try
to give Satan any chance.
He just goes straight to the Scripture,
and, "Get thee behind Me."
And so, I think we should
also keep that in mind
when we are being tempted,
that we don't have to entertain Satan,
just go straight to the Scripture.
(Derek) That's a great lesson, Puia,
and so relevant for our lives today.
Don't get into conversations
with the kingdom of darkness.
"The Scriptures say," right, Daisy?
"The Scriptures say." Travis?
(Travis) So, I was just sitting here
listening to Puia and you as well, Derek,
talk about the importance of Scripture.
And as I'm writing Bible studies for John,
I keep seeing this theme repeated
over and over by the disciples.
And it says, "And they remembered
where it was written,"
"And they remembered
where it was written."
And this theme is just like repeated
all over in the Gospels.
And it's like, the reason
they remembered it was written
is because they had been studying the Bible,
and I'm thinking, "It's because Jesus
had been teaching them
the importance of Scripture."
(Derek) Powerful, thank you
so much for sharing that.
Yeah, they remembered.
In order to remember where it was written,
you have to have heard it or read it,
or today watch the John video
or the Matthew video,
or listen to the Bible on audio
while you're working out or whatever.
Put it in there, and like Daisy said,
the Holy Spirit will
help you when you need it.
But the lesson we've learned
so far from Jesus,
we're going to go on to Peter in just a minute,
because they learned from the Master
that the Scripture has authority.
Specifically, here,
we're talking about Deuteronomy.
They learned that lesson. Daisy?
(Daisy) It was interesting to me
because these were the instructions
that Moses gave to the people of Israel,
which is God's people,
trying to teach them how they should live
after being called out of slavery,
and to live a new life.
These were the instructions
they were supposed to live by.
And so, Jesus referring
back to those instructions
was trying to remind them that
it's been several years
since this information was given,
but it's still relevant,
and we need to still apply it.
Some people like to say,
"Oh, the Old Testament is done away with,"
but Jesus says, "No,
it's what you're supposed to be living [by]."
And so, we shouldn't forget it.
(Derek) And it was His defense,
as Puia pointed out; it was His defense
against the enemy. Heide?
(Heide) I just think it's really interesting
that the Apostle John writes
in John, chapter 1,
that Jesus is the Word of God,
and then He's like, He's also the source
of the Word, obviously,
and He's quoting the Word.
(Derek) And in that same book, John 5,
He will say, "These are they
that testify of Me,
but you refuse to come to Me
that you may have life."
But, you're right, He is the living Word.
And by the way, you can memorize
as much of the Bible as you want,
but if it doesn't lead you to Jesus,
the living Word of God,
you've not prayed before you opened it, right?
You're just studying
for intellectual curiosity or whatever.
It will always lead you
to the living Word of God, to Jesus.
They testify about Him. Sabina?
(Sabina) Yeah, what I'm thinking
also, Pastor Derek, is that Jesus, He is God, right?
He could with His authority
just cast away the devil
and send the devil away, so I also think
there is a teaching element
in even the way that He's rebuking the devil.
Just going along with what Daisy
was saying, you know, Jesus,
He came to teach us how to do the Law,
how to carry on our lives
with the Law in heart,
so I think even there He's
also doing that, teaching us how to...
(Derek) That's a powerful insight; thank you, Sabina.
I'm thinking, in the garden
when they said, "We're
looking for Jesus of Nazareth," He said,
"I am He," and they all fell down.
I mean, He had that much authority.
"I AM," right, that's the name
of the Lord, right, "I AM."
He could have just cast
the deceiver to the ground,
but He's modeling for us
the authority of the Word of God.
I'm getting excited; that's why we
have Hope Sabbath School!
We believe in the authority
of the Word of God.
Let's see Peter now, preaching,
Acts, chapter 3, verse 22.
Travis, if you could read
Acts 3, verse 22, for us,
and then someone else could look
at Acts 7:37; they're actually quoting
from the same passage in Deuteronomy.
Acts, chapter 3, Travis, verse 22?
(Travis) And I'll be reading
from the New King James Version:
(Derek) So, it doesn't say there,
"The Scriptures say," but it's quoting
the prophet Moses as an authority,
being fulfilled in the life of Jesus, right?
What about Acts 7, Jason,
if you could read verse 37.
It's the same text being referenced here.
(Jason) New King James Version says, Acts 7:37:
(Derek) So, Peter and Stephen
are boldly declaring the prophecy
made 1400 years earlier
in the Deuteronomy text is fulfilled in..?
(Derek, Team) Jesus.
(Derek) That's right.
Jesus is the prophet
that Moses spoke about, right?
(Team) Yes.
(Derek) So, let's read one verse, Daisy,
John 14, verse 10, and see
how the words of Jesus,
now Jesus never explicitly said,
"I am the prophet that Moses spoke about,"
but His life bore witness, right?
Just like He told John the Baptist,
"Go tell John the blind see,
the deaf hear," right, "the lame walk,
the dead are raised."
In other words, all of the prophecies
about Messiah are being fulfilled.
What does Jesus say
in John 14 and verse 10, Daisy?
(Daisy) The New Living Translation says:
(Derek) And the prophet Moses
had said 1400 years earlier
that, "That Prophet, He will speak my word."
Jesus is plainly saying,
"I'm that Prophet," right?
But I appreciate what, Travis,
you said earlier, that they remembered,
they remembered what was written.
Travis, you'd like to add to that?
(Travis) Well, Derek, I'm just thinking
of the story of the Transfiguration.
I know most of us are familiar with that story,
but Peter starts talking
and wants to build a house
for Elijah and Moses.
And the Father in Heaven says,
"This is My beloved Son,
with whom I am well pleased."
And then He says these words, "Hear Him."
And those words, "Hear Him,"
are the same words that Moses said
way back to the fathers back then.
He said, "You shall
hear Him, that Prophet."
(Derek) So powerful.
But again I want to come
to what Sabina said.
Jesus could have just made up
whatever words, spoken
with His own authority.
He's "the Word made flesh," right?
And yet He modeled for us,
taking the Scriptures
with the authority of God's Word,
and using them, both as a defense against the enemy
and in our witness,
which we see happen again
with the Apostle Peter
in Acts 10 and verse 34.
And Heide, if you could find
Acts 10 and verse 34, Peter is speaking,
and it's almost like Travis said,
he's saying, "I'm remembering that it's written."
What does he say there in Acts 10:34?
(Sabina) And I'll be reading
from the New King James Version, and it says:
(Derek) Now, he could have
just been making that up,
just making an observation.
Would it be true? Absolutely.
The Holy Spirit was
guiding him in his ministry,
but actually those words
come from somewhere else.
They come from the book
of Deuteronomy, right?
Deuteronomy, chapter 10, is it, verse 17?
Jason, it looks like you have it.
How does it read in your Bible there?
Moses, of course, is speaking.
(Jason) New King James Version says
in Deuteronomy 10:17:
(Derek) So, the Holy Spirit,
back to what we've learned,
and, Daisy, you mentioned,
bringing to our remembrance,
the Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance,
speaking of Peter, "God shows
no partiality," written 1400 years earlier
under inspiration, by Moses.
What does that have to do
with the particular circumstances there
in Acts, chapter 10?
Heide, do you know the story?
This fellow named Cornelius
wants to talk to him; what's the story?
(Heide) So, there is a centurion
of the Italian Regiment
who is not Jewish, obviously,
but is a believer in God.
And he's a very righteous man,
he prays, he helps the poor.
And one day when he's praying,
an angel appears to him and tells him
that he is to send for a man named Peter.
And he goes, and he sends
some of his servants to get Peter,
and Peter, at the moment when they come,
or right before that, has a vision
where he sees...He is praying
and talking with God, and he sees
a blanket descend from heaven
filled with all sorts of animals
which they considered unclean to eat.
And he hears a voice
that tells him, "Kill, eat."
And he says, "Not so, Lord,
for I have never eaten anything unclean."
And that is repeated three times total.
Then the servants, Cornelius' servants,
knock on the door.
And I think that he heard also
that he was supposed to follow these men.
I don't remember that part.
Somebody correct me; I don't feel bad.
(Derek) You're telling the story and doing a great job.
(Heide) He goes with them the next day
to the home of Cornelius,
and when he goes, Cornelius is there
with his whole family
and some of his friends,
and he preaches to them
the gospel of Christ, and they accept,
and the Holy Spirit descends on them.
And he says, "Wow, I thought
that the message of the gospel
was only for the Jews,
but I see that it's for everyone."
(Derek) And that God shows no...?
(Heide) Partiality.
(Derek) Yeah, that's amazing, isn't it?
Actually that vision has nothing
to do with eating at all,
it's that we shouldn't count
any person as unclean, because if he
had been following Jewish tradition,
he would never have gone
to that Gentile home, right?
(Team) Yes.
(Derek) But God is revealing
something to him, that he
should not count any person unclean.
Well, I want to take us to one more text
in 2 Timothy, chapter 3,
and ask how this revelation
given to the Apostle Paul
relates to what happened,
the story that Heide just told us,
in Caesarea, Philippi.
So, it looks, Sabina, you have
that text, 2 Timothy 3:16,17.
We talked earlier, Jason mentioned,
the Bible is practical.
Jesus showed, not just theory,
it's going to help you how to live.
What does the Apostle Paul say?
And while you're listening,
Adison, you be thinking, how does
this relate to what happened there
in Caesarea, alright, with the centurion.
(Sabina) Okay, so I'll be reading
from the New King James Version, and it says:
(Derek) Alright, so what does that text,
also inspired by the Holy Spirit
through the prophet Paul,
how does that relate
to what was happening with Cornelius
and with Simon Peter in Caesarea, Adison?
(Adison) Yeah, great question.
I'm reading this here, and I'm thinking,
"Wow," the Bible, it's for everybody.
It doesn't say for the Jew
or for the Gentile; it's for everybody,
and I think that was something
that was being really made clear
about the gospel to Peter in the context
of his experience with Cornelius,
is that the gospel is for everybody.
The Bible, everyone should have the opportunity,
everyone has the opportunity
to freely open the Word of God
and study it for themselves
and grow in their relationship with Jesus.
(Derek) Praise God, because most of us
here are not Jewish by descent,
but we're children of Abraham by faith, right?
And the Word of God
and the promises of God
are for each one of us. Travis?
(Travis) So, I would just like to add
to what Adison was saying.
And one important lesson
that I gain from this is that the message
of the gospel transcends time.
And so, it was applicable
to the children of Israel,
to Adam and Eve, and it will be applicable
to every nation, every century,
every tribe, all people
throughout all of time.
These words will always apply,
and that's one important lesson
that I gather from that.
(Derek) Now, this series
is about Present Truth in Deuteronomy,
but if someone emailed you, Heide,
and said, "I'm just seeing the Bible
is, like, really powerful.
I mean, it's a defense against the enemy.
it can show us how to live.
Should I start with the book of Deuteronomy,
or, Jesus memorized Deuteronomy?"
What would you tell them?
Where would you start?
(Heide) I would say
that Deuteronomy was pointing to Him,
and so I would say it might be a good idea
to start with one of the Gospels.
(Derek) Okay, I guess a safe answer
would be, "Pray and let the Holy Spirit
show you which book,
but I have a feeling
that the clearest revelation
of the Word made flesh
is in the Gospel accounts," right?
You might say, "Go
to the Gospel of John,
go to the Gospel of Matthew,
start in one of those."
Did you know, I learned
that the Waldensian children
memorized the Gospel of Matthew.
That's 28 chapters; someone can Google
and find out how many verses that is, but it's several
of the New Testament Epistles put together.
So, those Reformers, those early Reformers,
the Waldensians, who sacrificed
their lives, some, to share the Scripture,
remember the story, right,
they had the children hide the Word
in their hearts; isn't that beautiful?
I think the Gospels are
a great place to start.
Well, we're going to move
on to the Apostle Paul.
Now the Apostle Paul,
he uses Deuteronomy language,
not so much quoting the text,
but it's clear that he's
well acquainted with the truth.
And I think he would say,
as Travis just mentioned, present truth,
Paul was saying this is present truth today,
not just 1400 years ago.
And we would say it's present truth today,
not just [3,400] years ago, right?
So, let's look at, there was
one particular concept, actually it's
something we've already read,
that really impressed the Apostle Paul.
Romans 2, verse 11, and, Adison,
could you read that for us,
in Romans 2 and verse 11?
What is this concept?
We're going to read several verses,
and it will be crystal clear
by the time we're done, what it is
that really impressed the Apostle Paul.
(Adison) And I'm reading
from the New King James Version:
(Derek) And someone go
to Galatians, chapter 2 and verse 6.
As soon as you've got it, yeah, Jason,
without much comment,
we're going to read four verses.
(Jason) New King James,
Galatians, chapter 2, verse 6:
(Derek) And Ephesians 6 and verse 9?
Ephesians 6, verse 9, John?
(John) Yep, I'm reading
from the King James Version.
Ephesians 6 and verse 9 says:
(Derek) "No partiality with him,"
that's a different context,
talking about slaves and masters;
the principle is the same.
Colossians, chapter 3 and verse 25?
We're reading from some
of Paul's letters here.
Puia, could you read that
for us, Colossians 3:25?
(Puia) Sure, and I'll be reading
from the New King James Version:
(Derek) So, why is this so important
for the Apostle Paul?
Sabina, he was once called Saul of Tarsus,
highly educated, rising star in Judaism,
persecuting followers of Jesus,
forcing them to blaspheme
the name of Jesus,
casting votes against them
when they're put to death.
Now, he's a changed man.
He met Jesus on the road to Damascus, right?
And he's devoted his life.
Why is this Deuteronomy principle,
that God shows no partiality,
so important in the teaching of Paul?
(Sabina) Yeah, Pastor Derek,
God has called Paul
more especially to speak to the Gentiles,
so we see his ministry when we look
at the letters and the places
that he has visited, that he was speaking
to a group of people that were not Jewish.
So, it was very important
that he would reaffirm
both to the Jewish community
and to the people he was meeting
that there was no differentiation
between the Jew and the Gentile,
that all of them were
equally loved by God.
(Derek) There's a verse
that actually talks about that.
Daisy, maybe you could find it for us
in Galatians, chapter 3, verses 26 to 28.
Now, it's not saying
that we have no differences.
I mean, look at us, even in our team,
and we look different, right?
And we're male and female;
we're from different backgrounds.
But there is some principle here
that God doesn't treat people differently, right?
Daisy, would you read for us
Galatians 3, verses 26 through 28?
(Daisy) I'll be reading
from the New Living Translation:
(Derek) What does that mean?
Help me out, Puia, what does that mean?
Because there are males,
and there are females;
there are Gentiles and Jews.
What's the point that Paul
is trying to make here?
(Puia) Well, in the context
in which Paul was speaking
in that day, during that time,
there was a lot of differentiation
between males and females,
even when it comes
to their relationship with God.
And also in their perspective
of the place of the Jews
above the rest of the Gentiles.
So, in that context, now Paul is saying
because of Jesus Christ,
we are all children of God;
we are all one in Christ Jesus.
And I believe this is so powerful
because the Asian gods,
or who claimed to be "god,"
never appeared to have this perspective
of treating everyone equally.
Jason, I believe, read earlier a text
that said, like, God doesn't take bribes,
so this is a profound idea
that Paul is repeating here
that was found in Deuteronomy.
(Derek) We're going to go on and see
how Paul takes the Scriptures seriously.
Another insight in Galatians 3
and verse 10, Galatians 3, verse 10, Jason.
It's talking here about Deuteronomy
talking about someone being cursed.
What does it say?
(Jason) New King James Version says
in Galatians, chapter 3, verse 10:
(Derek) And that's quoting
from Deuteronomy 27, verse 26.
What's the point that he's making here?
What's the Apostle Paul trying to say here?
Because he says in another place
that the Law is pure
and holy and good, right?
What's he saying, "Cursed is everyone
who doesn't follow everything"? Travis?
(Travis) So, the point that Paul
is trying to get across, I believe,
is that those who attempt to be saved
or to gain righteousness
or salvation by their works,
that's, I believe,
what he's trying to say
because Paul is trying
to get the point across
that we are saved by grace through faith.
(Derek) And that will come across,
after Adison's comment, in verse 13,
Galatians 3:13. Adison?
(Adison) Yeah, just to add
to what Travis just stated.
He said, "For by grace
are you saved through faith,"
and it reminded me of the passage
in Ephesians 2, verses 8 through 10.
It says, "For by grace
are you saved through faith,"
but then that's not it.
It's verse 10 where it says,
"For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works."
So, we don't keep the Law to be saved
but rather we love God,
and we keep His commandments
because we love Him; we are
in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
(Derek) And by the way, you skipped verse 9,
I know not intentionally,
but "not by works,
lest anyone should boast."
But, as you pointed out, Adison,
God still wants our lives
to be loving obedience
that will bring glory to His name.
One translation has, "You are
God's masterpiece," isn't that nice?
You look and say, "God, you're amazing.
What did you do with a wretch
like me?" right, created me new.
But this whole idea
that we've talked about,
that Christ is the One who has worked
our salvation for us, not we ourselves,
is also alluded to, Heide,
in Galatians 3 and verse 13, reading on.
Again, Paul, well acquainted
with present truth in the book of Deuteronomy,
accepts the authority there.
What does it say?
(Heide) I'll be reading
from the New King James Version, and it says:
(Derek) So, we step onto holy ground here,
and we'll be studying
about the plan of salvation for eternity, right?
But what is the point
that the Apostle Paul is making here
to the Galatians who think, "Well,
I'm thankful for what Jesus has done,
but I need to do this, this and this,"
or, "I need to...," and, of course,
the Judaizers would have a list
of things for you to do.
What is the key point
that is being made here? Sabina?
(Sabina) Pastor Derek, you know,
he is referring to Deuteronomy,
as you were saying,
and a particular part of the book
that speaks of the types of sins
that are deserving of death.
So, when he translates that to our reality,
he's saying that every one of us,
including the hearers, the type of sin
that they have is deserving of death,
and it's being substituted
by the sacrifice of Jesus.
(Derek) Yeah, I'm thinking of another text
where Paul says, "The wages of sin is..."?
(Team) Death.
(Derek) Yeah, but in another place
in Romans it says how many
have sinned and fallen short?
(Team) All.
(Derek) So, that means we all deserve
to be the one that's cursed, but Christ
worked a perfect salvation for us.
I'm going to use my favorite Hebrew word.
(Derek, Team) Hallelujah!
(Derek) Right? Don't offend
the grace of God by thinking
you're supposed to try to save yourself.
But notice Paul could have
(he was a prophet)
just made up those words,
but he's recognizing the authority
of the Scriptures.
"The Scripture says," right, your translation, Daisy.
And he quotes back to Deuteronomy.
Let's look at a couple of other places
in the book of Hebrews.
Now, the book of Hebrews
doesn't give us the name of the author,
though many believe it was,
indeed, the Apostle Paul.
Let's look in Hebrews 10,
verses 28 to 30, because there
we'll discover some references
that look back to Deuteronomy as well.
Puia, could you read for us Deuteronomy,
excuse me, Hebrews 10, verses 28 to 30.
(Puia) Sure, and I'll be reading
from the New King James Version:
(Derek) So, it's true, the author
of Hebrews is quoting from Deuteronomy.
He knows the Scriptures.
He sees the authority
against the enemy, and to teach.
But I just want to get practical and personal here,
and someone reading that text
or hearing that might go, "Oh, no,
I think I've trampled,"
you know, "Maybe I grew up
hearing about Jesus," Daisy,
"and I just walked away from Jesus,
and I trampled on the Son of God.
I mocked Him in front of my friends,
'Yeah, those silly Christians.'"
What would you say to your friend
if she came to you and said,
"Daisy, I feel hopeless because I know
I need to come back to God,
but I feel like I've trampled
on the Son of God"?
There are people who feel that way, right?
What would you say to her
if she came to you with tears in her eyes?
(Daisy) That's why Jesus came.
Jesus is the only One
that makes it possible for us,
who deserve to die,
to be called sons of God again,
because otherwise there's no hope for us.
There's no way we can, with any actions
or obeying the Law or whatever,
there's nothing we can do
on our own to save ourselves.
But God made a way through Jesus Christ,
to die on the cross and pay
the price for our sins so that we can
become children of God again.
(Derek) And I like the smile
that you had when you said that,
because it's incredibly good news, isn't it?
You're right, we are not worthy
of the immeasurable, unfailing love of God.
We deserve, we deserve our wages;
we earned them, but the gift of God
is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen? Yes, John.
(John) Pastor Derek, the Bible says
in Matthew, chapter 12 and verse 32...
(Derek) Would you like to read it for us?
(John) Yes, I can read it.
(Derek) Okay.
(John) I'm reading from the New King James, actually.
(Derek) Okay, gives us a moment
to find it, Matthew, chapter...?
(John) Twelve.
(Derek) Twelve.
(John) And verse 32.
(Derek) Matthew 12 and verse 32.
I like it when people say,
"Let's look at this text."
Matthew 12 and verse 32,
go ahead and read that for us,
Matthew 12 and verse 32.
(John) It says:
(Derek) Well, in the context there,
is the one who blasphemes
or speaks against the Holy Spirit
will not be forgiven.
That's a whole other topic, right,
but it's saying if I harden my heart
to the Spirit of God who leads me
to Jesus for salvation,
I can't be saved, but if I have sinned
against the Son of God,
John's quoting there, you can be forgiven.
Jason, tell me how.
Daisy's friend just heard
her beautiful testimony;
that's why Jesus came.
Is there somewhere that says,
"No matter what sin you've committed,
that you could ask Jesus to forgive you"?
Is there a Bible verse
that comes to your mind, Jason?
(Jason) Sure, one that I
think of is 1 John 1: 9.
(Derek) Okay, maybe someone's hearing this
for the first time; I'm excited,
1 John, chapter 1 and verse 9.
How does that read in your Bible? This is the Apostle John, right?
(Jason) Yes, it is.
the New King James Version says:
(Derek) I like the way you read that, "to cleanse us from..."?
(Team) All.
(Derek) All unrighteousness.
I think it's in 1 Corinthians 6
where it has a list of terrible sins.
And then it says, "And such were some of you."
I think it's 6, verses 9 and 10.
"And such were some of you,
but you've been washed."
Somebody say Amen.
(Team) Amen!
(Derek) You've been washed.
So, when the devil comes
and reminds you of your past sin,
you tell him what Jesus
has done for you, right?
And the Spirit will bring
that Word to your remembrance.
So, I'm on going to take
a moment for people.
What is the most important lesson?
Let's start with Adison
there in British Columbia.
Adison, we've spent an hour,
interactive Bible study, talking
about how the New Testament Christians
referenced the authority
of the book of Deuteronomy.
What's the most important lesson
you've learned in our study today?
(Adison) There are so many,
but the one that comes to mind
at the very forefront
is putting the Word of God in your heart.
Psalm 119, verse 11, "Thy word
have I hid in mine heart,
that I might not sin against thee."
Every day spending time
in the Word of God.
(Derek) And I'm going to quote
verse 105 as well, that, "Your word
is a lamp to my feet," right,
"and a light to my path."
Most important lesson
you've learned, Sabina.
(Sabina) For me, it's to use
the Word of God to deal
with real-life situations.
We see how the apostles
and even Jesus Himself,
they were recurring to that
to serve the situation
they were going through, so that's, for me...
(Derek) Alright, Heide,
most important lesson.
(Heide) I agree with Adison.
I would add to that, that the learning
of the Word of God is fluid.
You see that Peter didn't fully come
to understand the importance of that verse
until he was in that situation.
So, the Holy Spirit
is continuously teaching us if we are
putting that Word in our hearts and minds.
(Derek) It's a journey, isn't it?
That's why we have Hope Sabbath School.
Daisy, what's the most important lesson you've learned?
(Daisy) The Bible tells us all have sinned.
I think one of the struggles as people
is that Satan keeps reminding us,
like, "Hey, you're that person who did this.
You don't deserve anything good."
Whenever Satan brings that thought to your mind,
we have to quote Scripture.
And it says Jesus overcame everything.
He has paid the price, and we have
claimed Him as our Savior.
So, yes, we're guilty of those sins,
but because of Jesus, we are saved.
(Derek) So, there's a text
that just flashed into my mind,
and it says, "Everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Yeah, and you say, "But you're a sinner."
Well, I've asked Him to forgive my sins
and to cleanse me from...?
(Derek, Team) All unrighteousness.
(Derek) Oh, my friend, someone
is watching Hope Sabbath School today,
you're saying, "Pastor Derek, is it true?
Could it be that true, that I could
just call upon the name of the Lord
and say, 'Jesus, would You save me'?
Would that present truth
that was revealed, not just in Deuteronomy
but during the life and ministry of Jesus,
the Gospels" - what a great place to start -
"could that be truth for me
and good news for me?'"
And the answer is, my friend,
Yes, indeed! Hallelujah!
Accept the gift of God's saving grace
and watch Him transform your life
and make you into that masterpiece
that He desires to bring honor to His name.
Let's pray; Father in heaven,
how we praise You today
for the Word of God,
not just the written word like Deuteronomy
but, Lord, the living Word, Jesus.
We praise You for the Word of God today,
for Your immeasurable and unfailing love
and Your saving grace.
We want to say "Yes" to You today
and to walk in Your way,
to bring honor to Your name.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) Well, thanks for joining us for Hope Sabbath School.
I'm excited; we just studied
the Word of God together.
We heard present truth
for our lives today,
but don't keep it to yourself.
Go out and be a blessing
to those around you.
♪ theme music ♪