I'm going to read a few scriptures here. I'm going to be looking at actually
several scriptures this morning. I don't do this very often. Many statements before in the
past that, you know, this is the church that the Lord has
gathered here. And whenever we come together, we come together
as the body of Christ here. And, you know, we're concerned
about the things that the Lord has brought us together for.
Right. And while we do have live stream on Facebook and we
put it on YouTube and sermon audio and people can go watch
those and listen to those after the fact and all that stuff.
And while I do agree that there's a ministry there, the Lord uses
that and ministers to his sheep through those through those ways
of communication. Again, I've said, you know, we
don't dictate our stuff here based upon what other people
are doing everywhere else. But occasionally, having those
other communications, we get a lot of questions, we get a
lot of responses to what we preach and what we teach and what we
believe at this church. And sometimes those communications
between folks, you know, over email and things like that, or
whether it be text messages or comments in the comment sections,
A lot of times those can go in so many different directions
that it's just kind of hard to stay focused on a certain thing. But anyway, and a lot of times
I'm so busy I can't keep up with a lot of the comments and a lot
of the input that comes in through my email and through the websites
and all the different things. And so it's not that I don't
care and it's not that I don't think that people should be given
a response or something like that, it's just I don't have
a lot of the time to do that and everything. My primary focus
is right here. But there are times that I think
that we ought to maybe address some of the things that some
of the folks are asking about us, especially if it's an ongoing
question or ongoing debate about some of the things that we believe.
And that being the case, this morning I've really been thinking
about this gentleman that has been listening to our messages
and making some comments. As I mentioned last week, I do
think this gentleman is very misunderstanding of the scriptures
and the fact that he still is holding on a lot to the law and
a lot to the Judaic system. And I in no way want to put this
man down or anything like that. We all, until the Lord teaches
us, we all are still learning and still growing in the grace
and knowledge of the Lord Jesus. But I thought I might try to
answer some of the questions that he has put forth. He has
mentioned some other things that I have not dealt with or even
responded to yet. And Lord willing, I'll get to
those as I can. But again, I'll also say at the
forefront, I'm not the answer for anything. Word of God is the final authority.
It doesn't matter what my opinion is or what our church's opinion
is about anything. It's what does God's Word say
about it? And I hope that I've reiterated that enough here that
everybody understands that I can only know what I know, that I've
been given by God to know, that at least I believe I've been
given by God to know, or what God has not decided to reveal
to me. I mean, I don't know what's on
the other side that God has yet to reveal. to me. But the things
that God has revealed, if it's in accordance with the word of
God, and it is in accordance to scripture, you know, that's
what we have to believe. That's what we lean on. I don't
look and say, well, that don't seem right. It don't fit into
our culture or our system or this or that. Is this what God's
word says? And if it is, then I have to
believe that because this is what's true. I'm not true. You're not true. Nobody out there
is true. The Bible says that God be true
and every man a liar. And that's just because no man
has full knowledge of anything of the truth. So with that being
said, I do want to, at least if God helps me to answer some
of the questions on why we believe in our preaching, a lot of the
things We preach as far as it seems to be antagonistic against
the law, although we're not antagonistic against the law. We just believe
that we ought to preach the law for the purpose in which God
intended it to be given. And we also are preaching the
covenants according as God has revealed the covenants. And we
are preaching the spiritual things as it takes precedence over the
natural things. And so, With that being said,
one of the questions that came in response to the message last
week was, he said that nowhere in the Bible does it say the
covenant was given to show that they could not keep it. So his
premises of his question is, is that the law, nowhere does
the Bible say that the law was given so that no man could keep
it, or to show that no man could keep it. And I know that I made
several comments about that, not only last week, but I've
made, probably weekly, I make that comment, that the law is
always there to show us our inability. That's the purpose of the law.
The purpose of the law is not to make anybody righteous. The
purpose of the law is not to make anybody perfect. The purpose
of the law is not given to us so that we would keep the law
and be blessed by that, because no man can keep the law. And I stand by that statement.
I believe the Bible says that in many, many places. And I'm
not going to deal with all the places today, but I do at least
want to look at a few places where the Bible does say that
the law is given to show We cannot keep it. And the Bible teaches
as a fact that no man can keep the law. Now this gentleman in
one of his statements surrounding this did say that there were
people in the Old Testament that could keep and did keep that
covenant and were keeping that covenant. But no man was keeping
the law. No man was keeping the law. While
they may, in a period of time, may have not been breaking God's
covenant, they were breaking God's covenant, but they had
sacrifices that they would come and give because of the breaking
of that. But the judgment for breaking
the covenant, as far as God taking them into captivity, or eventually,
as we have talked about here, God completely making desolate
their house by the destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering
of the Jews and the removing of all the sacrificial and lost
system. He made that system desolate.
It never was intended to be permanent. It never was intended to be anything
past Christ Jesus himself. And hopefully I'll deal with
that if the Lord continues to lead that direction here in just
a few minutes. But I did want to provide New
Testament Scripture, and I again say that the New Testament, why
all of the Word of God is the Word of God, Old Testament, and
the New Testament, that the New Testament is the full revelation
of the things in the Old Testament. Therefore, if there is a New
Testament defining or redefining of something in the Old Testament,
or if the New Testament sheds light on something from the Old
Testament, then that takes precedence over the New Testament shadow,
figure, whatever. Now, he makes this comment here
and he says, nowhere in the Bible does it say that the covenant
or the law was given to show that they could not keep the
law. Well, if you look in Galatians chapter 3 and I would just say
if this gentleman is watching, I have a whole entire series
where I preach through the book of Galatians. It's on Sermon
Audio. You can go and listen to that
if you would like. But starting at verse one of
chapter three in Galatians. Now remember, Paul wrote this
whole entire letter to the Galatian church because men such as the
one who is asking those questions here, who are trying to get people
to go back to the law, to go back to the tabernacle service,
to go back underneath the ordinances and the ceremonies that are found
in the law. These Judaizers were coming and
trying to corrupt the church at Galatia and to get them and
to preach to them, oh yeah, it's by grace, but you also gotta
keep the works of the law. We know that to be true because
in Acts we have the account of Paul and Barnabas going back
to Jerusalem discussing these things because many of the Judaizers
were coming from Jerusalem down to these Gentile churches and
were spreading this fusion of law and grace amongst the churches. And Paul was coming basically
to nip it in the bud and to say, hey, listen, you guys up here,
you apostles up here to the Jews, you need to start doing something
about this, that these men are coming down and perverting the
gospel. And so the letter to the Galatians is a letter to
them to exhort them, to admonish them, to warn them of the seriousness of listening to these
Judaizers who take the law of God and make that applicable
as the rule of life or the child of grace. We are not under the
law as a rule of life. That has been fulfilled in Christ
Jesus on our behalf. And the rule of life for the
child of grace is faith in the work of Jesus Christ. That's
how we are to live. That's how we walk. Whenever
we talk about what is the Christian walk, the Christian walk isn't
about doing duties and laws. The Christian walk is the walk
of faith that Christ has done everything for me. That's the
Christian walk. Galatians, as Paul has already
began in chapters 1 and chapters 2, beginning to address this
issue, he gets to chapter 3 and he just lays it pretty bare.
He says, Oh foolish Galatians. See, anybody who is bewildered,
as he uses that term, they've been bewitched or bewildered.
If you've been bewitched by this preaching of law and a continuing
of this old covenant, If you are bewitched by that, you're
foolish. It's foolishness. And that's not necessarily a
derogatory thing. It's just that you are ignorant
of the truth. And so you are walking in foolishness. You're not walking in truth.
You're not walking in understanding. You're walking in foolishness.
And he says, oh foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you that you
should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath
been evidently set forth crucified among you? This only would I
learn of you, receive ye the spirit by the works of the law
or by the hearing of faith. So you're saying that it's by
the works of the law that we are saved or that we are saved,
keep saved or that we will be and the end glorified, it is
by the law. He says, are ye so foolish, having
begun in the spirit, are ye now made perfect in the flesh? We
can't be made perfect by the law. Okay, so Paul is reiterating
that this old covenant, whenever we talk about the old covenant,
this is in telling everything. It's not only just talking about
the Ten Commandments, it's talking about all the laws and the ordinances.
It's talking about all of the old, the old promises and the old
things that were by the letter and by nature, not and by physicality,
not the spiritual things of God, right? He says, are you so foolish
having begun in the spirit? Are you not made perfect by the
flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain? If it be yet
in vain, he therefore that ministered to you the spirit and work of
miracles among you by the works of the law, by the hearing of
faith. Even as Abraham believed God that was accounted to him
for righteousness, know ye therefore that they which are of faith,
the same are the children of Abraham. So the ones who are
the children of Abraham are not the ones who are the children
of the law. The children who keep the law, the children, or
try to keep the law, the children who are under the old covenant,
it's the children who are the ones of faith. And the scripture
foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith preached
before the gospel unto Abraham saying, in thee shall all nations
be blessed. So then they which be of faith
are blessed with faithful Abraham. So this is not only talking about
the Mosaic covenant, it's talking about the Abramic covenant. The
Abramic covenant is a spiritual covenant, okay? What was talked
about in the flesh and in the natural and in the physical was
a shadow of that which is to happen in the spiritual. Just
as the Mosaic Covenant, all the laws and ceremonies and rites
and rituals and things, ordinances, was all a shadow, a shadow. And that shadow finds its fulfillment
in Jesus Christ. He is the end. of the shadow. He is the end of the law. He
is the end of the ordinances. He is the end of those things.
Right? Now we'll get to that because
that's another question that the gentleman posed. He says,
for as many as are of the works of the law are under curse. So
if you hold that you are still under the law, then you are still
under the curse. But the New Testament says the
children of grace the elect of God are no longer under the curse. He says, for as many as are under
the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written,
cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. Now, this gentleman brought
up the fact that there were some who kept the covenant, that kept
the law and everything, but yet he made this statement, because
I made the statement last week, that the law was never meant
to make anyone perfect. And it wasn't. And it never will. And it never has made anybody
perfect. But yet here, the Bible says
that if you claim to be keeping the law, you must be keeping
it perfect. Because keeping the law is keeping
it perfect. Not trying to keep the law, or
keeping part of the law, or keeping it enough to where God says,
OK, that's good enough. Because the only thing that's
good enough is perfection in God's sight. So anybody that
was blessed in the physical was blessed not because they kept
the law. They weren't blessed because
they kept that covenant, because they didn't keep the covenant.
Now, they may have been keeping with the covenant at certain
points of time, but they did not keep the covenant. We can
be walking in step with righteousness, but not be walking in righteousness.
I hope you understand the difference between that. I can go throughout
today without murdering, without stealing, without coveting, without
this or that to some degree. But brethren, I may be walking
in righteousness, but I'm not walking as one who is righteous
because there is the unrighteous. No, not one. And someone may
be keeping in step with the covenant at a certain point, but they
did not keep the covenant because they broke the covenant. Any
break of the law is a break of the whole covenant. So the whole
covenant is broken if you break it and not be perfect. So these
people were not perfect. The Bible says they were not
perfect. He says, for as many as are under
the works of the law or under the curse, For it is ready to
curse everyone that continues not in the things which are written
in the book of the law to do them, but that no man is justified
by the law in the sight of God. It is evident for the just shall
live by faith." Okay, the just shall live by faith. So what's
the rule of life for the child of grace? It's faith, not law. And he even goes on to say that.
He says, and the law is not of faith. If you're walking by the
law or trying to walk by the law, you are not walking by faith. And it says here, the child of
grace, the one who is justified by God, the one who is one of
the lords, the just, walks by faith. They live by faith. They continue in faith, not in
the law, in faith. So Paul makes it very clear here.
The law keeping, the old covenant, is not a covenant based on faith. The new covenant is. And we walk
trusting in the faith of Christ Jesus who justified us. The law
is not a faith, but the man that doeth them shall live in them.
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made
a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is
everyone that hangeth on a tree, that the blessing of Abraham
might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive
the promise of the Spirit through faith. So see again, the Abramic
covenant was a covenant that was also
tied to the Mosaic covenant. They had to continue to walk,
and if they were faithful in this covenant, then they would
be blessed with all these blessings that was given. The problem is,
is they were blessed for the time that they did keep in step
with the covenant. God did fulfill his promise to
bring them out of Egypt and to take them into the land. He gave
them the land. He removed all their enemies
and he blessed them and they give them the land, but they
did not keep the covenant. Therefore, God removed them from
the land as he promised he would, and he did not promise that he
would bring them back forever. He promised he would bring them
back, but if they continued to move away from the covenant again,
he would eventually bring desolation upon their house. That's in Jeremiah. So they were not blessed because
of walking by the law. All those Old Testament saints
that were blessed were blessed by walking in faith. That the blessing of Abraham
might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus. Brethren, I speak
after the manner of men, though it be but a man's covenant, yet
if it be confirmed, no man diths and no authorities of two. Now
to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. Abraham and
his seed were the promises made. He said, not unto seeds as of
many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. And this
I say, that the covenant that was confirmed before of God in
Christ, the law, which was 430 years after, cannot disannul
that it should make the promise of none effect. So he's saying
here, he's saying to the ones who are the children of grace,
That promise was given before the law ever came in. Or at least
the Mosaic law. God had already given law before
that in Adam. But the Mosaic law. However,
the breaking of the Mosaic law did not disannul the promises
which in Romans we find that when Paul said, so have the elect
not obtained that which it seeketh after? The promises that they
were seeking after? The elect in the flesh, the physical
Israel. The ones who were separated out
from all other countries. Did they not obtain the promises? And this is what this gentleman
has been asking. You mean God has made promises that he's not
gonna keep? The problem is, is as we see
right here, the promises were not made to a physical Israel,
but a spiritual Israel that was within the physical Israel. just as there is a spiritual
Israel within the physical Gentiles. See, God has a people from every
tribe and language and tongue and he is bringing them out of
those nations just as he brought the physical Israel out among
all the other nations. He is bringing his spiritual
elect out from all the other nations of the world. Israel
being one of them. So yes, Israel did obtain that
which it seeketh. Not everybody, but the ones that
were foreknew of God, those who he foreloved, those who he foreknew,
those who he had called with a holy calling, those who had
been given to Christ Jesus. Those were the ones who obtained
it. Paul makes that very clear in Romans. that they did obtain
the promises. And those promises that they
received, they received in a spiritual fashion, not in a physical fashion. They received it in Christ. He says here, he says. And this,
I say that the covenant that was confirmed before God in Christ,
the law, which is 400 years, cannot disannul that it should
make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance be of
the law, It is no more of promise, but God gave it to Abraham by
promise. Wherefore then serveth the law?
It was added because of transgressions. So see, there it is. The purpose
for the law, the law came in for the adding of transgressions.
Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions. How long till the seed Who is
the seed we just learned? It's Christ. Verse 16, it's Christ. Till the seed should come to
whom the promise was made. And it was ordained by angels
in the hand of a mediator. Verse 21, is the law then against
the promise of God? God forbid. For if there had
been a law given which could have given life, verily righteous
should have been by the law. But the scriptures have concluded
all under sin or the law have concluded all under sin that
the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them
that believe. But here it is. And you might remember me making
this comment a while back. Jesus Christ is the personification
of faith. Matter of fact, we can speak
of faith and faith is actually used in the scriptures as a noun
not as something as a verb, something we do, it's a noun. But, look at that, but before
faith came, before faith came, we were kept
under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards
be revealed. So that tells me that this The
first faith, I believe, is Christ Jesus and his actual work of
obedience, right? The second faith is that which
is the body of doctrine that includes that work of Jesus Christ
on our behalf. So look at it there. But before
faith Christ came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the
faith which should afterwards be revealed. The law was our
schoolmaster, was our teacher, okay? He was our schoolmaster
to bring us to Christ. The purpose of the law was not
for us to keep it and to perpetually be a worship thing unto God,
because God didn't accept anything of the old covenant. It was always
a shadow pointing towards Christ. And so the law was given because
of the transgressions to add to, to show forth, to bring out,
to magnify, to manifest the transgression that we had. But whenever faith came, we had no need. Look there. Wherefore
the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ. that
we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come,
we are no longer under a schoolmaster. Now, brethren, that can't be
any more clear. The law is the schoolmaster. We are no longer
under the schoolmaster. Now that faith is come, if we're
a child of grace, born of God, given faith in Christ Jesus,
we are not under law. We are not under the old covenant. That is gone. The purpose for
it is gone in two fashions that I can see. Number one, it is
gone in the fact that it is no longer, we do no longer need
the shadow because we have the substance. Second of all, we
no longer need it as a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ because
we've been brought to Christ. Now that we've been brought to
Christ, that faith in Christ is what continues to be our rule
of life. And I believe that's as clear
as day. He says, for ye are all children
of God by faith in Christ Jesus. And he says, for as many of you
as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is
neither Jew nor Greek The Old Covenant means nothing
in its physical nature because in the Kingdom of Christ, there
is neither Jew nor Greek. There is not going to be the
segregation of Jews over the Gentiles. God has made that clear,
that in the spiritual kingdom, under the spiritual king, under
the spiritual Israel, there is neither Jew nor Gentile, but
all are one. in Christ. I think that's as
clear as it can be said. Now, does the Bible say that
in any other spots? Could you say, well, preacher,
I don't think that's very clear. Well, look with me at Romans
chapter five. In Romans chapter five, verse 20. It says, moreover,
the law entered that the offense might abound. Now, if you look
here, the context of this passage is the one offense by Adam. It's
not talking about some offense by all of us after Adam fell
under the Mosaic law. This is going all the way back
to the very beginning. The first offense on earth was the offense of Adam. And it says here that the law
came in that the offense, so that the offense might abound. The purpose that God gives Adam
The law was so that he would sin. That's what that means. Now, if that's not what that
means, somebody please pray tell, tell me what does that mean?
Because perfect, clear reading says that. I don't know of any
other understanding of that. The law came in that the offense
might abound. You say, well, why would God
do that? when He hates sin because the purpose of God from the foundation
of the world is that He might glorify Himself in the redemption
of a people through the perfect work and
sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. To the praise
and glory of His grace. That's the reason sin entered
in. That's the reason God predestinated,
created, and brought forth sin and evil into this world. And
He gave a law so that that which was created natural of the earthy
would manifest its imperfection as silver and gold, once it's thrown
into the fire, it looks pretty, it looks pure, but once it's
put under the fire, the dross begins to come out. And Adam
looked nice, looked pretty, looked good, he looked upright, but
whenever the weight and the heat of God's law was given to him,
what was brought forth, it was the impurity of his natural earthy, sinful
self. You say, well, don't you think
that makes God to be the author of sin? You said that. I didn't
say that. That phrase isn't found in the
Bible anywhere. All I'm saying is that's what
God says. God says that he created Adam
in such a way that he was natural of the earth, earthy, without
the ability to keep his law and he give him that law to show
it. giving the Law to show forth that he could not keep this Law. And having not been able to keep
this Law, and that every seed reproduces after itself, brought
forth sin unto the whole world, and everyone born of Adam therefore
is also in the same boat, unable to keep the Law of God, the Law
of God continued from Adam, Until now, it continues on until Christ
comes again to be a schoolmaster to bring people to Christ. The law is there as a schoolmaster
to show our inability, to show that we cannot keep, to show
how much transgression is in us so that we would give glory
and honor and our faith would be resting in Christ Jesus, not
in law keeping, rituals, ordinances, and sacrifices, but the substance
that came and did away with all those things. Why go back to
the shadow? By the way, this is another question,
this gentleman, I hope, before I move on from here, I hope everybody
understands what I'm saying here. Does God create and predestinate
sin and evil? Well, He does in the fact that
He created Adam natural, not spiritual. You can find that
in 1 Corinthians 15, if you want to go look that up. He created
him natural, not spiritual. We keep saying Adam was made
spiritual. He wasn't. He was made natural. And the
natural man cannot receive or keep the things of the Spirit
of God. That's clear in Scripture. Those are fundamental clear doctrines
of scripture. Now don't get caught up in theologians
and academians out there that want to say otherwise and twist
God's words. That's what God's word says. And it says here that that offense
came in or that offense abounded because of the law. The intent
of the law was to manifest the sin of men and to show for their
inability So that for the children of grace, the elect of God who
would be given faith, their faith would not be resting in their
works, but in the work of Christ. That's the purpose of the law.
And so we believe in the law. We love the law. We think the
law is righteous and holy, but it's righteous and holy and good
as it's intended to be used. It's intended to expose our sin.
It's intended to show us our inability and our need for Christ,
which takes us to the other comment this gentleman makes, and I'll
quote. Shadow of things to come. He says every time this phrase
is used, now he didn't say every time this phrase is used, but
I'm supplying that so that you can understand what he was meaning.
He said every time it is still future tense. A shadow of things
to come. He said that's future tense. And he goes on, quote, this means
we still only see the shadow and do the shadow. It has not
been revealed to us yet what is creating the shadow. Now,
I believe this is where this gentleman is in great error and
misunderstanding, because yes, the Bible has told us who the
shadow is and has, yes, told us that this shadow has found
its fulfillment. He says, so we still do what
is of the shadow even today. How can we say that the shadow
is longer if that is what we still see and not the object
that he has created the shadow? Now, I'm reading that word from
where he said, I'm taking, he means this, that how can we say
that the shadow is no longer if that is what we still see
and not the object that has created the shadow? Number one, let's talk about
this. The word shadow here means something that is imperfect,
something that is unsubstantial. That's what this word means.
The word shadow, as it's used in scripture, means an imperfect,
unsubstantial expression of something. If I was to go out there and
stand out here in the sunlight, or if you just look out there,
you see the sunlight is shining from over here and shining in
that direction, and you see the shadow of that tree. Now that
shadow of that tree, while it looks a lot like that tree, isn't
the tree. And as you look at that shadow, it's somewhat in
the same shape of that shadow, but it's not exactly in the shape
of that shadow. And as I look at that shadow,
I can see through that shadow to what's behind the shadow.
But that tree, I can't look through that tree. Why? Because the tree
is the substance. The shadow is the thing cast
from the substance. Right there is the tree. Now,
am I gonna go out there and am I gonna try to water that shadow?
Am I going to go out there and try to clip the limbs of that
shadow? Am I going to go out there and
try to hang a swing from that shadow? No. Why? Because it's
just a shadow. It's not the real thing. It's
not the intention of what is the substance. The substance
is what... So if I want to have any kind
of glory in what is there, Is it gonna be in that? I'm not
gonna go and say, man, what a mighty shadow that is. What a lovely
shadow that is. And give praise and honor and
adoration to the shadow. I'm gonna say, man, that is an
awesome oak tree out there. Look how big that thing is. Look
at them branches. I bet you I could put three swings
on that branch. So it has the shadow. been revealed? And are we told that we are no
longer to look at the shadow? Well, look if you would with
me. And this is, by the way, these next few verses are the
ones that he actually gives me as proof that this shadow has
not been revealed. But I think if this gentleman
would just continue to read the context, I think he will find
that He said Colossians chapter two
and verse 17 is proof that the shadow is still what we follow
and that it's still a future tense thing, a present and future
tense thing. Colossians chapter two. Look,
if you would, at verse 17, let's read it. I'm going to read verse 16 so
we have the context of what the witch in verse 17 is referring
to. It says, let no man therefore
judge you in meat or in drink or in respect of a holy day or
of the new moon or of the Sabbath days which are, present tense,
a shadow of things to come that has not happened. That's how
he sees it. That's how he sees it. So he's
saying, and he believes, and I can understand where it's coming
from. I'll say that. I can understand where he can
be confused about this because it says, which are, that would
be a present tense, a shadow. So he agrees that these things
are shadows. That's good. But he thinks that
they are continuing and that it's a shadow of things to come.
So Paul, having wrote to the Colossians after Christ's death
and resurrection and ascension, is writing that this is something
that is still a future thing. And so whenever you first look
at that, you ponder, well, hey, maybe he's got something there. It does say are and not were. Well, look at the word are there.
The word are is in the third person, singular, present, indicative. You say, well, what does that
mean? I have no clue. Well, without getting academic, because I don't
think we really need to get academic, but for those who want to be
academic, let me point out the academic of it. The word are there is a third
person, singular, present, indicative. That means it's a statement of
fact. This is a statement of fact. Paul is using a statement
of fact. He's not laying down something
as if it's still ongoing, but that this is a statement of fact.
The law and the ordinances of the law and all the ceremonies
of the law are a shadow of things to come. That is true back then. It was true of it right there. And it's true clear into our
future. Yes, it is a present-future thing
in this aspect, as I mentioned a while ago, until faith comes. See, the law is still active
for the use in which it was intended, to bring the child of grace to
his knees, understanding there is no hope in the Old Covenant. The only hope is in the New Covenant,
and the only hope It's Christ because Christ is our hope. Christ
is our righteousness. Christ is our perfection. Christ
is everything. Therefore, the only hope is in
the new covenant because the old covenant only condemns us. So yes, the law and all of its
ceremonies and things are still shadows, not for us to keep,
but that we might read and see. These things are written, and
it's talking about the Old Testament, these things are written for
our understanding. See, now that we're in this new
covenant age, this new time, this new covenant that God has
now done away with the old and brought in with the new, now
that we're in that, the purpose of the law still stands. It condemns
those who are under the law. But praise God, the elect spiritual
children of God are not under the law. They're under grace.
They're not under that Old Testament system. They're not under all
those things. And so we see here that the shadow
is still there to point them to Christ. I still go to the
Old Testament and I preach Christ out of the Old Testament. Just
as Jesus, just as the apostles took and preached Christ out
of the Old Testament. They didn't keep going and preaching
the shadows. They didn't keep going and preaching
the ceremonies and the rites and the rituals. No, that stopped
with Christ. And this gentleman doesn't believe
that it stopped with Christ. But it says here, in verse 16,
it says, So that therefore means, wait
a minute, 16 and 17 is tied back to something else. It's tied
back to something so that now, therefore, we shouldn't
let anybody judge us in the keeping of those ceremonial things. So
what was it? What was the therefore tying
together? Look at verse 8. Beware, lest any man spoil you
through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after
the rudiments of the world." Now that word, rudiments of the
world, that phrase is used in Scripture as it pertains to the
Old Covenant. It pertains to the law. Beware, lest any man spoil you
through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after
the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Christ
dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are
complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and
power. If we're complete, we lack nothing. So that means none
of this law-keeping is doing anything for us. It only brings
condemnation. In whom also ye are circumcised
with the circumcision made with our hands. So that's that inward
circumcision of the heart. not talking about the outward,
the law, the natural, it's talking about the spiritual. And putting
off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of
Christ, buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with
him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised
him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins
and under the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened
together with him having forgiven you all trespasses, blotting
out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was
contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to the
cross, and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of
them openly triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore So
since Christ has removed the old covenant and all of its ordinances
and all of its handwriting of ordinances and all of its rudiments
and all of its stuff, let no man therefore judge you whether
or not you eat what's clean and what's not clean. Let no man
judge you in keeping this day or keeping that day. Let no man
judge you whether or not you're worshiping after this festival
or that festival. festival according to the moon,
or in Sabbath days. Why? Why? Because they are a shadow of
things that was to come. But here's where I want to answer
the gentleman's question. He says, and I'll quote it again,
it is not a question, I guess I should say, It has not been
revealed to us yet what is creating the shadow. English, the body that's casting
the shadow is Christ. Christ is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. All the promises of
God are yea and amen in Christ Jesus. He is the substance and
the fulfillment of all of everything that that old covenant promised
He is the substance and fulfillment of everything the New Covenant
promises. Everything finds its fulfillment
in Christ Jesus. But whenever we speak of all
that Old Covenant things, they were shadows of things to come. And then the Bible clearly defines
what was the thing to come. The body is of Christ. Now, why is this used in a present
and yet future language? Well, again, number one, we see
that the Gospel was still being spread. Remember, this Gospel
of Christ, while, yes, veiled in the Old Testament, was preached. We just read a while ago that
the Gospel was preached to Abernathy. I think the Bible is true and
every man's a liar, especially those who say it wasn't. It was
preached to Abraham, but maybe not in its fullness, as we know.
However, at this time, here we see the Jews having been scattered,
the Jews that were in Jerusalem, the Jews that were in wherever
else they were scattered, And now those who have come to believe,
the Gentiles, who have been given to believe, who have heard over
and over and over how they are Gentile dogs, and they don't
have what the physical Israel has. They weren't given the ordinances.
They weren't given the oracles of God. They weren't given the
presence of God among them. And the Gentiles seeing that
and hearing that and being made fun of because of that by the
Jews. Paul preaching to the Gentiles are saying, listen, all those
things were shadows of things to come. So the gospel is still
being preached. The gospel is still being spread. There are still those who are
under the influence of Judaic understanding who still have
yet to hear that gospel message. Just as today there are still
those in the Gentile world who are under the message of works
for reward. The gospel of grace is still
coming to them and the law of God and the shadow of everything
that was in that is still pointing them to Christ. Second of all, I think that this
is spoken of in this way because the destruction of Jerusalem
had not yet taken place yet. The desolation of Jerusalem and
the tabernacle, the temple, had not yet happened. In Matthew
chapter 23 and 28, Jesus himself And speaking to the Pharisees,
matter of fact, Matthew 23, that whole entire chapter, is nothing
but Jesus preaching woe against the Pharisees. The woes upon
the Pharisees. These religious leaders, these
Judaizers. And he says in verse 37, O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, thou that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them
which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy
children together, even as a hen gathered her chickens under her
wings, and ye would not. Behold, here it is, your house
is left unto you desolate. Jesus himself proclaimed woe
proclaimed desolation upon the house of Jerusalem, upon the
house of the Judaic system, which was a symbol and a representation
of that Old Covenant. The Old Covenant to Mount Zion,
all those things representing that Old Covenant. Jesus said,
this will be left Desolate your house is left to you desolate In Jeremiah chapter 12 and verse
7 it was foretold It says, I have forsaken mine
house, I have left mine heritage, I have given the dearly beloved
of my soul into the hand of her enemies. Jesus has made them desolate. With the destruction of Jerusalem,
that house was laid desolate. But brethren, at the crucifixion
of Jesus Christ, at His death, when that veil was rent in two,
the oblations ceased. They couldn't have oblations
anymore because of that veil being torn in two. The Holy of
Holies was now exposed. Men couldn't go in to offer the
sacrifice on the Day of Atonement because the veil had been rent
in two. And so on that day, the day that He died, The desolation
and the oblation and the fullness of the transgression of the Jews
were brought forth and filled. That veil was rent in two. And
exactly a few years later, the destruction of Jerusalem took
place and God brought destruction upon the whole city, upon the
whole tabernacle and worship system. And that's how it's been
ever since. And I believe that's how it will
be from now on. I do not believe that God is
ever going to bring his presence back into some earthly tabernacle.
He's ever going to bring his presence back into some earthly
people. But again, the third reason I
believe that that passage is the shadow of things to come,
is still in a present, ongoing type language, is because that
law still does preach. The gospel and our inability,
we continue to use that until faith comes and experience. When
faith came as the substance, We no longer needed the schoolmaster. Whenever it comes in experience,
that schoolmaster goes away because we now know where the substance
is, who the substance is, and we're trusting in the substance. The body of Christ is the substance. So the Bible clearly tells that.
But here before we leave, I wrote down a bunch of verses that I
thought would be helpful in showing that the old covenant has been
done away with. So turn with me, if you would,
and if you can't keep up with me, then just write them down. You can look at them later, maybe.
Hebrews 7, look at verse 18 and 19. It says, For there is verily a disannulling
of the commandment going before, for the weakness and unprofitableness
thereof. For the law made nothing perfect,
but the bringing in of a better hope did. So there was a making
perfect of people, but it wasn't by the law, it was by Christ. We are made perfect by Christ. Not perfect in the natural side,
but perfect in the spiritual side. Because we still sin, I
still sin every day. I'm still not made perfect. But yet the Bible does declare
that we are perfect in Christ Jesus. It says, for the law made nothing
perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, by the
which we draw nigh unto God. But it says right there that
there has been a disannulling of the commandments. Look into
it, Hebrews chapter 9. Let's get started in verse 8. The Word of God says this, the
Holy Ghost This signified that the way into the holiest of all
was not yet made manifest while as the first tabernacle was yet
standing, which was a figure for the time then present in
which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not
make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to the
conscious. which stood only in meats and drinks and divers washings
and carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation. And that's not talking about
the 1500s, the 1600s Reformation. That's talking about that these
things stood and was imposed upon people until the time that
the substance came and fulfilled it. the reformation of all things. The word reformation means a
reforming. Christ came and reformed everything
by bringing in the new covenant. And in bringing in the new covenant,
that means the old covenant is no longer enacted. That the old
covenant is disannulled. That it has gone away. With that being said, a lot of
people say, now didn't Jesus say that I didn't come to abolish
the law, but that I might fulfill it? Exactly. Exactly. He didn't come to abolish the
law. And that's what a lot of people
think that we're saying. He didn't come to abolish the law and just
say, okay, the law's done. But he came to fulfill the law.
So therefore, in fulfilling the law, all of the covenant was
kept for his people. He fulfilled the law and that
law keeping is applied to his spiritual people. The children
of Abraham, the children of faith, the children who are the seed,
the promise, the Jacob's, the Isaac's. That's who the promise
was given to. And so he fulfilled that. He
didn't just abolish it, He fulfilled it. So there is therefore now
a fulfillment of that, and if the law has been fulfilled, then
it's been completed. It's done. There's no need for
it anymore. The purpose of the law was to
condemn sin. And what is the righteous requirement
of the law? That sin be condemned in the
flesh. Therefore Jesus came and He was
condemned in the flesh on our behalf. Therefore the law was
fulfilled. The justice of the law was fulfilled
and the obedience of the law was fulfilled in Christ. So not
only did He keep the law for us, He died under the law for
our penalty. Every bit of God's law was kept
and fulfilled in Christ Jesus. He goes on to say, and that was
the Reformation. But Christ being come, a high
priest of good things to come, there it is, a shadow of things
to come, he came as a high priest of good things to come by a greater
and more perfect tabernacle. If there is a greater and more
perfect tabernacle, why go back to the one who is not? But it's a tabernacle not made
with hands, that is to say, not of this building, neither by
the blood of bulls and goats, excuse me, goats and cats, but
by his own blood. He entered in once into the holy
place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. forth the
blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling
the unclean, sanctified through the purifying of the flesh? How
much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience
from dead works to serve the living God? Let's quit serving
him in dead works. That's what the law service is
doing. That's dead works. The service of the law makes
no one perfect. Quit serving it. If you're a
child of grace, quit serving it. Why, preacher? Because it
was served already for you. Christ served it. Served it perfectly
on your behalf, and He's given that to you. Now all that He
says is, trust in Him. Look to Him. Believe on Him to
be your righteousness. He says, and for this cause he
is the mediator of a new testament, that by means of death for the
redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament,
they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. See, the promise of the inheritance
didn't come by the first testament. For where a testament is, there
must also a necessity be a death of the testator. For a testament
is a force after men are dead, otherwise it is of no strength
at all while the testator liveth. Whereupon neither the first testament
was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every
precept to all the people According to law, he took the blood of
the calves and of goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop
and sprinkled both the books and all the people, saying, This
is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto
you. Moreover, he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and
the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by
law purged with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no
remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in
the heavens should be purified with these things, but the heavenly
things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ
has not entered into the holy places made with hands, which
are the figures of the truth, but into heaven itself, now to
appear in the presence of God for us. Nor yet that he should
offer himself often as the high priest entered into the holy
place every year with blood of others. For then must he often
have suffered since the foundation of the world. But now, once in
the end of the world, hath he appeared to put away sin by the
sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men
once to die, but after this to judgment, so Christ was once
offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him
shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."
Pretty clear that this is a covenant that has went away. Galatians
chapter Back to Galatians, if you would. Again. Galatians chapter 3, verse 23. It says, But before faith came,
we were kept under law, shut up unto the faith which should
afterwards be revealed. Wherefore, the law was our schoolmaster
to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
But after that faith has come, We are no longer under a schoolmaster. Galatians chapter 4, look at
verse 9. But now, after that ye have known
God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak
and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire to be in bondage? So
this is what I'm asking this brethren. asks us these questions. Why
would you want to continue in under the things that bring you
into bondage? The weak and beggarly elements
whenever we have fulfillment in Christ. Ye observe days and
months and times and years. And here's my response to the
fellow. I am afraid of you. And I can't
say I, lest Christ and His Word have bestowed upon you labor
in vain. He says, Brethren, I beseech
you, be as I am, for I am as ye are. Ye have not injured me
at all. Ye know that through infirmity
of the flesh I preach the gospel unto you at the first. So we
see that this covenant only brings in bondage and has gone away.
Look with me if you would and this will be the last one we'll
read is 2nd Corinthians. Verse 1 it says, Do we begin
again to commend ourselves? Or need we, as some others, epistles
of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? Ye
are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all
men. Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of
Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit
of the living God, not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables
of the heart. For such trust have we through
Christ to God working. Not that we are sufficient ourselves
to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God,
who have made us able ministers of the New Testament, not of
the letter. Why do we preach the New Covenant? Why do we preach a ceasing of
the Old Covenant? Why do we preach the fulfillment? Why do we preach the shadows
as only pointing to Christ and not a continual servants to Christ?
Because God hath made us able ministers of a New Testament,
not of the letter, but of the Spirit. We are looking for the
things of the spiritual nature, not the natural nature, not the
physical nature, not the letter. He says, Who hath made us able
ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the
Spirit. For the letter killeth, but the
Spirit giveth life. Now look here in verse 7. But
if the ministration of death, or the ministration of the law,
written and engraved in stones, was glorious, so that the children
of God could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for
the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away,
How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious?
For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the
ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that
which was made glorious had no glory in this respect by reason
of the glory that excelleth." It means the only thing that
makes the Old Covenant even glorious is the fact of the substance
to which it was pointing. The only reason the Old Covenant
is glorious in any aspect whatsoever is because there is a more excellent
fulfillment in the New Covenant. For that which
is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is
glorious. So the Old Covenant is done away
the new covenant is and remaineth. Seeing then that we have such
hope, we use great plainness of speech. Not as Moses, which put a veil
over his face that the children of Israel could not steadfastly
look to the end of that which is abolished, but their minds
were blinded, for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken
away in the reading of the Old Testament. Which veil is done
away in Christ? Brethren, listen, and this gentleman,
I pray, if he's listening, the reason you keep looking back
whenever Moses is read, you still are seeing a veil. You're still
seeing a veil. To the child of grace, that veil
has been removed. And we see that the glory behind
it is fading. It's a fading glory. That which
was glorious of the Old Testament was a temporary glory. It was a shadow glory. The substance,
the glory that it points to and preaches and exalts is Christ
Jesus. And the child of grace, those
who have been born from above and has been given the Spirit
of God that teaches them and reveals the secret things of
God, especially in the mystery of Christ who is God manifested.
in flesh and all that he has done and his bride being in him.
Those things have been made manifest or being made manifest to the
children of grace and they are not looking at Moses in a veil. They are looking at Moses for
who Moses was. A fleeting shadow and veining
glory that was to show forth the true glory which is Christ. a view without the veil, to see
Christ, to view Christ in all these things and to have hope
in Christ and not in the things of the flesh, which cannot attain
to anything. There'll be no hope for this
man. There'll be no hope for any of
us if our hope is in law keeping and there will be no true glory
and honor and praise and worship given to God in the things that
God does not ask for glory and praise and honor in, because
he has done those things away. He is no longer going to have
anything to do with bulls and goats and blood and sacrifices
and temples and tabernacles and houses and physical nations. So we look unto Jesus, the author
and the finisher of our faith, and we look to him who is the
hope We have full faith and full assurance and full understanding
and confidence in Him and Him alone and not in the things of
the old covenant. Alright, does anybody have any
questions or any comments? Anything to add to it? Maybe
some other verses I might have missed? I know I wrote kind of
long. Alright. Heavenly Father, Lord, we come
to you now thanking you so much once again for Jesus Christ in
whom is the fulfillment of all things. Lord, we thank you for
the unveiling that you've given to your people to see and understand
that we are not come unto Mount Sinai, but we have come unto
Mount Zion, unto the heavenly Jerusalem who is the mother of
us all. We're not looking for some earthly
mountain, some earthly tabernacle, some earthly kingdom, and some
earthly people to govern that kingdom on your behalf. But we
understand a spiritual kingdom that you have brought up spiritual
people in, and you have made them spiritual priests unto God,
and we preach a spiritual gospel to those who are spiritual. in
the spiritual kingdom. So, Lord, we continue to ask
that you would be with us to give us faith, to give us understanding
of your word. Lord, I pray for all these, like
this gentleman who has been questioning some of the things that we believe,
what your word says. He's not been questioning us,
but questioning your word. Lord, I pray that you would give
him understanding, that you would open up and reveal unto him the
truth of scripture. As with all of our friends and
family, Father, I pray that you might give them life, and that
you might give them understanding, that you'll grant them repentance
through the acknowledging of the truth that is in Christ Jesus. And so, Father, Lord, I pray
today as we leave this place that you might continue to keep
us, and that you might give us safety, and Lord, that you might
provide the things that we have need of. Lord, we just ask so
much that you would continue to be with us in these meetings,
and that you might even bring others as you see fit to add
to your church, Lord, and we just thank you for it. For it's
in Christ's name that we pray, amen.