CREATOR GOD GREATLY EXPANDED OPTION #1
This happened centuries after the Flood . . .
. . . and it involved a long process . . .
In about 2000 B.C. Creator God started this process by choosing one man, Abraham.
[God said:] “I will make you [Abraham] into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse.
Genesis 12:2-3
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God's blessing and God's cursing of the whole world would come through this one man and through one nation – the nation that would start with Abraham.
[God said to Abraham:] "All peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Genesis 12:2-3
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Think about this!
4,000 years ago, in blessing Abraham, God was also arranging for great blessing to come to you and your people.
Before Abraham, despite centuries of effort, people had been unable and unwilling to "master" sin and "do what is right."
There is no one righteous, …no one who seeks God. …There is no one who does good. …There is no fear of [Creator] God before their eyes.
Romans 3:10-12, 18
So Creator God chose one specific man and one specific nation through whom he would bless the whole world.
How can God's blessing possibly come to you and your people through Abraham?
Jesus Christ [was]… the son [descendant] of Abraham.
Matthew 1:1
About 2000 years after Abraham, in about AD 1, God would send the Messiah, Jesus Christ, to this earth to be born in the country of Israel.
God's amazing plan was to bless the whole world through Jesus Christ (who was the descendant of Abraham).
But first, God promised to make Abraham into a new nation – and to give this new nation a place of its own.
The Lord made a covenant with Abra[ha]m and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi [dry river bed on the eastern border] of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates [probably at its northern end]."
Genesis 15:18
"All the land that you see I will give to your offspring forever."
Genesis 13:15
This is the land just east of the Mediterranean Sea.
But this plan would only come about over many centuries and with great difficulty.
Then the Lord said to him [Abraham], "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a[nother] country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions."
Genesis 15:13-14
"Your descendants will come back here [about 600 years later]."
Genesis 15:16
The place where Abraham was standing would eventually become Israel's home.
But at the very start Abraham had a problem that could derail God's plan.
Abra[ha]m said, "O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless. …You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir."
Genesis 15:2-3
He was already about 80 years old. But his problems were bigger than just his age.
Abra[ha]m's wife [Sarah]…was barren.
Genesis 11:29-30
How could he become the father of a great nation without any children?
And how could he possibly have children at his age if his wife was barren.
Then the word of the Lord came to him: "...A son coming from your own body will be your heir." He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars. ...So shall your offspring be."
Genesis 15:2-5
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Then comes one of the most important statements in the whole Bible!
Abra[ha]m believed the Lord, and he [God] credited it to him as righteousness [goodness].
Genesis 15:6
But this is not Option #1!
Options #1 is about what we have to do:
• "Do what is right."
• "Master" sin.
This is Option #2.
Option #2 is about believing what God has promised to do for us.
Abraham believed God, and God gave him a gift.
This gift was righteousness.
And he was called God's friend.
James 2:23
What is "righteousness"?
Righteousness = being clean, pure and good in God's eyes – as though we have never rebelled against him!
This gift only came to Abraham because he believed God.
By faith [belief], we have peace with God.
Romans 5:1
He did not earn peace with God and become God's friend by trying to "master sin" and "do what is right" (Option #1).
Abraham received peace with God by believing God's promise and trusting what God would do for him:
This is Option #2 –
not Option #1
Remember Abel & Noah? Why were they accepted by Creator God?
They were accepted exactly the same way that Abraham was accepted.
It is clearly explained later in the Bible:
By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did.
Hebrews 11:4
By faith Noah…built an ark to save his family.
Hebrews 11:7
Faith = Believing God. Trusting God.
So they were accepted by God exactly the same way that Abraham was – because they believed Creator God.
Without faith it is impossible to please God.
Hebrews 11:6
Everyone in the Bible (in the Old Testament and the New Testament) was accepted by God for only one reason:
They believed God (Option #2).
They had faith in God.
But Abel, Noah, and Abraham's understanding of Option #2 was very limited.
These [Abel, Noah, Abraham] were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.
Hebrews 11:39
They, of course, received some promises from God.
Noah and his family were saved from the great Flood.
Abraham and Sarah were eventually given a son.
But God's great promise for all mankind would not come true for many centuries.
God's plan to free us from slavery to Satan and slavery to sin was not yet understood by them.
They did not know . . .
This mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
Ephesians 3:9
They did not know . . .
The word of God in its fullness––the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations.
Colossians 1:25-26
It would be 2000 more years before Creator God's mysterious plan to defeat Satan would become clear.
You see, at just the right time . . .
Romans 5:6
. . . God's plan would be revealed.
But that was still far in the future.
Abraham even had to wait about 20 more years for God's promise to give him a son.
When Abra[ha]m was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty. …I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."
Genesis 17:1; 18:10
Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind [Abraham]. …Sarah laughed to herself. …Then the Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' Is anything too hard for the Lord?"
Genesis 18:10, 12-14
Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age.
Genesis 21:1-2
Sarah…[was] the age of ninety.
Genesis 17:17
You can always trust Creator God to keep his promises
It is impossible for God to lie.
Hebrews 6:18
How did Abraham's descendants become enslaved?
Jacob, Abraham's grandson, was living in Canaan (the current land of Israel).
His small clan lived in tents like his grandfather Abraham.
They wandered from place to place in Canaan and still did not possess the land.
Then something dramatically changed.
Seven years of famine began. …There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. …And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain."
Genesis 41:54, 57
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God spoke to Israel [the new name that he gave Jacob] in a vision at night and said, "…Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again [to Canaan].
Genesis 45:25; 46:2-4
Remember, God had said to Abraham:
Your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.
Genesis 15:13
What was God's purpose in allowing them to become slaves?
"I will make you into a great nation there."
Genesis 45:25; 46:2-4
Then Jacob left. …He took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters––all his offspring.
Genesis 46:5, 7
The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all.
Exodus 1:5
Protected within the borders of the great country of Egypt, this small clan could grow during 400 years into a nation of over a million people.
After many years what happened in Egypt?
Now all that generation died, but the Israelites [Abraham's and Jacob's descendants] were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them. Then a new king…came to power in Egypt. …He said to his people, "The Israelites have become much too numerous for us. …If war breaks out, [they] will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country." So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor.…and worked them ruthlessly.
Exodus 1:6-11, 13
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Did Creator God care about the Israelites?
During that long period…the Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help…went up to God. God heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac [the son God had promised Abraham] and with Jacob.
Exodus 2:23-24
So God chose a leader for the Israelites.
Now Moses…came to…the mountain of God [in the Sinai Peninsula]. …God said, "…I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. …I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. …I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them…into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey. …So now, go. I am sending you to [King] Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."
Exodus 3:1, 5-8, 10
But would Pharaoh let the Israelites go?
God said to Moses…"I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go."
Exodus 3:14, 19-20
Beside Pharoah, what other powers did Creator God need to defeat?
The Lord said to Moses… "I will pass through Egypt…and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord."
Exodus 12:12
Israel needed to be freed from the power of Satan who was behind these many gods.
And everyone needed to know who the true Lord was.
How strong were these evil spiritual powers?
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron [your brother], 'Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.'" So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land. But the [Egyptian] magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.
Exodus 8:5-7
The Egyptian magicians did this using the power of demons.
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,' and through the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats." …Gnats came upon men and animals. All the dust through the land of Egypt became gnats. But when the [Egyptian] magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. …The magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the Lord had said.
Exodus 8:16-19
So the magicians had some evil spiritual power, but it was limited.
It was far less than the power of Creator God.
God sent 6 more terrible plagues on Egypt.
The Egyptian magicians did not duplicate these plagues.
And, Pharaoh still would not let the Israelites go.
What was God's greater purpose in doing this than just freeing Israel from slavery?
Creator God was displaying his power over (probably) the most powerful nation of that day.
He also confronted the powerful gods, idols and satanic spiritual power behind Egypt.
God clearly stated his purpose about 10 times:
"…that you may know that I am the Lord…"
So God's greater purpose was . . .
1. For Israel to know.
God…said to Moses, "I am the Lord. …I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. …I am the Lord.
Exodus 6:2, 6-8
2. For Egypt to know.
The Lord said to Moses, "…I will multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, …and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it."
Exodus 7:3, 5
3. For the whole world – and for you – to know.
"The Lord said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, "…By now I could have…struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."
Exodus 9:13, 15
"So you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth."
Exodus 9:29
God's amazing deliverance of Israel from slavery proves his great power and love.
He wants the entire earth to know his power and know his love.
Who is this amazing God?
Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites…and they ask me, 'What is his name?'
God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM."
Exodus 3:13-14
What an amazing answer!
Creator God is the only self-existing person in the entire universe.
No one created him.
No one gives him life.
Creator God just "is".
Father [God] has life in himself.
John 5:26
God speaks for himself!
This is what the Lord says––Israel's King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty:
I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare…what is yet to come––yes, let him foretell what will come. …Is there any God besides me? No, …I know not one."
Isaiah 44:6-8
"To whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?"
Isaiah 46:5
I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. …What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do."
Isaiah 46:9-11
So . . .
God said to Moses, "This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
What a privilege you also have today!
The God who "is", is right here, right now to show himself to you.
His words in the Bible are meant for you personally . . .
. . . "that you may know that I am the Lord."
How did Creator God finally free Israel from slavery?
Now the Lord had said to Moses, "I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely."
Exodus 11:1
The Lord said to Moses, "…Say to Pharaoh, '…Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, "Let my son go, so he may worship me." But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.'"
Exodus 4:21-23
Do you see the great hope for you here?
Creator God first chose Israel for himself:
God…said to Moses, "…I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God."
Exodus 6:7
You may say:
"This is about Israel. I am not an Israelite. So what does the Bible have to do with me?"
But, think about this amazing fact:
If Creator God has a "firstborn son," he of course has more children!
And he loves those children like he loves Israel.
[About 1400 years later Jesus would say:] "I am the good shepherd. … I have other sheep that are not of this [Israelite] sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd."
John 10:14, 16
How is this great hope described at the end of the Bible?
I looked and there…was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne [of Creator God]… And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne."
Revelation 7:9-10
So you too are invited:
Come! Whoever…wishes, let him take the free gift of…life.
Revelation 22:17
But the penalty for not listening to Creator God is enormous.
The Lord said to Moses… "I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn––both man and animals––and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord."
Exodus 12:1, 12
Those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.
Deuteronomy 7:10
What about the Israelites: Did they get an automatic pass from God's judgment?
The Lord said to Moses… "Each man is to take a lamb for his family. …Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses. …The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt."
Exodus 12:1, 3, 6-7, 13
So this lamb is called the Passover Lamb, because the Lord . . .
. . . passed over the houses of the Israelites.
Exodus 12:27
What were the Israelites saved by?
Were they saved by Option #1 – because they were better than the Egyptians?
No. They were only saved:
1. By the blood of the Passover Lamb that was sacrifed for them.
2. By God's love and kindness to them.
They were not saved by Option #1 –
not because they did "what is right" and "mastered" sin.
They were not saved because they were a good or special people.
[Moses said to the Israelites:] "The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to you forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt."
Deuteronomy 7:6-8
It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity…for you are a stiff-necked people.
Deuteronomy 9:5-6
The Israelites freedom from slavery was a gift from God.
They did not earn it.
In fact, it was the opposite:
They did not deserve it.
Only the blood of the Passover Lamb saved them from the death that came upon all Egypt.
The Passover Lamb is a perfect picture of Option #2.
Option #2 is a complete gift from God.
We deserve none of it.
We can earn none of it.
The Israelites' freedom was a gift from God.
Freedom from slavery, the Egyptian gods and Satan was a gift that they did not earn.
Why is the Passover Lamb (in this Old Testament story) one of the greatest pictures of Option #2?
Because about 1400 years later a prophet . . .
. . . saw Jesus [Christ] coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"
John 1:29
So the Passover Lamb (in the Old Testament) points forward 1400 years to Jesus Christ.
Jesus is God's Passover Lamb for the whole world.
[Jesus Christ] did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Mark 10:45
In this way . . .
Jesus…will save his people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21
So, the Passover Lamb in Egypt was a picture of Jesus who would come 1400 years later.
Complete deliverance from Satan and from sin only comes through Jesus Christ the Lamb of God.
But when Israel was in Egypt, this part of Creator God's plan for the whole world was still hidden in mystery.
How total was Creator God's defeat of Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt?
[The Lord said:] "About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt––worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. But among the Israelites not a dog will bark."
Exodus 11:4-7
At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt. …During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses…and said, "Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds…and go."
Exodus 12:29, 31-32
But Pharaoh's rebellion and, therefore, God's judgment continued.
When…the people [of Israel] had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!" So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. …The Egyptians…pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea.
Exodus 14:5, 9
The Israelites…were terrified and cried out to the Lord. …Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. …The Lord will fight for you."
Exodus 14:10, 13-14
Then the Lord said to Moses, "…Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground."
Exodus 14:15-16
"I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army… The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen."
Exodus 14:17-18
The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea.
Exodus 14:21-23
The Lord looked down…at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. …Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen." …The water flowed back and covered…the entire army of Pharaoh… Not one of them survived.
Exodus 14:24-26, 28
What were the results of this great victory?
Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him.
Exodus 14:30-31
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
"…I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. …The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him. The Lord is a warrior. …Your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy. …Your burning anger…consumed them like stubble. …The enemy boasted…but you blew with your mouth and the sea covered them. …Who among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is like you––majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? …The nations will hear and tremble."
Exodus 15:1-3, 6-7, 9-12, 14
How long did the Israelites continue to trust in God and in Moses?
How about 3 days later?
For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. …So the people grumbled against Moses.
Exodus 15:22, 24
After a month and a half were the Israelites trusting God?
On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt…in the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and [his brother] Aaron…"If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."
Exodus 16:1-3
So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "You will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt.…Who are we, that you should grumble against us? …You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord."
Exodus 16:6-8
Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day."
Exodus 16:4
Daily for 40 years, God miraculously provided over 1 million people with food in the desert.
How about in the third month?
In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt…they came to the Desert of Sinai…in front of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. …The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up. …And God spoke all these words: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. …Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold."
Exodus 19:1, 18; 20:1-2, 23
Did the people worship Creator God alone?
When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron [Moses' brother] and said, "Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him." Aaron answered them, "Take off the gold earrings that you…are wearing, and bring them to me." …He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf. …Then they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt."
Exodus 32:1-4
Moses did come down from Mt. Sinai.
He told Israel:
"The Lord said to me, 'I have seen this people, and they are a stiff-necked people indeed! Let me alone that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven.' …Then…I fell prostrate before the Lord for forty days and forty nights. …I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you. But…the Lord listened to me. And the Lord was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but…I prayed for Aaron too."
Deuteronomy 9:13-14, 18-20
Moses added:
"You have been rebellious against the Lord ever since I have known you."
Deuteronomy 9:24
How could rebellious Israel ever approach Creator God?
How could they ever come into God's presence?
SO, GOD GAVE ISRAEL A VERY DETAILED RELIGIOUS SYSTEM.
This system is called THE LAW.
It is a very detailed version of Option #1.
What was wrong with the simple version of Option #1?
The simple version was:
Do what is right. …You must master [sin].
Genesis 4:7
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But no one carried out this general responsibility that God gave to people.
Now, Creator God was teaching Israel exactly what he wanted them to do.
What does this detailed version of Option #1 require?
Perfection!
The Lord said…"I am the Lord your God; …be holy, because I am holy."
Leviticus 11:1, 44
Creator God requires perfection because he is perfect.
You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the Lord abhors.
Psalm 5:4-5
What is in THE LAW?
The Law contains 4 important parts.
1. Commands or Rules.
2. A place of worship.
3. A High Priest.
4. Sacrifices.
But what do these 4 things have to do with us?
Why are we talking about them?
Because, many people today depend on one or more of these things to:
• Gain power over Satan and evil spirits.
• Get from God what they want or need in this life.
• Gain God's approval and earn eternal life.
So, we need to find out the answer to 2 big questions:
1. Can these 4 parts of THE LAW, given by Creator God himself, actually give us what we desperately need?
Are these 4 things actually effective, or not?
2. What can Creator God's religious system tell us about all other religious systems?
THE LAW was given by the God who made heaven and earth.
There is no one greater than Creator God.
There is nothing better than what he provides for us.
So, no other religious system in the entire world can surpass this one.
But, maybe some other religious systems could be as good as this one.
If Creator God's religious system is effective, maybe other religious systems can also be effective.
Let's find out.
Let's look at the 4 things that are in THE LAW.
1. Commands or Rules.
The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain…and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction.”…And he wrote on the tablets the words of the…Ten Commandments.
Exodus 24:12; 34:1, 28
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Does God have only 10 rules?
No, it is said that there are about 600 other commands in God's Law!
God was very specific.
But the Ten Commandments summarize what God wants everyone to do.
These are the Ten Commandments:
God spoke…
1. "Have no other gods besides me.
2. …[Do] not make for yourself an idol. …[Do] not bow down to them or worship them…
3. [Do] not misuse the name of the Lord your God…
4. Remember the Sabbath day [rest day] by keeping it holy [special for God]…
5. Honor your father and mother…
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not give false witness…
10. You shall not covet…anything that belongs to your neighbor."
Exodus 20:1-17
And God even summarized the Ten Commandments!
Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?
Matthew 22:36
Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul …and with all your strength… and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.
Matthew 22:37-38 • Luke 10:27
"And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
Matthew 22:39
Jesus…[said], "Do this and you will live."
Luke 10:28
What did Jesus say was the purpose of God's commands?
[The] commandment…was intended to bring life.
Romans 7:9
[Creator God said,] “Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord.”
Leviticus 18:5
Manga Vol. 1, page
So following the Law perfectly results in eternal life.
Obey and live forever!
In fact, The Law was God's preferred method for enabling us to live forever:
If a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness [goodness] would certainly have come by [obeying] The Law.
Galatians 3:22
Is this not obvious?
If we can always obey God's Law – if we never disobey it – we will always be good in God's eyes.
We will never sin.
God will never be angry with us.
We will never become children of Satan.
But, can anyone do this?
There is no one righteous [good], not even one… All have turned away.
Romans 3:10, 12
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23
What is the result for us?
The wages of sin is death.
Romans 6:23
How then can anyone come into holy God's presence?
THE LAW added 3 things to allow people into God's presence.
2. The Tabernacle (or tent for worship).
The first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. A Tabernacle was set up.
Hebrew 9:1-2
What was God's purpose in making this tabernacle?
The Lord said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites to…make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them."
Exodus 25:1-2, 8
God's purpose was to live with his people.
What was this 1st Covenant?
It was the contract or agreement between Creator God and Israel.
It was the detailed version of Option #1 that we are talking about.
THE LAW is the 1st Covenant –
It is Option #1
What is the central point in this 1st Covenant?
[A] If you want to enter life, [B] obey the commandments.
Matthew 19:17
So God said:
If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands…I will put my dwelling place among you, and you will be my people, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God and you will be my people.
Unfortunately, no one can do this.
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. …I have the desire to do what is right, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do––this I keep on doing.
Romans 7:15, 18-19
Clearly, Father God's desire is to be with his people.
What an amazing purpose!
Throughout the whole Bible, from the very beginning to the very end, Creator God desires to be with his people.
God desires to be with you –
to have a personal relationship with you that lasts forever.
So he told the Israelites to build a tabernacle.
What was the Tabernacle?
The tabernacle was a beautiful tent that was used as a sanctuary or chapel where the Israelites worshiped God.
What was in the Tabernacle?
Inside was the exact location where Creator God would come down to meet with his people.
The tabernacle was made of 2 rooms:
• the Holy Place
• the Most Holy Place
They were lined up end to end.
In its first room…[was a] curtain.
Hebrews 9:2-3
The curtain…separate[d] the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.
Exodus 26:33
So . . .
Behind the…curtain was…the Most Holy Place.
Hebrews 9:3
The Most Holy Place was the most important place in all Israel –
it contained something extremely important.
The Most Holy Place…had…the gold-covered ark…of the covenant.
Hebrews 9:3-4
[On] the gold-covered ark…[was an] atonement cover.
Hebrews 9:4-5
Ark = a chest or box
What does "atonement' mean?
Atonement = covering for sins.
This was the place where the sins of the people could be covered up.
Why was the atonement cover the most important place in all of Israel?
The Lord said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites to…place the [atonement] cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the Testimony [The Law] which I will give you."
Exodus 25:1, 21
What was under the atonement cover of the ark?
A copy of God's Law.
What was above the cover?
[The Lord said to Moses:] "There above the cover I will meet with you."
Exodus 25:22
The holy Creator of the whole universe chose to come down and meet with Israel above the cover.
This is wonderful news!
Then, could all the people go into the Most Holy Place to meet with God?
Unfortunately, no!
The way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed [made clear].
Hebrews 9:8
The people still could not go in!
The Law couldn't open the way to God.
The Law under the atonement cover could not enable people to come into God's presence.
No one will be declared righteous [pure and good] in his [God's] sight by observing the Law. …For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:20, 23
The Law could not make people good enough to meet Creator God.
Then, how could people, who couldn't keep The Law that was below the atonement cover, meet with Creator God who was above the atonement cover?
They needed someone to go into the Most Holy Place in their place.
They needed a High Priest.
3. The High Priest – the only person who could stand between the people and God.
Only the high priest entered the inner room.
Hebrews 9:7
Does that mean that the high priest could go freely into the Most Holy Place?
The Lord said to Moses: "Tell…Aaron [the High Priest] not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover."
Leviticus 16:2
When could the High Priest enter the Most Holy Place?
The High Priest entered the inner room…only once a year.
Hebrews 9:7
Only one person in all Israel could go directly before God.
But he could only go in once a year.
Does this sound like a personal relationship with Creator God?
Could the High Priest go into God's presence because he was good?
What did the High Priest need in order to enter the Most Holy Place?
The High Priest entered the inner room…never without blood, which he offered for himself.
Hebrews 9:7
He is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering.
Leviticus 16:11
He is to take some of the bull's blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover.
Leviticus16:14
The High Priest, too, was a sinner – like we are.
Even he needed something that could cover his sins!
4. Animal sacrifices – which must be offered to God to cover everyone's sins.
[The High Priest] shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and…sprinkle it on the atonement cover.
Why is this?
The Law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Hebrews 9:22
Why must blood be shed for our sins to be forgiven? Isn't this very strange?
No. It is very understandable!
1. The wages of sin is death.
Romans 6:23
Something must die for sin.
2. Life is in the blood.
Leviticus 17:11
When something's blood is shed, it dies.
3. (So) without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Hebrews 9:22
Either we die for our sins, or something must die in our place.
Since life is in the blood, unless something dies in our place, we cannot be forgiven.
We all deserve to die – in fact, we are all spiritually dead …
…dead in your transgressions and sins.
Ephesians 2:1
But God loves his people.
So he created a way for a person to buy his life back from death –
to atone for his life.
The Lord said…"The life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it [the blood of animals] to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life."
Leviticus 17:11
In Creator God's universe, only blood can make atonement for one's life.
It must be a life for a life.
When Moses and the people finally finished building the tabernacle and the ark, what happened?
Do you remember God's purpose in making the tabernacle?
The Lord said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites to…make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them."
Exodus 25:1-2, 8
This is the Heavenly Father's desire throughout the entire Bible – to live with his people.
In fact, the very last pages of the Bible describe what eternity will be like on a new earth.
It says:
Now the dwelling of [Creator] God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. …They will see his face.
Revelation 21:3; 22:4
What a wonderful future!
So Moses finished the work [on the tabernacle]. Then the cloud covered [it]…and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
Exodus 40:33-34
For Israel, this was the climax of a whole year in the desert receiving God's Law and building God's Tabernacle.
Were people then able to meet with God face to face?
Moses could not enter the Tent…because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
Exodus 40:35
Not even Moses was able to enter!
And, not even the High Priest could go into the Most Holy Place freely!
The Lord said to Moses: "Tell your brother Aaron [the High Priest] not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover."
Leviticus 16:2
If that is true, how could anyone come into Creator God's presence?
God's very next instructions sounds nothing like the wonderful scene at the end of the Bible that say:
Now…God…will live with them. …They will see his face.
Revelation 21:3; 22:4
It sounds sadly anticlimactic:
The Lord called to Moses…from the Tent…
Leviticus 1:1
Does this sound like a personal conversation?
God is on the inside.
And God calls to Moses – who is on the outside.
But God doesn't invite Moses inside the tent.
He said, "…When any of you brings an offering to the Lord…from the herd, …he must present it at the entrance to the Tent…so that it will be acceptable to the Lord. He is to lay his hand on the [animal's] head…and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him."
Leviticus 1:1-3
No one was pure enough to come directly before God.
They could come to the entrance of the Tent, but they could not go inside.
Each person needed to be atoned for.
Something fundamentally wrong with them had to be paid for.
So each one needed to bring an animal sacrifice.
He is to slaughter the [animal]…before the Lord.
Leviticus 1:5
A bull, sheep, goat or pigeon had to die in the person's place before he could be accepted by God.
But that wasn't all he needed.
Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood and sprinkle it against the altar at the entrance to the Tent. …Then…the priests shall…burn all of it on the altar.
Leviticus 1:5, 9
He needed a priest to offer his sacrifice.
He could not approach God on his own.
He needed a priest to intercede for him before God.
So, with the help of a priest and the blood of a sheep could a person go into God's presence inside the Tent?
No!
The person could not go inside the Tent, passed the curtain, and into the Most Holy Place to meet face-to-face with Creator God.
The person could only come near . . .
the altar at the entrance to the Tent.
Leviticus 1:5
If that is true, was Creator God pleased with these offerings?
Yes . . . but . . .
[The person] must present it [the burnt offering] at the entrance to the Tent…, so that it will be acceptable to the Lord. He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.
Leviticus 1:3-4
It is a burnt offering, …an aroma pleasing to the Lord.
Leviticus 1:9
So, in a sense, God was pleased with these sacrifices.
Yet it says . . .
"Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offers you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the Law required them to be made).
Hebrews 10:8
The aroma was pleasing to God.
And The Law required the sacrifices to be made.
Yet God was not pleased.
What was wrong with these sacrifices?