HSS_2021_Q4_EP12

♪ 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 [e-mail].

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,

[e-mail].

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,"
"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.

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