Dispensation of the Mosaic Law. God manifest in the flesh.
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Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!
Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).
1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]; we call this REBOUND, read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. REBOUND
If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life: John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 20:30, 31.
John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]
Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.
John 3:14-15, 16, 17, 18, says: "14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV
Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:
Study to show yourself approved to God!
Grace Bible Church
Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is taught Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
God’s Word is taught Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
STUDY TITLE:
Dispensation of the Mosaic Law. God manifest in the flesh.
I don’t know if you realize it by now but how much God wants to manifest Himself within you.
In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ revealed this through the apostle Paul when Paul said in 2Co 3:1-2, Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? You are [believers] our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; “Known and read by all men” refers to those who are representatives of the Lord cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.
Your life in verse 2 is known and read by all men or others. The point being is that “your life” is an open book. And what is it that people see when they read your life? Without you feeling condemned, what does your life, your book, reveal? Does it reveal what Matt 5:13-14 says?
Matt 5:13-14, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Or does your life reveal 1Jo 2:15-17, Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.
What does your life reveal?
This is why the apostle John also wrote what he did beginning in John 14:2-9, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going. Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet y ou have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”
Think about it, every one of us who have been born again and saved have been called to be new creatures and have something about us that makes us special and totally unique as being a type of Christ where God is manifest in the flesh.
For example, in 1Pe 2:5 we read, “You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
1Pe 2:9, But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Every one of us, with few exceptions, is born into the world with a conscience or the ability to know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. And you need to remember that, especially when it comes to authority. And I say that because I want to make sure that all of you know where I stand when it comes to authority.
Back in Exo 14:13 notice what Moses said in Exo 14:13, But Moses said to the people, do not fear! Stand by and see the deliverance of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today;
“Stand by” means to be stabilized in your mind, and as verse 13 says, “See the deliverance of the Lord.” In other words, “Keep looking at the deliverance of the Lord or be occupied with the person of Christ. Exo 14:13 goes on and says, “which deliverance He will accomplish for you today!”
Notice, what “He” will accomplish, not what “we will” accomplish. What kind of power does it take to be victorious in a hopeless situation? It takes divine power! We need to watch for “the power of God or the omnipotence of God at work.”
That’s why Moses said in Deut 31:6, “Be strong and courageous,” Notice, what is to come first, “spiritual strength” before courage. And what is biblical courage?
Spiritual courage is the ability to think under pressure, whereas fear is the inability to think under pressure.
Deut 31:6, Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid and tremble before them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, He will not fail you, nor forsake you.
Then Moses says in verse 13; For the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. And forever is talking about eternity. And that means that “they,” who once denied the authority will not be in eternity.”
Therefore, Moses says they will never see the Egyptians again because the Egyptians are unbelievers and they are going to Hell. And so, the Jews are failing at this time because they are involved with two categories of sins;
1. The arrogance complex of sins; (all overt sins)
2. The emotional complex of sins. (all mental attitude sins including emotional sins). Basically, they mean: Any mental (thought), verbal (word), or overt activity (deed) that violates the character, standards, and will of God.
The fear category includes worry, anxiety, trepidation, panic, confusion etc. And so, in verse 14, Moses said, the Lord will fight for you while you keep silent. Notice that they are being told to keep silent. Sometimes it’s good to be silent!
Look at James 3:13, Who among you is wise, or filled with doctrine, let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.
In other words, let his behavior be motivated from the wisdom within. James 3:14, But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.
James is saying let the doctrine within motivate the outward behavior. Then James says in James 3:14, But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.
He says “stop being arrogant and lie against the truth. or lie against doctrine. In other words, don’t live in a lie. Now that we have studied how Moses was a type of Christ we are now ready to continue what happened to the Jews and how they became a part of the first client nation in all of human history.
First of all, Moses was a man that lived under the timing of God. Let’s establish a principle before we continue the study of Moses and the Exodus generation. Moses was a man who lived under the timing of God.
Therefore, our first principle is that only the believer who puts doctrine first every day in his life and sets aside time every day for doctrine can find happiness in being organized. Now, I love that because Ecc 3 teaches that everything in life is a matter of timing.
First of all, let’s note that God has assigned to you a number of days to live on this earth according to Psa 90:12; 31:15. We are not given years to live or months to live but according to the Bible, days to live!
Psa 90:12, “Teach us to number our days, That we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom.”
Psa 31:15, David said, “My times are in Thy hand.”
God has given us an assignment which is a certain amount of time to do certain things in our life. In Ecc 3:1-8, while you will probably experience most of these you will enjoy none of these without doctrine which gives you capacity to enjoy these things. In fact, without a relationship with God and seeing the divine purpose in all of these things you will say with Solomon in Ecc 3:9, What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils?
Ecc 3:1-8 teaches the general principle about timing. Let’s listen to the philosopher!
Ecc 3:1-9, There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven A time to give birth, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to tear down, and a time to build up. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing. A time to search, and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep, and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; A time to be silent, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace. What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils?
Do you realize that one of the most fascinating subjects in life is this word “time”! It’s amazing, we all have the same amount whether we are absolutely without a dime or whether we happen to be the richest person on earth!
Whether or not we are a child in school or the president of the United States! Think of how much of it is woven into our lives on a daily basis! For throughout the day we hear things like; What time is it? What time does the meeting start? What time do you want me there? I don’t have time? How much time will it take? Don’t waste your time on that! It’s time for us to go!
We have a Lord or God who tells us in Eph 5:16, Make the most of your time, because the days are evil. God gives you a certain amount of time that you might use it for His glory! Remember why you were created and why you are here? Isa 43:7, “Everyone who is called by My name, I have created for My glory, Those whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”
Rev 4:11, “Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created.”
God gives you a certain amount of time that you might use it for His glory. Nothing is ever carried over so that you might credit it to the next day! This is why the mature believer regards every day alike, Rom 14:5-6. Every day we live is a gracious gift from God.
In Ecc 3 we have the principle of organizing your time! Ecc 3 teaches that everything in life is a matter of timing. And what Solomon says in this chapter is basically right, however, without a relationship with God and seeing things from the divine viewpoint of life, all of these things are meaningless. What Solomon is involved in this however is what we call fatalism! Fatalism comes from the Latin fatum meaning “that which the gods ordain to happen”. It is the belief that all things are determined by fate and our therefore unalterable.
Although we believe in divine timing and that there is a time ordained by God for us to function in these areas, when Solomon writes this, he is not viewing it from divine viewpoint! We believe that God gives you a certain amount of time that you might use it for His glory! Remember why you were created and why you are here?
Isa 43:7 says, “Everyone who is called by My name, I have created for My glory, Those whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”
God has created you for His glory and until you believe that and then live for that purpose, you will never find true happiness and contentment in life! God does give you a certain amount of time that you might use it for His glory! This is why the mature believer regards every day as the Lord’s day, Rom 14:5, One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike.
Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord.
Everyday we live is a gracious gift from God and it should be a day that we have time set aside for our relationship with Him. Remember that the only time we possess to honor God in this life is the number of days He provides for us in the Christian life, Psa 90:12; James 4:13-15.
James reminds us how frail our life really is in James 4:14, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”
And the fact that the believer lives another day is a sign of divine grace and the faithfulness of God, Lam 3:22-23, “The Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness.”
This is why it is important to learn Bible doctrine every day as Matt 4:4 teaches. Remember what Job said in Job 23:12, “I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.”
The word “treasured” is the verb tsaphan which means to esteem; to admire, appreciate, respect, and even worship. And remember that it is Biblical to praise God’s word as David did in Psa 56.
Psa 56:4, In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust;
Psa 56:10, In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, Whose Word I praise,
Every day is a day when we should be learning doctrine and preparing ourselves to glorify God! And if we do not purchase time by taken in doctrine consistently, we lose days! This is why we are told that days of life are lost through divine discipline, Psa 102:23, “In the course of my life, He broke my strength, He cut short my days.”
This is also the reason why we are told to purchase time each day or to buy back the time in Eph 5.
Eph 5:16 17, “Constantly buying time, because the days are evil. [you purchase time with doctrine, doctrine is the capital needed to buy time] Because of this, stop being ignorant, but completely understand the will [purpose] of the Lord.”
In Ecc 3:1, Solomon from the viewpoint of fatalism says, There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.
Now, one of the things that make time so important is the fact that it is so rare! It is irretrievable! You can never do it again! You can never get back the time that you lost or wasted, it’s gone forever!
Now, God’s timing is perfect and if you are in fellowship with Him, you will have peace of mind with everything you do. However, if you are not in fellowship with God and you do not have doctrine resident in your soul, you will concede with Solomon in Ecc 3:9, What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils?
So he says in Ecc 3:1-2, There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven – A time to give birth, and a time to die;
Please notice that this verse doesn’t say that there is a time to be conceived and a time to die! It says, a time to give birth because time begins at birth not in the womb.
Now, regardless of the circumstances and events that surround your birth, God gave you life at that moment, so that was the right time for you to be born. You did nothing at that moment and your timing was perfect then! You had nothing to say about your birth and that’s why your timing was perfect!
You did not choose your parents; God did! You did not choose your birthday; God did! Your volition wasn’t involved at all! God created soul life and imputed it to your soul at your birth. And that was the right time for you to be born! So, if you have any complaints about your parents or your birth, your timing is off!
Don’t say you were born too late or too early or you would have been better off if you lived during another generation. God is perfect, His ways are perfect and you and I were born under the perfect timing of God! And God starts everyone in the world off at the right time.
The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.
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