Episode Transcript
Are you ready to experience the amazing love of God and his plan for your life? Are you curious about the fast fulfilling Bible prophecies? Amidst the rapidly changing world, secrets of prophecy is your gateway to unlocking these exciting realities. Join pastor David Price on a journey of discovery that will not only transform your life, but will equip you with inner peace and an unshakable hope to face the future. It's my pleasure to welcome you to secrets of prophecy session number ten.
And this is an interesting and fascinating study about a search for the Lost Ark. We are going to discover the following points in this session, which are point number one, what was actually inside the Old Testament Ark of the covenant? Secondly, what is the real reason that God has given us his laws, not just all of his laws, but especially the Ten Commandment laws? And do the two new commandments given in the New Testament by Jesus Christ actually ever replaced the ten commandments given in the Old Testament? Does the advent of grace mean that we no longer need to keep God's law? And then we are going to look at is true obedience ever legalism or works? So here we are in secret to prophecy and it's important that we ask God to bless our study together. Father in heaven, we thank you for blessing us in the past with wisdom and understanding.
And as we open your word and discover great things again, we ask your holy spirit to guide us. In Jesus name. Amen.
So it's my pleasure to welcome you to secrets of prophecy session number ten. It's called Inside the Lost Ark. If you are watching this online, you can download the study guide from under the title bar.
But that's not necessary. You can follow along. It's a full picture programme and we are going to be able to share with you some amazing things and discoveries.
Let's get started. One of the most fascinating mysteries of all time is the disappearance of the Ark of the Covenant, the most treasured of all artefacts. In the the jewish temple, the ark was covered in pure gold.
It featured two beautiful angels spreading their wings to form a throne for God's presence. But the ark appeared to possess supernatural powers. It was associated with the presence of God, victory and battle, drying up rivers and even causing calamities or death.
If you go to one Samuel chapter five, you'll find out what happened to the Philistines. And then in one Samuel chapter six and verse 19, the men at bet Shemish who looked into the ark were killed. And on that day over 50,000 people perished.
But we must hurry on the final resting place for the Ark was in Solomon's glorious temple. Then, in a shroud of mystery, the Ark actually disappears. Where does it go? Who took it? And where is the Ark of the covenant right now? For hundreds of years, people have searched for the lost Ark.
A secret society called the Knights Templar had a fascination for the Ark. And after ten years of excavation in Jerusalem, the society claimed to have found the ark and transported it away, possibly to Rosslyn chapel in Scotland. You know, others have also claimed to have found the Arkansas, like archaeologist Ron Wyatt, who said he found the ark in a cave under the cross of Calvary right there in Jerusalem.
Then there was Wendell Jones, a texan archaeologist who's been searching for the ark most of his life. He believes he actually found it near the Dead Sea. The Ethiopians also believe they possess the Arkansas, and they say that they have it there at Aksum in Ethiopia.
Well, there are others who think the Ark was taken to the Vatican or even may be buried with the pharaohs in the valley of the kings. The jewish book, the Maccabees describes the prophet Jeremiah hiding the ark in a hollow cave somewhere near Mount Nebo on the eastern side of the Dead Sea. You can find that in two maccabees.
Chapter two, verses one to eight. The discovery of an ancient copper scroll near the Dead Sea shows a series of maps referring to a cave in the valley of Achor, also near the Dead Sea. So the Jewish Talmud says the ark is hidden in a chamber under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Some rabbis claim to have seen the ark, but no evidence has come to light. Well, among all this speculation, nobody is certain where the Ark of Covenant is today. But what was so special about the Ark? Is the search for the lost Ark just a treasure hunt, or is there more to it? What was actually inside the ark that was so important? And why did the contents need such protection? Well, in this study series and session number ten, we will discover the importance and the power of the contents hidden inside the Ark of the Covenant.
Before we go into question number one, I'd like to ask my own question. I'm going to ask this question, which should be a bit obvious. Where is the real.
Where is the original Ark of the Covenant actually located today? We don't have to guess. We don't have to speculate. We only have to open the amazing book of revelation.
Let's go to revelation eleven and verse 19. John one of Jesus disciples, John the disciple, also John the revelator, who wrote the book of revelation, wrote the following words. And the temple of God was opened in heaven.
He's referring here to the heavenly sanctuary. John writes, and there was seen in God's temple the ark of his testament. So as we consider what's going on in the heavenly sanctuary, we know in hebrews chapters seven, eight and nine and ten that Jesus Christ is there as our high priest.
So he's standing there in front of the ark of the covenant. But what is actually inside the golden box? And the answer is, of course, the Ten Commandments. So we realise that the Ten Commandments are the foundation and the basis for the judgement that's going on in heaven.
However, what is remarkable today is that down here on earth, many christian organisations and churches actually say that the Ten Commandments have been done away with at the cross of Jesus Christ. So this is a huge problem because John wrote, and the temple of God was opened in heaven and there was seen in his temple, the ark of his testament, the ark of his testimony, his ten words, the ten commands of goddess. So this lesson is going to answer that very, very convoluted question.
Thank you so much for joining us. Would you join me in question number one? We are here in session number ten. We're going inside the lost ark.
What were the contents of the Ark of the Covenant? We're in Deuteronomy, chapter ten, and looking at verses four and five. And God wrote on the tablets, meaning the two tables of stone, according to the first writing, the ten Commandments. Then I turned and came down from the mountain, Moses writes, and I put the tablets, meaning the two tables of stone in the ark which I'd made.
And there they are, just as the Lord commanded me. Friends, this is very significant. We're asking what were the contents of the Ark of the covenant? You know, the ten Commandments are so important to God that he wrote them on stone with his own finger.
Exodus 30 118. He then instructed Moses to place them in the holiest of all the articles, that is the Ark of the Covenant. Meanwhile, all the other jewish laws were written in a book by Moses and placed outside the ark.
We understand that from the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 31 and verse 26. So the ten Commandments were holy and they were protected in the ark of the Covenant. In other words, the gold box with the two angels on it, which we learned about last week in session number nine in our study on the Old Testament sanctuary.
Question number two, what does the New Testament actually say about the ten Commandments? Are they still of use and value today? Are they defective in any way? Romans 712, the scripture says, Paul writes to the church in Rome, therefore, the law is holy and the commandment holy, and the commandment is also just and good. All right, so there we're told twice. God's ten commandment law is holy and it is just and good.
You know, sadly, a common misconception today is that the ten Commandments were only relevant for people living in Old Testament times. The commandments are considered irrelevant for those who are saved by grace living in the New Testament. Some even believe God's law is a curse and should never be kept or even taught.
However, the New Testament says God's law is perfect. The commandments are holy and just and good. It is inconceivable that a holy person or a holy church would ever oppose a holy law.
You know, God's law is permanent. It will stand fast forever and ever. I want you to remember that.
How long will the ten commandments last? It will stand fast forever and ever. Psalms 111, verses seven and eight. All of the ten commandments are specifically reinforced throughout the New Testament by Jesus and the apostles.
Question number three says, what are the ten commandments? So the ten commandments are outlined in Exodus 20 and verses three to 17. So let's just take a quick summary version of those. Let's go to commandment number one.
You shall have no other gods before me. Friends, do you realise that we can have gods of things that appear to be good? We can make a God out of our family, or even our work, or things that we enjoy, like playing sports. The second commandment also warns us about making gods out of things that are actually tangible.
God says, you shall not make for yourself a carved image. You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. When we think about our own idols and our own carved images, some people put a lot of love and affection into their cars, others into their homes, etcetera, etcetera.
The third commandment is one that is broken almost daily around the world. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Jesus name is used as a curse word.
When you could never use the names of the great founders of other religions as a curse word, there would be consequences. But the name of Jesus Christ is used today with impunity. Commandment number four says to remember the 7th day, to keep it holy.
The Sabbath day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. Friends, today we seem to work or go 24/7 without rest. But God tells us that we certainly need to take time out of our busy week to recharge, regenerate and to think about him.
Question number five is about marriage and the family to honour your father and mother. Today, parents and teachers are being attacked and, you know, all the problems there are in families. And as the New Testament said, there is a lot of disobedience to parents.
Commandment number six says, you shall not murder. We live in a society where gangs and shootings and violence are pretty random these days. Commandment seven says, we are not to commit adultery.
Today we have online dating sites, we have pornography, widespread. And so sexual immorality is just absolutely endemic, it seems. Commandment number eight talks about, you shall not steal.
People today say, well, it's okay, I'm only stealing from the government, or I'm only stealing from shops, or I'm just stealing from my school or my boss. But, friends, stealing is stealing. It's still theft, and we wouldn't want people to be stealing from us.
Commandment nine, God reminds us we are not to bear false witness against our neighbour. You know, today, lying is so common that it's almost hard to confront because it's so common. Commandment number ten warns us about the sin of envy, the sin of coveting.
And today we almost find it impossible not to keep up with the Joneses in the street, to copy our neighbours and to pretty much covet what they've got and then make sure we get what they've got and even go one better. So, friends, we've summarised the ten Commandments and looked at the principles behind them. But these commandments are not just ten suggestions or recommendations.
They're actually the binding principles of love that provide a framework for a happy and holy life. See proverbs 20 918. Well, a very important commandment question is this one in question four can you be saved by keeping the commandments? We're going to ephesians two and verse eight and nine.
It says, for by grace you have been saved through faith. And that is not of yourselves, it's the gift of God. So, friends, there's two gifts God gives us a that are outside of ourselves.
One is grace, the other one is faith. So because we're given grace and faith as a gift, we can then not claim any credit for them. And the text goes on to say that these are the gifts of God.
They're not of works. We can't generate them ourselves, and therefore none of us can boast. Lest anyone should boast.
We're asking the question, can be saved by keeping the commandments? No, we can never be saved by keeping the commandments. We are saved completely by God's grace, which we accept through faith. Keeping the commandments is purely a love response to God, not in order to be saved, but because we are saved.
When we accept the gift of salvation, the Holy Spirit changes our life. In two corinthians 517, it speaks about us becoming new creatures, new creations. So we have an intimate friendship with Jesus and we grow to love what is right and hate what is wrong.
And obeying God is simply the result of a loving relationship with Jesus. But, you know, when we think back throughout history, the way to salvation has never changed. This might surprise some, because even in Old Testament times, people were saved by grace, and so was Noah.
You can have a look that Noah was saved by grace in Genesis, chapter six and verse eight. No one has ever been saved by their works. Why do we say that? Because if you could be saved by your works, Jesus didn't need to die on the cross.
We could have saved ourselves. I want to remind you, the provision of a saviour from sin is what grace is all about. And one extra thought I'd like to add in.
We all need grace because we all have sinned. That leads us to question five. We're asking, what is the role of God's law? What is its purpose? Let's go to Romans seven and verse seven.
Paul writes to the church in Rome. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not. He says, on the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law, for I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, you shall not covet.
So, friends, the purpose of the law is not to save us. The purpose of the law is to point out sin. Sin is lawlessness.
One. John three, four. The Lord tells us what is right and wrong, and thus shows us when and how we've sinned against God.
This is why the devil absolutely hates God's law, and he spends a lot of time attacking it and plans to actually destroy it and annihilate it. Look around on planet earth and see if you see any evidence of that. You know, without the law, we would never look to Jesus as our saviour from sin.
In fact, without the law, there would be no sin. And without sin, there would be no need for a saviour. To illustrate, the law is a bit like a mirror.
If a boy who's played in the mud looks into the mirror, he'll see dirt on his face. The mirror cannot clean his face. Only water and soap can do that.
But the mirror can show him very clearly that he needs to be clean. When we look into the law of God, we'll see our sin very clearly. The law cannot clean us from sin.
For that, we need to go to Jesus. And Jesus is the only one who can cleanse and forgive. Let me repeat a key line that we've just gone over.
Without God's Ten Commandment law, there'd be no knowledge of what sin is. And without sin in our lives, there'd be no need for a saviour. And that's where Jesus comes in to our rescue.
Question number six, did Jesus Christ support and actually keep the ten Commandments himself? Let's go to Matthew 1917. These words were said to a young man who came to Jesus and was apparently going to be a disciple. We don't even know his name.
His name apparently was the rich young ruler. Jesus said to him, if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments. So friends were asking, did Jesus support and keep the Ten Commandments? Well, he told the rich young ruler that he needed to keep the commandments.
In Matthew 517 19, Jesus said this to those who said, he's done away with his own law. Do not think that I came to destroy the law. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven.
But whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus is just saying that these who are speaking against the Ten Commandments are least worthy of going to heaven, and their righteousness better exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees in verse 20 who are not going to heaven. Friends, we now know here it says, but whoever does and teaches them, that is the Ten Commandments, they follow God's law and they teach them he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
You know, Jesus actually believed in the commandments. Matthew 517 19 he taught the ten Commandments. Matthew 1917 and he kept the ten Commandments.
John 1510 Jesus said, anyone who breaks the least commandment and then teaches others to do the same thing is regarded as the lowest of the low. Matthew 519 on the other hand, those who teach and keep the commandments are regarded by Jesus as spiritual giants in Matthew five and verse 19. So Jesus is very clear, he did not come to abolish the law.
He said, think not or don't even think that I came to destroy it, let alone say it under your breath, or even worse, preach it. In fact, any preacher who teaches that the law has been abolished or is no longer very important is going directly against the words of Jesus. We are looking at question number seven.
Do the new commandments replace the ten Commandments? This is a very important point. We go to Matthew 22, verses 37 to 40. And these are actually the words of Jesus.
Jesus said, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. You shall love your neighbour as yourself. And then Jesus said, on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
What does Jesus actually mean? That these two commandments. On them hang all the law and the prophets. Let's take a moment to just unpack this.
When Jesus referred to the two commandments of love, they were not new. No, they weren't. He was quoting directly from the Old Testament.
So in deuteronomy six, four and five, we find about love to God. In Leviticus 1918, we find about love to man, mankind or our neighbour. But these two commandments were new to the Pharisees.
Because the Pharisees were trying to keep the commandments from religious duty instead of love. As a result, the Pharisees looked good on the outside, but they were rotten on the inside. So Jesus knew how to get to the heart of the issue.
The heart of the ten Commandments is love. The first four commandments all revolve around our love for God. The last six commandments are based on love for other people.
That is why Jesus said, the law hangs on the two commandments of love. To illustrate, a door hangs on two hinges. If you don't have the hinges in place, the door will be of little use.
Now, hinges don't replace the door. They determine whether or not the door works perfectly. I'd like to just make a comment here and just say that I think that hinge might be better placed down here.
At the bottom of the two tables of stone. Hinging the fourth commandment to the other six commandments. Why do I say that? Because in the fourth commandment, which is.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. We see that there is love to God, which is worship. But also there you are not to work your son, daughter, man servant, female servant, nor cattle.
So there is also love to mankind. So what a wonderful way to hinge the commandments together. Love to God and love to man.
And that's found in the fourth commandment. You know, Jesus never taught the ten Commandments were replaced by love. And this will be a shock to many.
Jesus was simply saying that any attempt to keep the commandments without love. Is not truly keeping the commandments. In fact, if we love goddess and love other people.
We will naturally keep the ten Commandments. Let's take a moment to just pause. Let me give you some extra information.
So, in summarising, the new commandments, the two new commandments of love. The first commandment is, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. The second is thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
So, friends, apparently some religious organisations and churches say that those two actually replace those ten. But is that actually correct? Let's go to a text and find out if it's true. You might like to write down in your study guide or your notes if you're taking them, Romans 13 and verses eight to ten.
Let me say that one more time. Romans chapter 13. Let's have a look at verses eight to ten.
Paul wrote to the church in Rome, he who loves another has fulfilled the law for the commandments. You shall not commit adultery, which is commandment number seven. You shall not murder, which is commandment number six.
You shall not steal, which is commandment number eight. You shall not bear false witness, which is commandment number nine. And you shall not covetous, which is commandment number ten.
So Paul says, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law for the commandments. And he mentions all of those commandments. He mentioned six, seven, 8910.
He says, and if there be any other commandment are all summed up in this saying. What did he say? If there be any other commandment there, summarised in this saying, meaning the last six, namely you shall love your neighbour as yourself. He's saying, it's a summary.
Love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law. That's Romans 13 810.
So I just want you to know that love to man is the last six commandments and love to God is the first four commandments. But what is being suggested today is that commandment one and two, these two new commandments, actually do away with the ten Commandments. You need to be very clear on that.
So some people are suggesting that the two new commandments by Jesus, which weren't new at all, but were given by Jesus, that they are not a summary of the ten Commandments, but that they are actually a replacement. So these two come in love to God, love to man, doing away with the other ten friends. You need to think that through.
Let's go to question number eight. Does grace mean you no longer need to keep the commandments? In Romans 615 we read this Paul says, what then? Shall we sin because we're not under the law, but under grace? Certainly not. He says, no way.
So that's a very, very important point, because there's grace, are we just going to keep on sinning? If a policeman was to let us off, do we do a wheelie on his foot? Do we run over his foot and tear off down the highway at 100 miles an hour? That would be a strange way to celebrate being let off a ticket. In Romans three and verse 31, we read this. We're asking the question, does grace mean we're no longer needing to keep the Ten Commandments? Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not.
Paul says, on the contrary, we establish the law. Friends, that's a strange thing to say because Jesus has already died on the cross. When Paul writes this, and he says, God's ten commandment law must be supported, it must be believed, it must be lived out, it must be established.
Let's get some history. Back. In the days of the apostle Paul, some people were advocating that grace and faith alleviated the need to keep the law.
Paul opposed this teaching, and in the strongest possible way he said certainly nothing. He then added that if anything, faith establishes the law, and anyone who disregards the commandments and lives a life of sin is not under grace, but under disgrace. I'll say that again.
Anyone who disregards the commandments and lives a life of sin is not under grace, but under disgrace. God's grace not only forgives, but it also gives us power for obedience. You know, to be under the law means to be under the condemnation of the law.
Let's give an illustration. We are not affected by the speed limit law until we actually break it. That's true, isn't it? Then we become guilty of it.
Once we break it, we come under the law and need to pay the penalty. But if we receive grace from the policeman and he lets us off, we are no longer under the law. The last thing we'd want to do is go and speed again.
The law is still in place and we would get simply booked again, like we should have the first time. Friends, I want to just share with you an extra point. Do we always highlight and emphasise God's law enough.
In our everyday life, the reason we should keep it in mind is because Jesus actually had to die because we broke God's law. That's how important God's law is. It cost the death of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.
We're in question number nine. Asking the question is keeping most of the commandments acceptable to God. Some people say you can keep nine of the ten.
There's one they don't like. They don't keep it. Is that going to be okay? Well, let's go to the apostle James for the answer.
In James chapter two, verses eight to twelve, James wrote, for who ever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in what one point? It says he is guilty of how much he is guilty of all. So if we stumble in one point, we become guilty of all. Let's have a look at verse eleven and twelve.
James 211. Twelve. James wrote, for he who said, do not commit adultery also said, do not murder.
Now, if you do not commit adultery but you do murder, you have become a transgressor or a breaker of the law. So speak and so do, as those who shall be judged by the law of liberty. I'm going to explain the law of liberty in a moment.
You know, friends, when you think about it, the majority of our society is happy to keep most of the commandments. After all, they fit in with their moral values. Most people do not approve of stealing or murder or even adultery.
Honouring our father and mother also makes sense. There are some commandments, however, that God has asked us to keep purely out of love and loyalty to him. They are a test.
And we're going to discover that in session number eleven. Let me explain to you the law of liberty. What is the law of liberty? Well, friends, it's very, very simple.
We're studying the law of liberty, the Ten Commandments. And to actually break the Ten Commandments means to be guilty under the law of sin and death and be accused by Satan. And those accusations come up in the judgement that's on in heaven right now.
So to keep the Ten Commandments is freedom and liberty. It's freedom and liberty from sin, guilt and Satan. Just as if you keep the speed limit, you cannot be pulled over and fined.
Well, hopefully anyway. You know, the Bible says that all the Ten Commandments are important, and if we break just one of them, we're guilty of breaking them all. Let's illustrate this by saying if you're hanging over a cliff by a giant chain, all it takes is one link to break and the whole chain is broken, causing you to fall.
So if we choose to disregard even the least commandment, we're still choosing to sin against God. We're in question number ten. From what motivation should we keep the ten Commandments? Well, Jesus gave us a very, very simple answer in John 1415, and you'll notice that he ties obedience to loving him.
That's a very, very high moral value, isn't it? He said, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. So obedience is tied to love. There's something that most people don't think about.
Anyone who loves Jesus will naturally want to keep the commandments. This theme is not new. Right in the heart of the ten Commandments.
And on the screen it says in Exodus 26, to those who love me and keep my commandments. You know, Jesus knew that obedience from love is actually worship, and obedience that doesn't come from love is slavery. It's essential that all obedience comes from a love response to Jesus.
Question number eleven. Should we keep the spirit of the law or the letter of the law? What does this actually mean? What is the spirit of the law? What is the letter of the law? We'll get our answer in Matthew five. And these are the words of Jesus.
In Matthew 521 22, Jesus said, you've heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder. But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement. Now, friends, I want you to notice here that Jesus is saying that Moses gave these ten commandments in ancient times to God's Old Testament people, children of Israel.
But Jesus is saying, you've been told in the past that you shall not murder. But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement. Jesus is giving a greater emphasis to the law.
He's magnifying it, he's tightening it up because people say, well, I haven't killed anyone, but if you're angry enough with someone bitter enough, hurt enough, mull over this enough, it may lead you to take their life. Let's go to Matthew 527 28. I'm going to ask you, is Jesus slackening off the law or is he tightening it up? Jesus says, you've heard it said to those of old, the law of Moses, the Ten Commandments, you shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you, he's attaching the law to himself because he is the divine law giver. But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So how do we understand the spirit of the law and the letter of the law? Well, the spirit of the law is actually obedience from the heart.
The letter of the law only relates to external behaviour. Jesus gave a great example of the spirit of the law. He actually told his listeners that getting angry was breaking the 6th commandment.
He said, you shall not murder. Jesus knew that if you didn't get angry in your heart, you automatically wouldn't kill that person. Correct.
Similarly, if you didn't lust after a person in your heart, you wouldn't commit adultery. So far from dismissing the commandments, the spirit of the law ensures a much deeper and more meaningful obedience. And that is obedience from the heart, obedience motivated by love.
And that's the highest form of obedience. You know, our family often won't do things that we ask them, but we often hope they will because they love us. Question number twelve.
Is obedience legalism, or as it actually works, we're in one. John, chapter two, verses three and four. Now, by this, we do know that we know him.
John writes, if we keep his commandments, he who says, I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. What a powerful text. So people today say they know Jesus, they're Christians, they worship a church, but they're not keeping the Ten Commandments.
They believe they've been done away with and they do not regard them. And so scripture says, if you don't do that, you're a liar because you are not a true follower and the truth is not in you. So we're asking, is obedience legalism or works? Legalism or works is trying to keep God's commandments in order to be saved through your own efforts.
On the other hand, true obedience is a natural outcome of knowing and loving God. It's asking God to give us supernatural power for victory and relying on God's promises. This is one of my favourites.
Philippians 413. I know it off by heart, for I can do all things through Jesus Christ, who strengthens me. I'm hoping that you'll also write that down and memorise it.
It's a very powerful text that can give you power, hope and encouragement during the day. Claim it and see what happens. You know, Jesus said, there'll be many christians today who think they're going to heaven and.
But they don't make it. Why? Simply because they see obedience as irrelevant or they see it as legalism. Therefore they practise lawlessness.
And in Matthew 721 23, Jesus says, I know you not, depart from me, ye that work iniquity. In question 13, we're asking where any law stopped at the cross. People say today the ten Commandments were done away with the cross.
What actually was done away with at the cross? Which set of commandments? Ephesians 215, says Paul writes to the church in Ephesus that Jesus abolished in his flesh. He did away within his flesh the enmity. That is something that was hateful and against us.
That is the law of commandments contained in ordinances. So is this the ten Commandments, or is this a law of commandments contained in the ordinances, regulations or rituals? Well, I'm going to let you work it out. Let's share a little bit more.
You know, there were some laws that finished with Jesus at the cross. Very simply, these laws were the laws of sacrifice, the laws of ceremonies, and the laws of feast days. They're often referred to as the laws of Moses.
These ordinances were symbolic rituals or regulations that generally pointed towards Jesus and his death on Calvary. Well, a significant debate emerged on some of these issues in the early christian church. One of the arguments revolved around the need for circumcision, a ritual practised by the Jews.
So the apostle Paul made it very clear that there was a big difference between rituals and the Ten Commandments. Paul wrote in one corinthians 719 that circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. So the rituals and ceremonies were for the Jews, but actually the Ten Commandments were for everyone.
Let's pause for a moment and let me share with you some extra information. I'm going to ask you how many old testament traditional categories of laws were there? Let me perhaps give you some options. Multiple choice.
So was there two? Was there three? Was there four? Or was there five? So what do you think? Two, three, four or five? Let's see what the answer is. Let's see if you're right. Well, firstly, you already know the first category of law.
We're just talking about it. The moral law, of course, is the Ten Commandments, is the great moral law. And most of our laws around the world have been based on the Ten Commandments.
The moral law is timeless. It has universal principles that govern relationships. The second body of law we've just spoken about, which are the rituals and the ceremonies, these were ritual types and shadows of sacrifices that would be done until Jesus, the true lamb of God, would die at the cross.
These ritual and ceremonial laws, also called the laws of Moses, regulated ritual, sacrificial sacrifices and the system that was done at the Old Testament sanctuary. There's a third body of law, and that is the civil laws. These applied only under israelite theocracy, when God was the king of Israel.
Then, of course, there were old Testament health laws. These continue on because human bodies still function the same. So we're asking the question, what is the difference between the moral and the ceremonial laws? Well, we know that the law of morality, of course, is best summarised in the Ten Commandments.
But what about these ceremonial laws? What did they entail? The ceremonial laws, also called the laws of Moses, regulated the sacrifice of animals and all the ceremonial sabbaths and jewish feast days. So let's see the contrast so that you don't get them all mixed up. So we have the Ten Commandments, the moral law, the decalogue, deca, meaning ten log, meaning laws.
The decalogue is the ten laws. We also have on the right, the law of Moses, the ceremonial law. And for those of you listening to this on the radio, you need to know that we are going to contrast the Ten Commandments, the moral law, with the law of Moses, the ceremonial law, with a visual chart.
The Ten Commandments came in before sin and it defined sin, whereas the law of Moses came after sin and defines the remedies. Let's now contrast these two bodies of law, because today most christians don't know there's two bodies of law, and they certainly get them all mixed up well with the ten Commandments. We know they were spoken by God in deuteronomy 412.
But the law of Moses was spoken by Moses in Leviticus one one three. Even though the laws were given by God to Moses, the Ten Commandments were written by God with his own finger. Exodus 30 118.
While the law of Moses were written by Moses, and you can find that in deuteronomy 31 nine, the ten Commandments were, of course, written on stone. Exodus 30 118. And the law of Moses was written in a law book and kept outside the ark.
See deuteronomy 31 24. Notice one is written on parchment paper, the law of Moses, and one was written on stone. Do you have any idea which one would be done away with and which one was meant and typified to last forever? The Ten Commandments, of course, was kept inside the ark.
Deuteronomy ten one five, where the law of Moses was kept in an outside pocket of the ark. Deuteronomy 31 26. The ten Commandments was a complete law.
Deuteronomy 522. The law of Moses was added to, and it was built up over time. Leviticus one, one three and chapter four, one three.
The Ten Commandment, the moral law was meant to be eternal. Psalm 111, verses seven and eight, says, it is to be kept forever and ever, whereas the law of Moses was a ceremonial law. And it was only temporary until Jesus would come.
See Hebrews chapter seven, verse twelve. The Ten Commandment law was holy, just and good. This is point number seven.
See romans 712. And of course, the law of Moses. Point number seven is it's contrary and was not good.
It was often against us, very hard to keep. Colossians 214. The Ten Commandment law would point out sin one.
John three, four, Romans seven, seven. And the law of Moses. Point number eight pointed out the saviour.
So the Ten Commandments pointed out sin. The law of Moses. The ceremonial laws pointed to a saviour because we couldn't save ourselves.
Leviticus 427 31 and John 129. Point number nine in our comparison chart between the Ten Commandments and the law of Moses. The Ten Commandments we must not break it.
Jesus said that in Matthew 519. We read that already. But the law of Moses we wouldn't be able to keep.
Acts 524. It was very difficult to do all those ceremonies and sacrifices. The law of the ten Commandments.
The moral law is very spiritual. Romans 714. But the law of Moses was carnal in fleshly Hebrews 716.
The Ten Commandment law. Point number eleven was perfect. Psalm 19 seven.
But the law of Moses made nothing perfect. See Hebrews 719. The law of liberty, point number twelve in James 211.
And twelve is the law of freedom. The Ten Commandments is the law of freedom from sin and death if you stay within it, kept by the power of Christ. Christ in us, the hope of glory.
Colossians 127. Whereas the law of Moses was a yoke of bondage. Galatians five one.
Incredibly hard to keep. And of course you'd need a big supply of animals, wouldn't you, to not run out of sacrifices. Then of course there was the ten Commandments were called a delight by David in psalms 100, 1977 and 17.
But the law of Moses certainly was a burden. See acts chapter 15, verse ten. Point number 14 in our chart.
The Ten Commandments, the moral law Christ magnified. And we just went through that, didn't we? In Isaiah 42 21, he magnified the law, he made it more full of meaning. And then in Ephesians 215, it says, Christ abolished the law of commandments contained in ordinances or I rituals.
This is the one, the law of Moses. The ceremonial law that was nailed to the cross. Point number 15.
Well, the ten Commandments would last till heaven and earth would pass away. Matthew 518. The words of Jesus.
But the law of Moses would only last until the seed of the woman, Eve, should come, or the seed of Abraham should come. Galatians 319. And then it would fail and it would pass away.
Point number 16 in our comparison chart, ten commandments versus the law of Moses. Moral law versus ceremonial law. The ten Commandments are a standard in judgement.
We just read that in James 212. And the law of Moses was not used for judgement. Colossians 216 17.
Finally, the point number 17, the whole law must be kept. James 210 to twelve, we just read that. And in point number 17, on the law of Moses, Galatians five one, three.
The whole law was not and could not be kept. So, friends, there are two laws, two major divisions of divine law. There were four, but the two main ones are the ten Commandments, called the moral precept.
The moral precept, the ten Commandments was called the royal law, the law of liberty, James two, eight and twelve. And then there was the law of Moses, the laws of ceremonies and rituals, called the law of commandments contained in ordinances. See Ephesians 215 and Hebrews 910.
Here is another chart explaining God's two laws. So on the left we have an arrow coming up to a cross in the middle, in a river. And then we notice in this arrow coming up to the cross, it says an offering to come.
These are the mosaic ordinances in Leviticus 23. So Moses law or Old Testament ordinances or rituals were looking forward to the death of the lamb of God when they would all see. So you can see there a lamb would be sacrificed.
You can see the nose of a bullock. You can see a dove. Jesus parents were so poor, they couldn't bring a lamb or an ox.
They brought a dove to sacrifice in the temple at the birth of Jesus or his dedication. And there you have a grain offering, and you also have a drink offering with the grapes that were brought. Now we're looking at the mosaic ordinances on the other side of the river.
You can see there in the middle of the river, across, and the law of Moses is nailed to the cross. It finishes at the cross of Christ. What happens after Jesus dies on the cross? You there have the christian ordinances, New Testament or christian ordinances or rituals.
These look back to the death of the lamb of God, and they are the communion service. They are baptism, and they are the ordinance or ritual of christian marriage. So we have mosaic ordinances that finish at the cross, the law of commandments contained in ordinances.
After the cross, we have the New Testament, christian ordinances, baptism. We have communion service and marriage. But spanning the river of time, we have, as you can see at the top of the diagram, the eternal ten Commandments.
They are not affected in any way by the cross of Jesus Christ. All right, so one final look at the two laws. We have the decalogue, the ten Commandments, which are eternal.
We have the law of ceremonies, the rituals that, of course, were nailed to the cross and they were going to be temporary. So what are actually the laws of ceremonial offerings for sin, if you're interested. Number one, there was the Laura burned offering.
Leviticus, 1616. In number two, there's the law of grain offering. Leviticus, chapters two and six.
Number three, there's the law of peace offering, chapters Leviticus, chapter three and seven. Number four, there's the law of sin offering. Leviticus, chapters four, six, eight and 16.
And number five, the law of trespass offering, which is Leviticus, five to seven. My question on the screen says, how do we know for sure that the law of Moses or the ceremonial law actually ended at the cross? Well, that's a very good question. We think about the death of Jesus, and we look at mark 15 and verse 38, which says then the veil of the temple.
This is when Jesus dies on the cross. As he dies on the cross, the veil in the Old Testament or in the New Testament sanctuary there in Jerusalem, the temple was torn in two. From where? That's right, from the top to the bottom, ripped by possibly angelic hands.
A curtain that's up to four inches thick. And in that moment, it shows us that the sanctuary services are finished. Why? Why did the sacrifice escape after Jesus died on the cross? Why did the lamb get away? As the priest is about to sacrifice the lamb, the curtain is torn, because the true lamb of God had completed the real sacrifice.
Friends, what does this mean? It means that the sacrificial system had ended when the Shekinah glory, the presence of God, left the temple. And that happened in AD 31, straight after Jesus died, because the true lamb of God had died for the sins of the world. Remember John 129? John the Baptist said at Jesus baptism, behold the lamb of God, which will or who will take away the sins of the world? And so he has, if you are willing to place your sins upon him.
If we don't put our sins on Jesus, that's okay, but we will bear our sins into the lake of fire. We need a sin bearer, and that's why we need a saviour. We can deny we're sinners all we like, but deep down in our hearts, we know that we're imperfect.
And something is very, very wrong with us. We're in question 14, halfway down page 13. We're asking, is there a role for God's law in the new covenant? We're in Hebrews chapter eight and verse ten.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord, I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God and they shall be my people. Friends, I want you to remember those words because I think that question is in the quiz. Where's God going to write his laws? After the cross, he put his laws in our minds and write his laws on our hearts.
So we're acting them out of impulse, nothing off the cold stone of the ten Commandments, acting out of love and acting out of impulse, not out of duty. You know, God's law still has a vital role in the new covenant. The old covenant failed because it was based on the weak promises of the Jews who tried to keep God's law in their own strength.
See Hebrews eight six eight. Now in the Old Testament, the Jews said when they got the Ten Commandment law and Sinai all that the Lord have said we will do, it wasn't a chance in the world they were going to be able to keep the Ten Commandments in their own strength. But they said all that the Lord has said we will do, and they made those faulty promises.
Well, the new covenant is based on the power of God's promise to take his law and place it in our heart and mind. When God does this, we obey him through his power and from a loving heart. The Ten Commandments then become ten powerful promises.
So the words you shall not no longer become a restriction, but an ability to live a victorious life. This new covenant experience was available in Old Testament times just as it is today. See Ezekiel 36, 26 and 27.
Now, the study guide doesn't go much into the old covenant versus the new covenant, so I just want to take a moment to explain it. So on the screen we have a chart which is contrasting the old covenant with the new covenant. The old covenant and the new covenant both have as their basis the Ten Commandments.
And this is where the misunderstanding comes because people say if the old covenant was done away with, it must be the Ten Commandments. So let's have a look at this. The Old Covenant had a human high priest in the Old Testament sanctuary.
But the new covenant has Jesus as our high priest. See Hebrews chapter seven, 8910. The old covenant had a human made tabernacle or sanctuary in the Old Testament.
Remember the old Testament times in the desert. The new covenant has a perfect tabernacle or sanctuary that's up in heaven. The old covenant was created.
The new covenant was not created. The old covenant said that the high priest would enter the most holy place by the blood of goats and calves. But in the new covenant, Jesus Christ would enter the most holy place bye his own blood.
The old covenant spoke about temporary redemption that would be once a year on the day of atonement. The new covenant offers eternal redemption where Jesus died once for all time. The old covenant was cleansing that made people outwardly clean.
Jesus death on the cross. And the new covenant was cleansing that could make people inwardly clean. The old covenant was focusing on acts that led to death.
The new covenant was focusing on the life of Jesus Christ. The old covenant required the blood of animals for the forgiveness of sins. The new covenant required the blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins.
The precious blood of Jesus. The old covenant was a blood sacrifice for Israelites only. The blood sacrifice was for everyone.
In the new covenant, Jesus blood is offered for all whosoever will may come. And then the old covenant. In old Testament times they were awaiting the advent of the messiah, the Christ.
But the new covenant people today are awaiting Christ's second coming. So the problem is that people say the old covenant must be the ten Commandments because it was based on the ten Commandments. Therefore they say the new Covenant must be the two new commandments loving God and the second one loving man.
So friends, that's how they do away with the ten Old Testament commandments and say that they're superseded by the two commandments of love. I'm going to offer you now a book called why the Old Covenant failed. And we'll have this listed under the title and description on the online video platform so you can download the book and read.
It would only take 20 minutes. The book why the old Covenant failed by Joe Cruz is just a tiny little book but it raises some very good points. It says that in Hebrews eight six, the old Covenant failed because of poor promises.
So if it's supposed to be the old ten Commandments that failed, were they based on poor promises? Well, how many of the ten Commandments were promises? Well, number five. Number five is the only promise. Honour your father and mother that your days may be long upon the land that the Lord thy God giveth thee.
But that's not a poor promise. In Hebrews eight seven it says the old covenant failed because it was faulty. What part of the Ten commandments is faulty? There's ten gods, ten Commandments, which tell us how to love God.
And there's six commands that tell us how to get on better with humanity. The first four are our vertical relationship, and the last six are our horizontal relationship, and they hinged together in the Sabbath commandment. There was a third problem with the old covenant.
In Hebrews 813. It said it would vanish away. But we know that God's Ten Commandment law is a law for the universe and will not vanish away.
It would stand forever. Psalm 111, seven and eight. It would stand forever and ever.
So, friends, I believe a great mistake has been made to say the Ten Commandments is the old covenant and that the Ten Commandments have failed. That is absolutely incorrect. In fact, other great statesmen have known this as well.
The great evangelist Billy Graham back in the fifties said this. Some religious people I know tell me that the Ten Commandments are part of the law and do not apply to us today. They say that as christians we're free from the law, but actually, is that right? He goes on to say, no, the Ten Commandments are never out of date.
They express the unchanging will of God in our lives regardless of changes in society. That's the evangelist Billy Graham, a great churchman and evangelist who went around the world for decades preaching the gospel. Thousands of people went to seaman stadiums and were converted.
And that's quoted in the Dallas Times Herald, July 14, 1955. Billy Graham said, the Ten Commandments are never out of date. They express the unchanging will of God in our lives regardless of changes in society.
That's very relevant today. We're looking at question 15. Are God's commandments a burden for the Christian? Are they really hard news? First, John five three says no, for this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.
I think the King James, this is new King James. I think the King James version says, they're not greeters. They don't hurt us.
You know, the true Christian loves God. After all. Obedience brings happiness.
See proverbs 20 918. And the law reflects the character of God. The commandments are only a burden to those who are either unwilling to keep them or those who attempt to keep them.
Without the presence and power of Jesus, it is impossible to effectively live the christian life without a passion for Jesus and keeping his commandments. Question 16, do the commandments have a role in the judgement? Well, they certainly do. They're the basis of it.
So that's why we can't do away with them, we need to know on what basis we're being judged. Ecclesiastes, chapter twelve, verses 13 and 14. These are written by Solomon.
What did he say? He said, let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgement.
Into what? All of our works and deeds will be brought into judgement, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. End of quote. Friends, Solomon was perhaps the wisest man who ever lived.
So King Solomon summed up what life is all about in his book of ecclesiastes. His conclusion. It's pretty simple, wasn't it? To fear God just means to reverence him, to honour him, to obey him and keep his commandments.
There's nothing more important than this. So although we are not saved by the law, obedience is a reflection of our love for Jesus and our acceptance of his free gift. The last chapter of the Bible claims that it will be commandment keepers who are called blessed and who will be going to heaven.
Revelation 20 214. But it will be the law of God that's used as the benchmark in the judgement. For those who are listening on radio, I want to read revelation 20 214, which is on the screen.
It says, blessed are they that do his commandments. Whose commandments? God's commandments. So the ones who do God's commandments are blessed.
The text says, blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, which of course, I'm adding is in the kingdom of heaven, the text says, and they may enter in through the gates into the city. Which city? Well, revelation 21 22 is all about the new Jerusalem, the heavenly city. That's pretty powerful, isn't it? How can the commandments be done away with the ten Commandments if they're the standard of judgement and they are the standard of entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
Thanks us to question 17, our last question in our study guide. How will God's church of the last days regard the commandments? In revelation 1412, it says, here is the patience of the saints better translated? Here are the saints who are patiently enduring to the end. Here are those who keep the commandments of God, and they have the faith of Jesus.
They keep the commandments of God. They have the faith of Jesus. They have faith in Jesus.
What does this actually mean, friends? God's last day church will possess the beautiful harmony of obedience and faith in Jesus. Throughout the Bible, it's always been Jesus and the commandments that have been the foundation for the church. Those who are ready and waiting for Jesus to come will be those who love Jesus supremely and demonstrate their love through keeping all of his commandments.
So we want to invite you to become a part of the family of God. And you can do that by just saying in your heart, yes, Lord. I don't know much about your ten commandments and your laws, but yeah, I want to follow Jesus and I want to be there on the great day of the second coming, and I want to go to heaven, and that is all possible.
And if that's what you are thinking, then the Holy Spirit is working on your heart right now. We want to summarise our three points to remember, which summarise what we have studied in this amazing study on inside of the ark of the covenant. Number one, that the ten Commandments point out sin, and they also tell us we need a saviour.
Point number two, that Jesus believed in, he kept and also taught the ten Commandments. And number three, God's church of the last days will all be commandment keepers. We have some relational questions which tease out some of the themes in the lesson and make them practical so we can apply them to our everyday life.
Question one. What is the secret to obedience? And how can you obey the commandments like Jesus did? I'm going to go back to my favourite text in a different version in Philippians 413. I can do how much? You can do how much? The scripture says everything.
That's amazing. I can do everything through Christ who gives me strengthen. Question number two.
How can you ensure that your commandment keeping never becomes legalistic or legalism, meaning you're doing it just in order to get saved. You're ticking the box. You're doing the hours.
An answer? Well, my answer would be, and you may have your own answer, I'm sure that true obedience is only ever based on being in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. True obedience does not obey in order to get saved, because we cannot be saved by our works. If we could, then Jesus didn't need to die, did he? Question number three asks, is our conscience that little voice in our head good enough to tell us what is right and wrong? Good question.
Is the conscience good enough? I don't think so. That should be Jeremiah 17 nine on the screen. It should read Jeremiah 17 nine.
No. Our hearts are desperately wicked and not reliable. But God's word strengthens our hearts and minds and guides us away from sin.
And question four, what should you do if you get discouraged when you break God's law. I love Philippians, chapter four, six. This is Paul's letter to the church in Philippi in Greece.
He said, don't worry about anything. Hey, there's a good text for these last days. Instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Friends, are we prayer warriors or are we just worriers? I'll let you answer that. Think about that.
Another favourite text of mine. If you've got a decision and you don't know which way to go, how about proverbs, chapter three, verses five and six? Trust in the Lord with half your heart. No, Solomon didn't write that.
He wrote, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. Seek God's will in all you do and he will show you which path to take.
You know, we've been doing that ourselves. We've just been putting simple requests in a little plastic container, praying and asking God to show us and pulling pieces of paper out three times. And we found that God gave us amazing answers just because we believed and we tested him and we asked him.
We seek his will in everything we do. Friends, the everlasting gospel of grace is to so transform our life in Christ that we no longer live in disobedience to God's law, but live in a loving obedience. So what is our response to what we learned tonight? Do you desire by the grace of God to keep all of God's commandments and live a victorious christian life? I'm hoping that the Holy Spirit is saying in your heart.
Yes, I want to do that. Let's finish our study tonight with where we started. Number one, what was inside the Old Testament Ark of the covenant? Of course, you know, it was the eternal Ten Commandments.
Number two, what is the purpose of God's law? The purpose is to point out our sins and saviour. Number three, do Jesus Christ two new commandments which weren't really new at all, just new to the Pharisees. Did they replace the old Ten Commandments? The answer is no.
They only ever summarise the ten. Jesus was never hostile to the Ten Commandment law, was he? He teased it out, he magnified, he made it more forceful. Jesus actually went about a process of emphasising and explaining and making sure that we wouldn't be tripped up by just keeping the letter of the law.
He gave us the spirit of the law. Number four, does grace mean you no longer need to keep God's law? When the cop lets you off, you tear off down the road 100 miles an hour because you've got grace. No, grace is not a licence to sin.
Grace means God's riches at Christ's expense. It cost the king of heaven, the God of heaven, the death of his son, a very costly price. And number five, is true obedience ever legalism or works well? No, it's a love response to the love of God because he loved us first.
So there are our five discovery questions asked and answered in our secrets of prophecy. We go to our secrets of prophecy wall of biblical truth. In session number nine.
Our last session, we looked at rebuilding the Old Testament temple and we learned that the Old Testament temple is actually a model of Jesus Christ's life, death and ministry. In session number ten. This session we've been looking at finding the lost Ark of the covenant.
And we learned in this session that God's law is still the standard for our judgement and still very important and was not done away with at the cross, as were the laws of Moses and the ceremonial laws about sacrifice. When the true lamb of God died for the sin of the world and there was no more reason to sacrifice any more lambs or animals. Gracious heavenly Father, we thank you for helping us with this most important topic.
Father, we thank you that in these last days you have not hidden the rules that we need to understand for having a relationship with Jesus. We thank you that the ten commandments are holy, just and good, that these are the commandments which shall stand and last forever. And Father, they are our relationship with you and our relationship that relate to our fellow men.
The vertical and the horizontal that are brought together in an amazing crosse. So thank you for allowing us to understand more and love your law. Because in the law we see that we're sinners and that we need a saviour.
And so the law points us to Jesus. May everyone who hear these words be blessed and we ask that you continue to bless us as we open and study your word and pray for wisdom and understanding. We ask in Jesus powerful name, amen.
It's my pleasure to thank you for joining us in this session and I really do look forward to you joining us for session number eleven. Rest for the soul. I'll say thank you and goodbye for now.
Secrets of Prophecy with Pastor David Price has been brought to you by 3ABN Australia radio. For more resource in this series you can visit the YouTube page trueblue SDA all one word that's trueblue SDA.
