BACKGROUND
GOD
GOD
I. His Being
II. His nature
III. His character
IV. His will
V. His subsistence
VI. His Fatherhood
MAN
WOMAN
FALL OF MAN
MAN
a. Man in nature
b. Man’s destiny
c. Man ‘s structure
d. Man’s sin
e. Man in God’s image
WOMAN
The
full background to this teaching is available online at this link
DEFINITIONS (For serious students)
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Online links to scriptures (New International Version [NIV] unless otherwise stated) are shown in blue
UNDER THE OLD TESTAMENT (Covenant) |
The summary of God's law in the Old Testament is found in the 10 Commandments. While there were 100's of laws relating to many different aspects of the Israelites lives, the 10 Commandments sums up God's moral code.
The 10 Commandments were external laws, written firstly by God on stone tablets which He provided. Perfect in purity because they were all God.
When Moses came down from Mt Sinai with the tablets, and found the people had made a golden calf, he dropped them and the stones broke. In reality, Moses had no option but to drop the tablets as the purity of God would not co-exist with the sin of the idol made by the people.
Exodus 32:1-35
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Moses went back up the mountain, and this time God provided the tablets and Moses wrote on them. A combination of God and man that the people would be able to with!
Exodus 34:1-9
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In summary, the 10 Commandments said:
People's Relationship With God
1. No other God's before God.
2. You shall not worship idols.
3. You shall not blaspheme God's name.
4. You shall keep the Sabbath holy.
People's Moral Behaviour
5. Honour your father and mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not lie.
10. You shall not desire another's possessions.
Exodus 20:1-21
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These are the Laws of Outward Religion
1. God gave mankind laws.
2. APPLIED TO THE JEWISH NATION BEFORE CHRIST.
3. The people broke the laws because of their sinful nature.
Leviticus 4:1-2
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A never ending circle of sin requiring never ending sacrifices to make peace with God.
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NEW COVENANT (Testament) |
1. God gave Jesus to mankind as a final sacrifice.
1 John 4:10
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2. We accept this sacrificial gift made on our behalf through faith in Jesus.
Ephesians 2:8
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3. In this way we are put back into right relationship with God.
Ephesians 3:12
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Salvation is a free gift from God, which is to be reflected in the commitment of our lives to Him. There is no 'easy salvation'!
Hebrews 10:36
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This is reflected in
THE COMMANDMENTS OF JESUS |
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THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT |
29 “The most important one,†answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.†(Mark 12:30-31, also Matthew 22:37-9, Luke 10:27)
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THE GOLDEN RULE
A Guideline for Daily Decisions |
The so-called Golden Rule is found in a negative form in many other religions, eg. Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, and in various ethical teachings. eg. Greek and Roman.
Jesus however stated it in a positive form in Matthew 7:12.
12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
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We must look at everything in the mirror of our mind before we do it.
If we don't like what we see we are not to do it. |

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Old Covenant (Testament) |
1. Lived according to an EXTERNAL LAW.
Sinful nature meant people kept on sinning.
3. Individual sins forgiven through the sacrifice of blood - a continuing process.
People obeyed the law because they were TOLD to.
Under the OLD COVENANT, God lived outside people, therefore people's actions were God's primary concern.
Exodus 31:18
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New Covenant (Testament) |
1. We can now live (through faith in Jesus) by an INTERNAL law written on our hearts.
2. Our sinful nature means we still keep sinning (but there is an answer).
3. All our sin is forgiven through the once only sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.
Obey the law because we WANT to.
Under the NEW COVENANT, God lives inside people, therefore both our thoughts and actions are of concern to God.
Hebrews 10:16
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<i>NEXT WEEK:</i> GOD AND MAN continues
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As we look at the parables of Jesus and His 25 specific commandments to us.
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A NOTE FROM DAVID |
It is really worthwhile to have an understanding of the change between the 'ongoing sacrificial salvation of animals' in the Old Covenant and the 'final sacrificial salvation of Jesus' under the New Covenant.
Thank you so much Lord, that we live in the days of a 'better salvation'.
THE SILENT YEARS: Hasmoneans
The successors to the Maccabees are usually called the Hasmonean rulers after one of the Maccabee's ancestors. Prior to this period Jonathan Maccabeus appointed himself the High priest even though the was not from the priestly line of Zadok. This upset some of the orthodox Jews who broke away from nation and formed the monastic community of the Essenes in the Dead Sea area.
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So until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD!
His servant and yours

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A DAVID'S DOODLING
721. There is still no greater power working in the world today than that of the Cross of Jesus.
David Tait
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