2026_08_30_Dispensationalism

Yeah, just to prepare you a little bit, so we're going to be in the book of Deuteronomy. We'll be in 1 Corinthians chapter 7. So if you can start of those two locations, that'll give you a good head start.

Alright, so like I said a bit ago, we have been doing a series on dispensationalism. I'm doing my best to try to wrap things up here. Just a few more messages. But just to give a quick overview again to where we're at.

Dispensationalism, what is it? We talked about that in our first message. But it's just a framework for how we approach or understand the Bible. Looking at it from a big picture perspective. The Bible can be seen kind of like a big puzzle.

There are certain things that are pretty easy to understand and other things that can be challenging. Sometimes it seems like there are things that are different from one part of Scripture to another part. And that's actually one of the things that we're trying to get at.

Is why are there things that are different? Sometimes people take those different things and they try to unify them. Make them the same. And that can end up making things, mixing things up when they're meant to be separated instead of unified.

We've talked about who, you know, the difference is in the dispensations, these different eras of time. The different people groups that God has been working with.

The different messengers that God has sent to different peoples. And understanding all of those things helps us to understand the Bible better.

Really, it just provides the context, right? And context is king when it comes to studying the Bible. Our kind of key verse has been the memory verse for this month.

And that's 2 Timothy 2.15. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. The word of God is for, all of the word of God is for us.

But we need to make those distinctions into what are the things that are written to us. And I can't remember if I've given this illustration before, but I'll kind of start with this.

Imagine you have a grandfather who passes away and leaves letters or a will or both to his family.

You know, this is the plot line of a lot of movies and films and stories, right? And so sometimes in that will or in those letters is some kind of instruction on what the children or other relatives need to do.

And usually, as part of that, there's some kind of inheritance involved. Sometimes there's conditions, things that need to be done in order to get the inheritance. Other times, there's really nothing that needs to be done in order to get the inheritance.

But you might have among these letters or this last will and testament, things that are written to specific people in the family. And as you read, let's say the lawyer, let's say, who's reading the will or the letters, as he reads them, he's going to specify who is being written to.

And you can get a lot about your grandfather and about what's in his mind and what he's thinking and maybe a lot about the family history by listening to all of the letters, regardless of who they're written to.

But the one that is written specifically to you is the one that you need to pay special attention to and take special note of.

Because there are instructions and maybe promises and even an inheritance that is specifically yours that may not belong to someone else.

And so whenever we read the Bible, we need to read it in the same kind of fashion. We need to understand what is written specifically to us.

And there are generally in the Bible two major groups of people that we might belong to. One is what most of the Old Testament is written to or is about is the Jewish people, the children of Abraham.

And that actually, that storyline and that people group continues to be the focus all the way through, not just the Old Testament, but on into the Gospels. And even through the book of, partway in any way through the book of Acts.

And by the way, that storyline kind of continues on into the future. There is a future for that group of people, Israel. But then there is this mystery group.

We talked about the difference between prophecy in the Bible and the mystery. And how there is this group of people called the body of Christ that is a mystery.

Was not prophesied about. But God is doing something special with this group of people called the body of Christ that is made up of both Jew and Gentile.

And involved. It is not the same covenant that God made with Israel. There are different promises. And a different kind of inheritance.

And that law that was given to Israel was considered a middle wall of separation that divided Jew and Gentile. And in Christ, in the body of Christ, that middle wall of separation, the law of commandments, has been taken out of the way.

So one of the things I want to do this morning. I just wanted to go through a few examples of things that we might find in the Bible of instructions or promises or other things like that.

That are written in the Bible that are written in the Bible that might be taken the wrong way. Might be read as an instruction for us when it really is an instruction for others.

To make that distinction more clear. We can talk about generalities a lot. But I think it's helpful to talk about specifics.

And so I've got three examples that we're going to look at this morning. The first one is the topic of marriage.

The topic of marriage. I was at a pro-life event several years ago. And during that event, there was lots of things going on in the community trying to stand up for the right to life of little baby boys and girls in the womb.

And in the evening, we would get together for services. And there would be teaching and other things involved. But there was a Q&A happening. And so there was a question from the audience to this group of pro-life leaders.

Various ages. Some younger in their maybe late 20s. Others in their 50s and 60s. And the question came up. What do you do if you have a married couple and both of them are unbelievers but then one of them becomes a Christian?

What should you do? Should that new Christian stay married to the non-Christian? You know, in general, people have the idea.

It's from the Bible that in marriage you should be equally yoked. You should only marry a believer. But what happens when that's not the case anymore because someone turns to the Lord?

And there was a lot of discussion. There wasn't really any Bible verses that I can think of. And there was a variety of answers. But the general consensus was that, well, you should probably at least separate from that person and maybe even get a divorce.

And as I listen to this, in my mind, I'm shocked because the Bible speaks directly to this question. There are some questions where the Bible speaks indirectly to it.

It provides wisdom maybe to help you make a decision. But it doesn't speak directly to it. In this specific question, the Bible speaks directly to that question.

However, the Bible has two separate and completely different answers to that question. Open up to Deuteronomy 7.

Deuteronomy 7. This is part of the law of Moses and God giving instruction to Israel.

And part of the promises to Israel was that they were going to be given a land called the land of Canaan that would be theirs. A land in which they could build a kingdom.

And they were told to go into the land and to really defeat the people there and take it for their own. But there was a warning.

This is in Deuteronomy 7, starting in verse 3. When they go in among all these people. These are, by the way, viciously vile, wicked people who did all kinds of violent things to the innocent.

But he says this, and we're pagan idol worshipers, of course, on top of all of it. But Deuteronomy 7, starting in verse 3.

Talking about when they go into the land. Nor shall you make marriages with them. It's talking about the people of the land of Canaan. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son.

For they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods. So the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly. So here's the commandment for the people of God.

Israel, do not intermarry with other people. With people of other faiths. You are the people of God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Only marry people within the faith family. Other people that are part of the nation of Israel. Or, there have been, as we read through the storyline of the Bible, there have been people who have joined themselves to the nation of Israel.

And when they do that, have become also those who could be married to. We have examples of Rahab, the prostitute, who joined the nation of Israel.

Even though she was a Gentile, she was part of the pagan nations. And then also Ruth, who ended up marrying Boaz. Both of these ladies, by the way, became part of the lineage of Jesus himself.

But if we fast forward to a time after Israel had been taken into captivity. They had been taken away from their land because of their wickedness off to Babylon.

And they are allowed to return. To return to rebuild their city. To rebuild their religious, their temple.

And as the people go back, this is in the book of Ezra. And you can go ahead and turn there if you'd like. Ezra chapter 10, verse 3. Ezra chapter 10.

The people are exposed again to the law of Moses. And what they're supposed to do. And how they're supposed to live. They're going back to their homeland.

And they come under guilt. And shame. And here's why. It's because while they were living among these foreign peoples in Babylon.

They had intermarried with these pagan women. The men had. And so they had brought with them these foreign wives.

And the children that they had had with them. But they were ashamed because the law said that they were not supposed to do that. And so, as you read through the story.

And you can read the whole story in Ezra chapter 10. But what happened was. In verse 3. I'm just going to read verse 3. It says, Let us make a covenant with our God.

To put away all these wives. And those who have been born to them. And then you skip down a little to the end of the verse. According to the law.

The law had said that they were not allowed to do this. They were not allowed to marry these foreign pagan women. But they had done so anyway. And so here is the solution.

You have started a family with these pagan women. You have born children. Or they have born children unto you. And so here is the decision that they're going to make.

According to what is prescribed in the law. We're going to put them away. We're going to divorce them. We're going to separate from them. Both the wives and the children.

And that's shocking I think to many. To do that. To break up a family in that way. But this was God's commandment.

And it was very important to God. That he keep this special people for himself. That would not be diluted by the foreign people of the pagan lands.

Under Israel's program. This was obedience to God. If you find yourself. You have brought in a foreign wife.

And married a foreign woman. Being obedient is to turn from that. And to put her away. To divorce her. But who is this instruction written to?

It's written to Israel. Israel. And there were important reasons. Why God gave these instructions. To Israel. But now.

We are not a part of Israel. We are part of a different group. Called the body of Christ. Turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 7. You know.

Paul did a lot of teaching. As we read through the epistles of Paul. These are brand new churches. Many times that Paul is writing to. And he's writing letters. Instructions to them. On how to live the Christian life.

And in many circumstances. He will point them back. To the Old Testament scriptures. Regarding matters of morality. How to live an upright life. But then there are still.

Some questions that come up. And here. In 1 Corinthians chapter 7. It's all about marriage. And Paul is. Is responding to questions.

That he has received. On this topic. Of marriage. Remember that Paul. Is the apostle to. The Gentiles. And.

Starting in verse 10. He starts to. Address the concept. Of divorce. He says this. In verse 10. Now to the married. If you're married.

I command. Yet. Not I. But the Lord. Now that's interesting. Why would he say that? This has confused. Many many people.

Over the years. We'll continue on. And we'll get back to that. Question in a little bit. But he says this. A wife. Is not to depart. From her husband. But even if she does. Depart.

Let her remain unmarried. Or be reconciled. To her husband. And a husband. Is not. To divorce. His wife. So he's giving. A general. Principle here.

That when it comes. To marriage. Marriage. Is supposed to be. For life. Right? You can't just. Willy nilly. Decide. I'm done. This. I've.

This is getting old. Or she's annoying me. Or he's annoying me. Marriage. Is intended. To be permanent. Now elsewhere. There are. Even under the law. By the way.

Given reasons. Why. Divorce might be. Necessary. But as a general rule. Here is. What the Bible teaches. In. The Old Testament.

By the way. Even. That. In marriage. You should not. Put away your wife. And. A husband.

Should not. Divorce his wife. And vice versa. But then. It continues on. And he avoid. He. He addresses. An even more. Specific question. Verse 12.

But to the rest. I. Not the Lord. Say. If any. If any brother. Has a wife. Who does not believe. And she is willing. To live with him.

Let him not. Divorce her. Notice. That this is the exact. Opposite answer. That Ezra gave.

And the people. In. That were. Returning from exile. It's the opposite. Ezra. In Ezra chapter 10. The answer was. Let them separate.

Let them divorce. According to the law. Here. Paul says. If you are in a marriage. With one believer. And another unbeliever. If the unbeliever.

Is willing. To stay together. In that marriage. Then you. As the Christian. Should also. Be willing. To continue. Those. Are opposite answers.

To the same question. And. A clue. To why. There would be. Separate answers. Is in. Is. Is in these kind of. Little asides. That Paul makes.

Remember in verse 10. Now to the married. I command. Yet not I. But the Lord. What is he talking about? Is. Paul saying. Well. Here's something.

That the Lord says. And then later on. In verse. What is it? Verse 12. I. Not the Lord. So that with this. Additional instruction. He's saying. Well I'm giving this instruction.

But it's not the Lord. Is he saying. Well the Lord teaches something else. But hey. I'm going to kind of overrule him. Or maybe. The Lord doesn't speak about this. But here's my just particular opinion.

No. I think what he is getting at. Is. The Lord. Remember. That Jesus came to who? He. Came to the lost sheep.

Of the house. Of Israel. That's what Jesus says himself. I was not sent. Except to the lost sheep. Of the house of Israel. So even during his earthly ministry. He was teaching Israel.

According. To the law. He was speaking to Jews. Only. Outside of a couple. Of exceptions. And so. When he talks about.

Well this is what the Lord teaches. He's talking about. What the Lord. Taught. Or would have taught. Under the law. Of Moses. And when he says. Now.

This is what I say. Yet not the Lord. He's saying. Hey. As the. As. As the person. Who has been given. The dispensation. Of the grace of God. To the body of Christ.

I'm the messenger. To that group. This is. What I say. And by the way. Is it not from the Lord? No. It very much is. Everything that Paul writes.

Is from the Lord. In fact. The Lord spoke to him. Over and over. And over again. Giving him. Much revelation. But here. Paul is making. A. What we might call today.

A. Dispensational. Distinction. When it comes. To marriage. And. And divorce. Between. A believer. And an unbeliever. And that's quite a difference.

They're opposites. In fact. Paul would later say. In. Verse 39. Of this passage. He's. In this case. Talking about.

A widow. And saying. Hey. If a widow. Her husband has died. Then she's free. To marry. But. If she marries. She should marry. In.

The Lord. And so today. If they're a believer. Finds themselves. Married. To an unbeliever. Whether it's. They became a believer. After marriage. Or maybe. By the way.

Sometimes this happens. You make a poor decision. And even as a believer. Decide to marry an unbeliever. Because he's so handsome. And wonderful. Or she's so beautiful. And pretty.

And. Looks nice. Whatever the case may be. You make that poor decision. As long as that unbeliever. Is willing to stay. You should remain. Married to them. This.

Is the rule. For the church. The body of Christ. Today. We're not. Today. Trying to. Preserve. Our ethnic. Or national.

Identity. As was the important case. For Israel. But today. Our identity. Is found. In Christ alone. The next one.

I want to look at. Is regarding. Promises. That we might find. In the Bible. The Bible. Is full of promises. And. One of the things. That we can do. Is.

Identify the promises. In the Bible. And claim them. For ourselves. Years ago. I actually met my wife. In a Bible college. And this. Bible college.

Had more of a. Prosperity. Gospel. Type. Of bent. And. As young. Bible students. Many of us. Really struggled. Financially.

Trying to get a good job. Trying to pay our rent. Trying to just. You know. Where is our next meal. Coming from. Sometimes. And.

In that. In that. Bible college. We were actually taught. That we should. Use faith confessions. That we should. Confess. Certain.

Blessings. From the Bible. As a way to. To find. Prosperity. In our lives. And we were appointed. Many times.

Very often. To Deuteronomy. Chapter 28. Would you turn there? Deuteronomy. Chapter 28. Chapter 28. Chapter 28. And.

From. From this passage. We would. Quote. Or. Claim things. Like. I am blessed. When I go in. And I'm blessed. When I go out. I shall lend.

And I shall not borrow. The Lord commands. Blessing over my bank account. Those. These are the kind of faith confessions. That we were taught to. Give. I am the head. And I am not the tail.

I will be above. And I will not be beneath. And so. Part of our. You know. Prayer life. Was. Making these faith confessions. Regarding our personal prosperity.

Do you know what? You can find these things. In the Bible. Right? Deuteronomy. Chapter. 28. It starts off this way.

If you diligently obey. The voice of the Lord. Your God. Here. Actually. Let me. Pull it from my actual Bible. And I've got my. Glasses on. Thankfully. Now. It shall come to pass.

If you diligently obey. The voice of the Lord. Your God. To observe. Carefully. All his commandments. Which I command you today. That the Lord. Your God. Will set you high. Above all nations.

Of. The earth. And it goes on. And on. Talking about. All of the blessings. That God. Will give to you. Or give to them. Verse two.

And all these blessings. Shall come upon you. And even overtake you. Because you obey. The voice of the Lord. Your God. That term. Overtake. It's kind of like. Somebody running after you.

You know. You're trying to get away. From somebody. But they just overtake you. That's how blessings. Will come. Into your lives. If you obey. The commandments. Of God. And it talks about.

Your storehouses. Being full. You having great crops. Actually. Health. Healthy bodies. Baskets. And kneading bowls.

Rain. In season. You will lend. And you will not borrow. You'll be the head. And not the tail. When it comes to. Other nations. Other nations. But I want you to notice something. There is a condition.

Involved here. Too. Right. And if you go all the way down. And the condition. Starts from the very beginning. Right. Now it shall come to pass. If. But also.

At the end of this blessing passage. In verse 13. Verse 13. Says. If you heed the commandments. Of the Lord your God. Which I command you today. And are careful to observe them.

These are blessings. That are conditional. They come with a condition. And then also. We should note. That right after the blessings. Come what? The cursings.

The cursings. If you don't. Do. Or observe. These things. That I have given you. The cursings will come. And it's interesting to note. That if you.

Kind of. Do a word count. On all the blessings. And a word count. On all the. Excuse me. A word count. On the blessings. And a word count. On the cursings. That the cursings. Outnumber. Four to one.

The blessings. And. The cursings. Are basically the opposite. Right. No prosperity. Instead. Misery.

Poverty. Pain. Sickness. Disease. All of those kinds of things. You're not going to be the head. You're going to be the tail. You're not going to be above. You will be beneath.

The other nations. And what do we actually see happening with Israel. Over. Over their. Years. What's the kind of majority position that they're in. Are they usually in the position of blessing.

No. Usually they're in the position. Of cursing. Because. They have failed. The condition. They have failed to observe all the things. That God gave them.

In the law. But here's what Paul says. Paul the apostle to the Gentiles. Who's been given this message to a new group of people.

The body of Christ. Galatians chapter 3. And verse 13. Galatians chapter 3. And verse 13. Here's what he says.

That Jesus did. Through the cross. Christ has redeemed us. From the curse of the law. Having become. A curse.

For us. One of the things that Jesus accomplished. On the cross. Was that he. Became. A curse. Continues on. Saying that even in the law.

It says. That cursed is the one. Who hangs on a tree. Which is kind of an odd. Law. Why would somebody. Who hangs on a tree. Be cursed.

But it was something. That pointed. To a future reality. In which Jesus. Would become. A curse. For. Us. Through his atoning death.

On behalf of the sins of. Not only Israel. The sins of all the world. God. And so. Again.

With. With Israel. You have all these. Promised blessings. But just like with. Many agreements. Sometimes there's more than one clause. And the agreement. Isn't just.

You get to pick and choose. You're part of the agreement. That you want. When you sign on the dotted line. You're agreeing to all the clauses. And that is. Israel's. Program. They. Needed.

They were on the hook. For both the first clause. Of the blessings. And the second clause. Of the cursings. But Jesus did something. And.

This was. Done. For. For Israel. And their future. And also for this group. Called the body of Christ. Which includes. Jew. And Gentile.

For Israel. As you read about the blessings of Israel. Not only in Deuteronomy 28. But in elsewhere. Many. If not. The vast majority. Of their promises. Had to do with material things.

A land. That they were to gain. A kingdom. Prosperity. In the earth. And. Along with it.

A condition. But when it comes to the body of Christ. We see something. Different. God has done something different. A more. Of a spiritual.

Type of blessing. Turn to Ephesians. Chapter 1. Ephesians. Chapter 1. Ephesians.

Comes right after Galatians. By the way. Galatians. And then Ephesians. Galatians. Galatians. Excuse me. Ephesians. Chapter 1. Starting in verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Who has blessed us. With every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. In. Christ. Notice this. There's a lot in here. Notice that he has blessed us.

The body of Christ. It's not that he will bless us if. That we stand blessed right now.

Israel's was. It shall come to pass if. For our blessings. It's something that we have right now. Because.

As it says in the end. Where do the blessings come from? Because we are in Christ Jesus. Because we are in Christ. Not a part of Israel's economy.

Not a part of the law of Moses. Or the covenant of Moses. Or the covenant. A circumcision that God made with Abraham. And his children. But we are in Christ.

Notice that. The blessings are spiritual. They are not material. He has blessed us with. Every spiritual blessing. And they come from. Heavenly places.

Right? Where did Israel's blessing come from? It was a material land. Flowing with milk. And honey. That's where their blessings came from. For us in the body of Christ.

We can inventory. A whole list of blessings. That we have. If you read through. Continue to read through this first chapter. To the Ephesians.

You'll see things about. What we have. The blessings that we have. As part of the body of Christ. He says that we are chosen. That we are adopted. That we are accepted. That we are redeemed.

That we are forgiven. That we are sealed. By the Holy Spirit. To the Corinthians. In his letter to the Corinthians. He says that you are the righteousness of God. In Christ Jesus.

And there's no condition. Well there's one. Right? That you be in Christ Jesus. By trusting. In what Jesus accomplished for you. On the cross. Nothing to do.

Just something. To believe. To hold on to. With faith. In your heart. And so you know what? I actually think faith confessions. Are a good thing.

We ought to confess. With our mouth. The things that God has promised to us. But we should not. Confess. Things that God has promised. To someone else.

In fact. In Romans chapter 10. Paul explicitly says. When it comes to salvation. The importance of confessing. God's truth. His promise. With our mouth.

Romans 10 verse 9. Says this. Concerning salvation. That if you confess. With your mouth. The Lord Jesus. And all that he's done for you.

I think is. Is assumed there. And believe. In your heart. That God has raised him. From the dead. You will be saved. For with the heart. One believes. Under righteousness. And with the mouth.

Confession. Is made. Unto salvation. We ought to confess. With our mouth. Everything. That God. Has done. For us. But never.

Confess with our mouth. The things. That God has done. For someone else. Or that he has not. Promised. To us. And so we can. Confess.

All day long. And we should. In him. This is Ephesians 1.7. In him. I have redemption. Through his blood. 2 Corinthians 5.17. I am a new creation. In Christ Jesus. Old things have passed away.

And behold. All things have become new. That applies. To me. That's a promise. To me. That's 2 Corinthians 5.21. I am the righteousness of God. In Christ Jesus. And then.

In Romans. There's just all kinds. Romans chapter 8. All kinds of promises. Things that we can claim. And confess. There is therefore now. No condemnation. To those who are in Christ Jesus. That includes me.

All things work together. For good. To those who love God. And are called according to his purpose. If God is for me. Who can be against me? I am more than a conqueror.

Through him. Who loved me. Nothing can separate me. From the love of God. Which is in Christ Jesus. These are the promises. That we can claim.

Any time. Of day. And we can also claim this one. This is. A promise. That was given to. Paul. But you know. Paul is our example.

He told us to. Follow him. As he follows Christ. Imitate him. As he imitates Christ. And also. That he is our example. He had a thorn in the flesh. He said.

God actually gave it to him. And he prayed. And prayed. And prayed. And asked that that. That thorn in the flesh. That thing that irritated him.

That caused him suffering. Would be taken away. And here's the promise. That God gave. This is what he told Paul. 2 Corinthians 12. 9. My grace.

Is sufficient for you. For my strength. Is made perfect. In weakness. That's another promise. That we can receive. That we can confess. From the Lord.

That God's grace. Is sufficient for us. And that his strength. In us. Is made perfect. Even. In our infirmities. And our weaknesses. Israel got a guaranteed.

Material blessing. If. They. Obeyed. And we. Have a guaranteed. Tight. Loving.

Wonderful. Unified. Relationship. With God. Based on our faith. Alone. The last example. I want to give. Is.

Has something to do. With what we do. In church. Every week. One of the things. That we do. At the beginning. Of our service. Is we sing. To the Lord. Or sometimes. About the Lord. But we sing. Christians have been singing.

For centuries. And millennia. And we should. The Bible actually tells us. That we ought to sing. In Ephesians.

Chapter 5. Verse 19. Paul himself. Says this. In his instruction. To believers. Speaking to one another. In psalms. And hymns.

And spiritual songs. Singing. And making melody. In your heart. To the Lord. He says. Sing. Sing. Sing to one another. Encourage. One another.

Make melody. In your heart. To the Lord. Through song. And music. Is one of those. Amazing gifts. It's. Music.

Is somewhat of a. Universal. Language. Among people. You can use it to. Express. So many of our emotions. Joy. Sometimes. Sorrow.

Right. Listening to. If you're. If you're. Into country music. But all kinds of things. We can express. Through. Song.

We can express them to God. We can express them. To one another. In fact. There's even a whole book. In the Bible. That's just. A book. Of songs. And it's one that.

Paul mentions here. Psalms. Psalms. You know. There's a song. That. I really loved. When I was younger. It's a very simple one.

It's. It's from the book. Of psalms. And it goes like this. Create in me. A clean. Heart. Oh God. And renew. A right spirit.

Within me. Does anybody know that song? No. Okay. Not many. Cast me not away. From your presence. Oh Lord. And take not. Your Holy Spirit.

From me. Restore unto me. The joy. Of your salvation. And renew. A right spirit. Within me. As a young Christian. I really. Loved that song.

It was kind of a tender. Song. To the Lord. And you know. A humble song. Right? God do a work. In. Me. And this song.

Is almost. Word for word. Depending on the translation. Directly from. Psalm. 51. This is an interesting song. Because it's. A psalm. That David wrote.

In response. To his own. Sin. When he committed adultery. With Bathsheba. And it was his opportunity. To use song. To turn to the Lord. And repent. And look to restore.

His relationship. With the Lord. Which is a. Good. Thing. Thing. But here's. What. The point. That I want to make. This morning. That you should never.

Ever. Ever. In your entire. Christian life. Sing. This. Psalm. Don't do it. Because this psalm. Communicates.

Something. That was unique. To. David's day. Under. The covenant. That he had. The covenant. That Israel. Had with God. And it is. It expresses something.

Diametrically. Opposed. To the relationship. That we have. With God. Today. And I want to focus. On just that one phrase. He says this. Cast me not away. From your presence.

Oh Lord. And take. Not your Holy Spirit. From me. You see. In Israel's program. God's presence. Lived where? It lived.

In a building. God lived. His presence. Was in a building. It was in the temple. Or the tabernacle. Specifically. In the Holy of Holies. And sometimes. His presence.

Would manifest. And people. Would see the glory. Or during the time. In the wilderness. The fire. Or the. The pillar of cloud. But also. There were times. Special times.

Regarding special people. That God's presence. God's spirit. Would rest. Upon individuals. Prophets. Judges. Kings.

And David. Had this tremendous. Experience. Of having. God's spirit. Rest. On him. God's presence. Rested.

On David. That was not the case. With most. Of the children. Of Israel. God's presence. For most people. Was. Only. In. The temple.

You know. David. Knew. A little bit. About history. He had seen. With. For example. Samson. Remember. The spirit of God. Came on Samson. And gave him. Great strength.

To overcome. His enemies. And then. Samson. Fell. Because of a woman. And it says. In Judges. Chapter 16. You can read. All about this.

After his hair. Was cut. By a diabolical woman. Then she called. Samson. The Philistines. Are upon you. And he awoke. From his sleep. And thought. I'll go out. As before. And shake myself. Free. But he did not know.

That the Lord. Had left him. Because of his sin. God's spirit. Departed. From Samson. And then.

David. Was also. Very familiar. With. The king. That came before him. King Saul. And Saul. Was.

He was an okay king. For a while. But then. He began to rebel. Against. The Lord. And finally. It tells us. In 1 Samuel. Chapter 16. Verse 14.

It says this. But the spirit. Of the Lord. Departed. From Saul. And a distressing spirit. From the Lord. Troubled him. God's spirit. Left Saul.

Because of his. Disobedience. Because he didn't do. What the Lord. Had asked him to do. And. A distressing spirit.

Came. In its place. But this is something. That was. Particular. To Israel's. Program. God's presence.

In the temple. And God blessing. A few individuals. With his spirit. But. Conditionally. If you do not do. The things that I command you. If you do not do. The things that I tell you.

God's spirit. Might. Leave. But here is what Paul. The apostle to the Gentiles. In the age of grace. To the body of Christ.

Tells us. Ephesians. Chapter 1. Go ahead and turn back to Ephesians. Here is what Paul says.

About our relationship. As members of the body of Christ. With the Holy Spirit. Verse 13. In him. Ephesians 1 verse 13.

In him you also. When you heard the word of truth. The gospel of your salvation. And believed in him. You were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. Who is the guarantee of our inheritance.

Until we acquire. Possession of it. He's just explaining. What happens when you get saved. When you trust in Jesus Christ. When you heard the gospel.

The word of truth. And you believed. That word. Not because you did anything. But you just believed. That Jesus died for your sins. And that's all.

And God. Takes his spirit. That spirit that rested in the temple. And he puts his spirit. In you. Not just on you.

In you. And the Holy Spirit. Becomes a seal. A guarantee. That we. Belong. To God. Turn a couple of chapters over to.

Chapter 4 verse 30. Just for a little bit more. As we wrap up here. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 30. Paul gives a little warning here.

He says. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit. You know you can. Grieve God. You can grieve the Holy Spirit. By living a sinful life. By whom you were sealed. For the day of redemption. He doesn't say.

Don't grieve the Holy Spirit. Who might leave you. He's saying. Don't grieve the Holy Spirit. Who has sealed you. For the day of redemption.

Who's going to stay with you. Even when you grieve him. In 2nd Corinthians chapter 1.

Verse 21. Paul says this. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ. And has anointed us. And who has also put his seal on us. And given us his spirit in our hearts.

As a guarantee. We should never sing that same psalm. Sing that same psalm. Or make that same kind of prayer.

That David made. God please. Don't take your Holy Spirit away from me. Instead. What we do. Is we look at these scriptures. From the apostle Paul.

To the Gentiles. To those who live under grace. To the body of Christ. That God has promised. That his spirit. Will remain with us. Through thick or thin. And regardless of how well we're doing.

Or how well. Or how bad we might be doing. In living the Christian life. God's presence. God himself.

Will live with us. Through it all. He is our promised possession. God himself. God himself. And so I'll just finish up with this.

Back to the analogy of the will. From grandpa. And all that. As we read through the Bible. As we go about living our daily life. As we look for promises to claim.

From the scriptures. Or instructions to follow. Or commands to obey. Or songs to sing. We need to take note.

Where do they come from? Who were these instructions written to? We can gain insight from all of them. But we need to make sure.

That we make a difference. It's the same Bible. For all people. Of all time. But there are certain mail. There are certain instructions.

Written directly to us. We're going to finish up there. Next week. During our communion service. We're going to focus in on worship. Worship. What is God's instruction to us.

Regarding worship. And how does that differentiate. From the instructions that God gave to Israel. About worship. And then the week after that. The plan is. To talk about the end times.

What's going to happen in the future. What is God's plan for us. As the body of Christ. And what is God's plan for Israel. And how are those things different. Let's finish with a word of prayer.

Father. You have made us so many great and precious promises. Spiritual blessings. Beyond imagination. Open up our eyes.

To see and to understand. What things were written for us. Sometimes the promises are totally different. We need to know what you have done. And accomplished in us. And for us. And through us. What your instructions are for us.

Help us to understand. To rightly divide your word. So we understand clearly. How we ought to live. And how we ought to live with you. In this life.

We thank you for all these things. In Jesus name. Amen.