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🎵Music🎵 I'll see you guys in the next video. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Hello and welcome to Church Foundation Baptist Church. Thank you for coming out to our Thursday evening service. Let's all find our seats and open your blue hymnals up to page 431. We're going to sing Stand Up for Jesus. Stand up. Stand up for Jesus. Page 491. Page 491. Stand up. Stand up for Jesus. Sing it out on the first. Stand up. Stand up for Jesus. Stand up for Jesus. Stand up for Jesus. Stand up for Jesus. Stand up for Jesus. Stand up for Jesus. Stand up for Jesus. Stand up for Jesus. Stand up for Jesus. Stand up for Jesus. In deep. Stand up. Stand up for Jesus. The tropic hallelujah. For to the mighty god, applicant makes his glorious day. Be, that our men will serve him against the number close. The courage lies with danger and strength to strength of God, all the last. Stand up, stand up for Jesus and in his strength of glory. The arm of flesh will fail you. He dare not trust or roam. Put on the gospel armor which praise put on with prayer. Where duty calls for danger, he never wanting there. Amen. Great seeing everyone. Brother Alex, can you open us with a word of prayer? Amen. Let's turn to page 326. Jesus savior, pilot me. Page 326, Jesus savior, pilot me. Page 326, law of the first. Father steals her child. Thou canst wash the ocean wild. Moisture screams obey thy will. And thou sist in every step. One first sovereign of the sea. Jesus savior, pilot me. When at last I ne'er the shore. And the fearful bringers roar. Twixt me in the peaceful rest. And while leaning on thy breast. May I hear thee say to me. Fear not, I will pilot thee. If you don't have a bulletin, I think we do have a couple left. If you need a bulletin, please raise your hand. And any adult that wants one is welcome to have one. All right. On our front cover we have our verse of the week. It says, but the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, without hypocrisy. James chapter 3 verse 17. And our service times are 10.30 a.m. for our preaching service. Sunday evening, 3.30 p.m. Thursday evening is 6.30 p.m. We're in Hebrews chapter 8 tonight. And I plan on preaching the whole passage. I think it's like not very long. I make it long with all my extra stuff in it. But anyway, soul winning times are listed below. Did we have any salvations out tonight? All right. Well, thanks everybody for showing up though and going soul winning. And we've had a really good month. I got reported by Brother Cody that they had a couple saved up in Yakima. Has anybody else had any salvations since Sunday? Okay. So, well, there's one more day in the month, right? So we're at 34 for the month, so that's a good month for us. And the baptisms, we had five baptisms last Sunday. Brother Ian had, I think, a couple more baptisms. And then we're supposed to baptize three that I know of this Sunday. And then you see the attendance. I think that's from the week before last. But anyway, on our upcoming events, this Saturday is the big soul winning push. So we're doing a soul winning marathon. We're doing it right here in this area. Hopefully everybody got my message about the app. So has anybody not done the app yet? Okay. Do the app. We are going to have a tutorial in the morning after we eat breakfast. It's going to be a continental breakfast. So if you're looking for sausage and eggs and all that kind of stuff, it's going to be muffins and fruit and stuff like that. But 15 minutes before we go out, we're going to have a short tutorial. Brother Sean Conlon, he's been really geeking out on this thing. And he's going to show us what we're supposed to do. And he's not a geek, but he's geeking out. But I appreciate him doing that because it's challenging to learn new systems. So he's already found a couple things that need to be fixed on it. But we're going to do our best and use it. So about Saturday, I want to leave some very clear instructions with you right now. Get the app. If you don't want to use the app, then you don't have to use the app. I'm not forcing anybody to do that. But it would be best if you did learn how to do the soloing with the app. There is another video that shows how you can do it without it. If you're like a boomer that can't figure out an app like me, then you can do it. I'm going to try it anyway. But these are the invitations that we're using. So they're smaller, but these were sent to us with a special QR code on the front. On the QR code, you can tell people once they get saved, if they get saved, to scan that and drop us a line through the QR code. But if people aren't home and they scan that, maybe they get saved watching one of the videos or they want to write a church or they just want some follow-up, they want to be baptized or already saved, they want to visit the church, they can use this QR code and that gives them access to email us and find stuff out about our church. Let me make this clear. These are the only invitations I want you to use on Sunday. So if you forget to grab a stack, that's 39 lashes out in public in front of everybody. But please don't take any other ones. I've got special boxes that will be available for us in the morning on Saturday morning. So please just only use these ones. There's a bunch of other churches that are doing the same thing that we're doing. So I want to make sure that we report everything accurately that we do and we're going to try this app out and we're going to try to win as many people as we can to Christ and obviously we want to reach the areas surrounding our church. We have knocked this area before. Some of it's receptive, some of it's not. But I think that people, there's a lot of people, we get a lot of visitors from people that just live around here. They drive by our giant sign that's lit up all the time and they want to check us out. So the main thing obviously is getting people saved. But I definitely want to dial in our soul even more than we have it now. And I'd really appreciate your help just trying to get the app rolling. And if you have any issues or there's some suggestions that you have, just write those things down maybe in your notepad on your phone or something and bring those to me and we can kind of go through the trial and error process of what happened. It might slow us down out there. It probably is going to. But hopefully not too much. There's six sections on the map and it's all surrounding this building. So that's what we're doing. I hope that as many people as possible sign up, I mean not sign up, but as many people as possible can be here to go soul winning. The weather does not look favorable, but you know, God is our God. And He can change the weather, can't He? So maybe just pray that God changes the weather so it's not raining. But if it is going to rain, embrace it. Bring an umbrella for crying out loud. Bring some warm clothes. Obviously we're all troopers in the Northwest. We don't want to look weak by wearing gloves and whatever, by using umbrellas. I mean who uses umbrellas here? But if that's going to get you out soul winning, then do it. Some waterproof shoes, waterproof boots. God will just drive the tempest away and then we can just have a nice sunny day. That's my hope and my prayer. But anyway, I've got to move forward here. So April 2nd, which is this Sunday, is the Lord's Supper at the PM service. So many people have been here for our Lord's Supper. We do it a little bit differently. There's no sermon. So I'm going to preach a sermon in the morning. We're going to go soul winning. We're going to come back in and we're going to do the Lord's Supper. If you've never done it with our church before, then it is a special time. I really like the way that our church does it. And I think a lot of people like that. So I am probably going to pick some men to help hand out the elements as we do it. So just be prepared for me to ask. And then we're going to sing a hymn after we're done. And then we're going to pray and we're going to go home. So let's limit our fellowship afterwards to maybe a half hour at the most. I know sometimes we like to stay here and chat. But the point is to be together. And it's supposed to be a serious time. And so I hope that everybody takes it seriously. If you've never been baptized before and you want to take the Lord's Supper, please get baptized before. There's going to be opportunities for you to do that. And we'll have the water's going to be warm. Everything's going to be ready. If you've never been scripturally baptized, you're saved. If you've never been scripturally baptized, I mean, I personally believe that you should be baptized before you take the Lord's Supper. So anyway, that's coming up. And then April 8th is a big soul-winning push in Portland. And I'm not sure exactly where we're going. I know we talked about a certain area in Rockwood yesterday. But I think that that church is going to be going out in the same neighborhood. So I don't want to clash swords with fellow believers. So I guess I want to figure out where we're going to go for that. So please remind me, Brother Sean, to get with you about that. And then Easter Sunday is April 9th. We're going to have a potluck after the morning service. We're going to serve ham that's on the church. My wife put a sign up in the WhatsApp group. So please sign up to bring something. And then April 11th is going to be our OMSI trip, homeschool field trip. A lot of people signed up for that. And it's closed off now. The door is shut, and you cannot go in. You can knock all you want, but you're not going to get in. No, if you still want to come, you can come. But you just probably have to buy your own ticket. So anyway, April 12th is the crochet class. That's at 3 p.m. here at the church building. See Mrs. Boda for any questions with that. April 13th through 17th is the Detroit soul-winning trip. So it's coming up quickly, guys and gals. And so hopefully you're all prepared and ready to go. And it's going to be a great trip. We're hoping we see a great harvest over there. So be in prayer for that. April 29th is going to be a soul-winning marathon in Salem, Oregon. So we're going to go there for the first time. And the next day I'll be preaching Psalm chapter 28. And then we're going to have a men's preaching night for the evening service. And I'll probably buy you some food or something. So we'll do that. And then the King James Conference obviously is coming up in May. So this year's already going by fast. I mean, we're in April on Saturday. So it's going fast for me. I don't know if it is for you. But anyway, we're a family-integrated church. Everybody knows that. Please make sure that you're taking your infants into the mother-baby rooms when necessary. Or dad-baby rooms. Please, no mixed baby rooms. So no men in the mother-baby room and no dads. I mean, no moms in the dad-baby room. And then rockers and gliders are for pregnant nursing mothers or elders only. And let's see, no unattended children to any member of the building. And I just want to say this real quick. I'm not trying to be anti-child or anti-kids or anti-fun. But if we could keep the main pathways in the church with not toys all over in the front of it all the time, that would be very helpful. I think that it can be a safety hazard for one thing. And we just need to keep it tidied up. I mean, we're all going to church together. So we just need to be mindful of other people and things like that. So if it's the main pathway, just try to keep the toys built up there to a minimum. And then, let's see, if you would, silence your cell phones or place them on silent for the rest of the service. And if you need an escort to your vehicle, the ushers are available to walk you to your car. They'd be happy to do so. They're the guys with the pens that say usher on them. And our online donations are available on our website. And the text-giving number and the tithes and offerings that came in so far from March are there. And I think, let's see, we're saying happy birthday to everybody. All right, cool. That's it. That's all I got for announcements. If you have any questions about anything going on this weekend, please just feel free to come talk to me after the service. Let's sing another song and we'll receive the offering. All right, let's open our Blue Hymnals, page 39. We're going to sing Crown Him With Many Crowns, page 39. Crown Him With Many Crowns, page 39. Crown Him With Many Crowns, the lamb upon his throne, Park out the heavy in the repented happens and not its own, No angel in the sky can fully bear that sign But Delbert Vince is wondering, I have missed The endless praise, for thou for us hast thine We thou, O Lord, through endless days adored and magnified We thank thee, O Lord, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us. For thy love for us, for thy love for us, for thy love for us. For thy love for us. For thy love for us. For thy love for us. For thy love for us. For thy love for us. For thy love for us. For thy love for us. For thy love for us. For thy love for us. For thy love for us. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Hebrews chapter number 8. If you don't have a Bible, there should be a Bible under the chair in front of you. Hebrews 8. Hebrews 8. Hebrews 8. Hebrews 8. Hebrews 8. Hebrews 8. The New Testament is better than the Old Testament. The New Testament is better than the Old Testament. Let's look at verse number 1 where the Bible reads, Now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum. We have such an high priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of majesty in the heavens. So obviously last chapter we talked about how Jesus Christ is the mediator of the New Testament. He's the high priest after the order of Melchizedek. And so it's kind of bleeding over into chapter 8 a little bit speaking about this. It says in verse 2, So the tabernacle in the wilderness that God had Moses put together is based upon something that was already in heaven. That God made. And so the picture that was the pattern that God showed Moses in the mount is patterned after the way God wanted it to be made. And Jesus Christ is the minister of that sanctuary. So the high priest was the earthly minister of that sanctuary on earth. But Jesus Christ is the minister of the sanctuary forever and that place is in heaven. It says of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, not man. So God has pitched a tent before. He did it up in heaven. So because that's what a tabernacle is, it is a tent, right? So or it's just a covering, right? To cover something up. So verse 3 says, And if he were on earth, he should not be a priest seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law, who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things. So again it says this word, who serve as the example and shadow of heavenly things. So the things that were on earth were a picture of something that was greater and better that is in heaven. And it says, As Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle, foresee, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount. So there it is. God telling us through the Apostle Paul, through this epistle, that God showed him the pattern that he was supposed to do. And Moses made the tabernacle and all the dishes and all the things. There of according to a pattern that was showed Moses by divine revelation when he was on the mount. So look at verse 6 it says, But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. So that's why the title of the sermon is The New Testament is Better than the Old Testament. Because Christ is the mediator of a better covenant. Well, why is it better? Well, for one thing it's everlasting. For another thing it's based upon the promises of God from the very beginning book in the book of Genesis. Actually, after the fall it was already prophesied that something better was going to come along. The seed of a woman was going to come and he was going to smash the head of the serpent. So, when he gave his life for us on Calvary, he made that better covenant happen. The covenant, we'll talk about this in the next chapter about how a covenant can't be made without the death of the testator, which Jesus Christ died and he shed his blood. Now remember Moses, when God gave the covenant to the children of Israel, everything was done when they killed animals to represent that blood that was supposed to sanctify all the things in the tabernacle. They splashed blood on all the stuff. It was a bloody mess. And that's a picture of how much of a bloody mess Jesus Christ would be for us when he died for us. And because he is the mediator. And so what's a mediator? Someone that kind of bargains on behalf of somebody else, right? So if you have like a mediator in court, you know, or an advocate is another thing that Jesus is called. An advocate. He advocates to us, to the Father. And so when Satan says something about us, then he can, Jesus can say, well hey, I paid for that person's sins right there. And so we have this picture, and this is the time of the year when we talk about the Passover, and the death of Christ, and the resurrection, praise God. And so Jesus Christ, these are things that we should understand about Jesus Christ though, that he is the mediator. Last sermon I kind of mentioned about how Mary, Catholics will think that Mary is the mediator of the angry Jesus. Angry Jesus is pacified by his mother, right? And they'll call Mary the mother of God. But she's not the mother of God. God has no beginning, he has no ending. She was the mother of Jesus, but to put her in a higher echelon than Jesus, like we need to go through Mary in order to make Jesus happy or something, that's not what the Bible teaches. There's one mediator between God and men. It's the man Christ Jesus. That's what the Bible says, right? And so he is the mediator of a better covenant. So how many covenants were there? Well there's a lot of covenants in the Bible, but when it's talking about this covenant specifically, it's talking about the covenant of the New Testament. Now that's the better covenant, but what's the other covenant that it's talking about? The other covenant that it's talking about is the Old Testament, where Moses was, because that's why it's talking about how Moses did all these things, but that's a picture of the better thing that was coming down the line. And it says it was established on better promises. What's the law promise you? The law promises you death, doesn't it? For breaking those commandments. And death, and not only death, but not a physical death, only but a spiritual death in the lake of fire. So what's a better promise? Eternal life. That's a way better promise. And a blessed life, and no more sin. Those things are much better, and then not being in bondage, but being free. There's a lot of great differences between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The New Testament being better in many different ways. There's a lot of different pictures where the Bible teaches us these things. I want to show some of the examples of this tonight. So first I want to look at Isaac. So let's look at Genesis chapter 6 verse 15. Because remember it says that it's established on better promises, and what did God promise a couple chapters ago? He swore by an oath. He swore upon himself because he could swear upon nothing greater. That he was going to raise up this New Testament, that there was going to be an everlasting covenant. He promised Abraham that his seed would inherit the earth, and that by his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed. Because really if you think about the scope of the children of Israel by the flesh, they had like a smaller picture, didn't they? I mean in the Bible they have a huge chunk of the story about them, but Israel's a really small place, a little small dot in the middle of a desert, where all the stuff was happening, but there's a huge world all around, and there's a lot of people that need to be saved. So you know one good picture that we can take from it is that Israel after the flesh is not as good as Israel after the Spirit. And so the Spirit was in the Old Testament by the flesh, so to speak, but in the New Testament we have a covenant that makes us the spiritual Israel, and I'll get into that later, but I want to show you in Genesis 6 verse 15 it says, And Hagar bare Abram a son, and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare Ishmael. So Abraham was promised a son, wasn't he? And then they took it into their own hands to have a son in a different way. Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham the wife, and she wanted to rush the situation, and sometimes we want to make things happen that aren't there, and really it was a bad situation because his firstborn son really was Ishmael, but it was by a concubine wife, it was not by promise. They tried to work it out with their own self, didn't they? They tried to work it through their own flesh, through their own might, but what ended up happening is Ishmael, once Isaac is born, starts teasing Isaac and kind of persecuting him, and that's a picture of how when the New Testament came along the Jews were messing with the new believers, right? But a lot of times the firstborn son isn't the best son in the Bible stories. So here's an example, and I'm not saying Ishmael was bad, but he did persecute, and that picture is that the persecution, once everything changed from the Old Testament to the New Testament, what ended up happening? Well, the Old Testament believers that weren't necessarily saved, in many cases were not saved, were persecuting this new way by Jesus Christ, the new covenant. Now turn to Genesis 17 verse 18. The Bible says in Genesis 17 and 18, it says, And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee. And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed, and thou shalt call his name Isaac, and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. So who was the promised son? It was Isaac, wasn't it? Who was the firstborn son, though? What was the first covenant? Who was the first covenant to? The children of Israel, after the flesh, the nation of Israel. You know, God made of them a great nation, and in a lot of ways that they thrived, but in a lot of ways they were failures. And so why is the New Testament better? Well, you know, I mean, the New Testament is a spiritual, we become that spiritual Israel, because look what it says, and his seed after him. That's not, that's not plural. It's not seeds as in many, but seed is one, and that one person is Christ. And so, through Isaac came the promises, right? So it was Abraham, then to Isaac, and that seed is a physical seed, but it's also talking about a spiritual seed. So it's an everlasting covenant, and remember how it said that a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. So what is the better promise? See, Ishmael, Ishmael was the not promised, right? But it was his first son. And then God says, no, I'm going to establish my covenant with Isaac for an everlasting covenant. That's a better promise, an everlasting covenant, right? Now look at, let's look at Sarah and Hagar. Let's look at Genesis chapter 21 verse 9. Genesis chapter 21 verse 9. Genesis 21 verse 9 says, And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had borne unto Abraham mocking. So here, and we know from the book of Galatians, which we'll turn to here in just a second, we know from the book of Galatians that this is an allegory to teach us the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. So all throughout the Bible you'll see this teaching, these pictures of how that new covenant is going to be better. The promises are better. The testament itself and the covenant is better. Now look at verse 10, it says, Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son, for the son of this bondwoman should not be heir with my son, even Isaac. So Abraham, you know, she's told this to Abraham. She's like, cast this, get this person out of here. Get Ishmael out of here, he's not going to be the heir with my son Isaac. There you have the picture of the old covenant, the Old Testament Jews that didn't want to get in on the new covenant. They basically rejected by rejecting what God commanded them in the Old Testament and then they're rejecting the New Testament also. And so there's a big difference between the children of the flesh and the children of the spirit. And so God highlights this for us in many different places. But, uh, did I have you turn to Galatians? Turn to Galatians chapter 4, verse 28. Galatians chapter 4, verse 28. And this is where we see, and we always have to remember this, that the New Testament shines the light on the dark places of the Old Testament that people might not have understood before. But when the New Testament is helping us to interpret the Old Testament, you always need to go with what the New Testament is saying. The commentary of the Bible on the Old Testament is what the truth actually is. And so this is a way you can get away, you can get a lot of bozos exposed this way when they start trying to twist the scriptures. But it's hard to twist something when it's explained to you exactly what it's talking about in the New Testament. Look at, uh, Galatians 4, 28 says, Now we brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. Who's he talking about? He's talking about other Christians, right? And notice this also, the churches in Galatia were not, were not Jewish churches. We're talking about churches that were New Testament churches, these are Gentile believers. I'm sure that there was some mixed multitude in there or whatever, there was some Jews there that probably got converted. But the problem with Galatia and the churches there is that they had these Judaizers that came and were trying to save it. Unless you are circumcised and keep the law of Moses, then you can't be saved. And so this whole epistle is writing to these people to help them understand that these people that want to glory in your flesh when they make you do something like get circumcised, that's painful, right? It just sounds painful, right? That's what they want to do though, they want to glory in our flesh. And so this whole book of Galatia, to the Galatians, is Paul just kind of expounding upon how we are not saved by the law, we're saved by grace through faith, how, and then he compares all these things with the Old Testament and the New Testament. And here he's talking about Isaac, specifically Isaac here. As Isaac was are the children of promise, verse 29, but as then he that was born after the flesh, see how it emphasizes the flesh here, persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. So he's saying this is what they do now too. But back then that's a picture of Ishmael being a child after the flesh, he was not the child of promise, he was not the child that God promised him, that was them through human effort trying to do their own thing and trying to fulfill this prophecy on their own, but it was a failure. Ishmael represents a child of one of the children of Israel that are after the flesh. Now look at verse 30. Nevertheless, what saith the scripture? You know what, that's a great question to ask. You know when there's any debate about things, when there's any debate about the Bible, or the topics of the Bible, or the doctrines of the Bible, that's a good question to ask. Hey, what's the Bible say? What saith the scripture? And then what's it say? Cast out the bond woman and her son, for the son of the bond woman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. So they're not, they don't get the, what's it saying? That person after the flesh, they're not inheriting. So these people that just like to bang the drums for the Jews, they're like, yeah, the Jews are still God's chosen people still. Is that what the Bible says? It says they can't be, they're not heirs together. So people will teach that there's a covenant where the Jews still have this Old Testament covenant that God made with them at the same time as there's a New Testament covenant at the same time. We're in on that, but the Jews, they don't have to be saved because they are God's special chosen ones. But that scripture there, right there, it says, Cast out the bond woman and her son, for the son of the bond woman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. I mean, you might not think that's very clear, but I think it's super clear. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bond woman, but of the free, the spiritual. If you're saved, you're part of the spiritual, you're with Isaac. You are inheriting. But the bond woman, the people that are under the works of the law, that thinks works save you, that thinks that you can lose your salvation, they're not going to inherit with us. And it's sad. It's sad that there's so many deceivers out there and deception going on out there. And it's like, people will say, well, you guys just hate Jews. I don't hate Jews. I'm a Jew. I'm a spiritual Jew. I don't have the twisty little hair and the weird stuff and outfits on and all that stuff, and I don't go like this when I'm praying to some rock wall or something. But the Bible says that it's not the appearance that makes you a Jew. It's what's inside. It's the circumcised heart of the Spirit. So, it says, well, let's take a look at Jacob. Or just, let's look at David, actually. Let's skip through that. Let's go to 1 Samuel 15, verse 26. So, like I said, there's a lot of pictures about the differences between the Old Testament and the New Testament, and David and Saul is a really good picture of that. But before I go to that scripture, I also want to mention that Jacob was of the promise also, because Isaac was promised, but then the line went through Jacob, didn't it? It didn't go through Esau. Was Esau born first, or was Jacob born first? Esau was born first, right? So, he was the firstborn son. But, you know, he was a fornicator and a profane person, according to the scriptures, and he sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. So, he just, and profane, you know, he just didn't count the things holy, the things he was going to inherit. He didn't think it was a big deal. You know, some people just throw away their whole inheritance and all the things that they could have got over meaningless things, over just the flesh. And he was just like, he was faint and ready to, I'm going to die, just give me the bowl of soup, I'll give you anything. So, how about the birthright? He's like, sold the bowl of soup. And so, God, you know, he's a picture of Israel after the flesh, if you think about it, because he didn't inherit, and then when he realized that Jacob got everything, he didn't just get that, he got, so he got the birthright, and then he also got the blessing. The blessing, he stole the blessing also. And Jacob is a perfect picture of the New Testament because he's the second born, you know, Old Testament, New Testament. So, the next one born after Esau, Jacob. And he's the perfect picture for us that he has the blessing that Esau gave away for nothing, basically, and then, you know, then he starts crying about it when he doesn't get it. When he doesn't get what he wanted because he wanted to live in the flesh. And that's what Israel today wants to do, the so-called Israel, or the so-quote-unquote Jews of this world, they want to get in by the flesh, but they don't even believe the Bible. I mean, and the Bible says if you don't have the son, you don't have the father. So, there is no deal. There's no secondary deal that's going on with them, and people think that there is. But the Bible's very clear, and even when, in Jacob's case, he's like, isn't, you know, I mean, just thinking about the chapter, when Esau realizes that Jacob tricked him with the furry goat's hair and all that stuff, he's like, isn't there a blessing left for me, father? And he's like, nope, he got the whole thing. He's like, I'm going to kill him! And so, what's he do? He tries to persecute Jacob and says he wants to kill him because Jacob ended up with the blessings. That's the same thing that the Old Testament Jews or people that want to believe in a work of salvation, they, you know, they're upset with people that actually are saved. They're upset with people that actually do take part and do get the blessings. But that picture there is Esau not getting the blessing. He didn't inherit with Jacob, did he? Jacob got the whole thing. He got the blessing, and he got the leadership of the family, all the inheritance. The firstborn son was supposed to get the inheritance. Now, 1 Samuel 15, look at 1 Samuel 15, where I had you turn, we'll look at some stuff between David and Saul. Now, remember, Saul was the first king of Israel, and what happened? God was commanding him to do things, right? And it seemed like every time God specifically told Saul to do something, that Saul just did whatever he wanted. And then he made excuses about it, right? So here in 1 Samuel 15, this is the final straw, and Samuel says, you're done being the king. But did it happen right away? Did the kingdom get taken away from Saul right then? I mean, as far as God was concerned, yes. But he still continued to act as a king and do things as a king. But eventually, David came. Well, he was anointed to take over, but it wasn't an immediate thing. And David had to basically wait his turn, and in the time appointed, David became the king of all of Israel. But here is the discourse between Saul and Samuel in 1 Samuel 15 and 26. It says, And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee, for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. So he didn't keep the commandments of the Lord, that's the thing. He didn't obey what God said to do. Isn't that what the law is all about, obeying the law? So, and it says, And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and rent it. And Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day. And so there's your replacement, right? There's your replacement theology right there. He took it from Saul and gave it to somebody else because it says, And given it to a neighbor of vine that is better than thou. And that's what replacement theology is all about too. It's like he took it from physical Israel and gave it to spiritual Israel. And David represents who? Jesus Christ, right? Are you following? Everybody awake? Alright, so, and it says, turn to 2 Samuel chapter 3 verse 1. 2 Samuel chapter 3 verse 1. So, but once that happened, you know, then Saul began to get worse, didn't he? Saul began to just act worse and do worse. He killed the Lord's priests. He was trying to murder David for no reason. And then when David would call him out, he'd be like, I'm sorry, come on my son, come and worship back with me. And like, you know, David didn't want to stretch forth his hand and touch the Lord's anointed. And, you know, but eventually Saul did such a wicked sin that God had to kill him. And that's why God killed him because he went to the witch, right? And then David became king and then, you know, but he pictures Jesus Christ. So look at 2 Samuel chapter 3 verse 1. It says, Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David, but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker. Isn't that a picture of the chapter in Hebrews that we're talking about today? You know, it's ready to vanish. It waxeth old and it's ready to vanish away, is what it says in the last verse. But here's that picture, once again, of David waxing stronger and stronger, and Saul's house getting weaker and weaker. Because there was kind of a transition period in the New Testament where there were still priests, there was still a temple, there was still all this Old Testament stuff going on, but essentially God took that kingdom from the Jews and they were just still operating. Kind of like how Saul was still operating as the king, but God refused him. God rejected him. God said, you're done. But see how there was a period of time that took place. I'm not saying that once Jesus died on the cross, that process was finished, but as far as the earth is concerned and the people, it took a while for that to kind of change over, and then God just destroyed Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, destroyed the priesthood, scattered them all like he said he was going to, and they don't even know who the priests are today. They'll try to lie and say that they know, but they don't know. They can't trace their genealogy back to 2,000 years. Not one of them can. There's nobody even fit to be a Levite today because they have no genealogy. So what are they going to do? Just make something up? Yeah. The red heifer, the red heifer. I mean, they just want... They could do sacrifices right now, but why don't they? Well, for one thing, they're probably all members of PETA already, and they probably don't want to kill animals. They'd probably rather kill their own children than kill an animal. That's kind of how a lot of people are today, isn't it? Isn't that weird? My fur babies. Shut up. It's an animal. What's wrong with you? Sacrifice them. No, I'm just kidding. But anyway, so let's see. Look at 2 Samuel 7, verse 12, and you kind of see the story play out because Saul dies, but then Ish-bosheth, his son, you know, is reigning, but he gets weaker and weaker, and he's laying in bed at noon and gets killed. You know, but before that, he had it out with Abner. Abner, you know, lied with his concubine, and then Abner punked him. He was like, I should have just given it to David in the first place. And basically, essentially, the house of Saul got so weak that finally Abner was just like, you know what? I'm going to side with David, and he united all the kingdoms, all the tribes with the tribe of Judah, and then David became the king of all of them. Right? So let's look at 2 Samuel 7, verse 12, it says, And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. This is God speaking to David, and it says, He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. See, that's the promise there. That's the better promise, the kingdom forever. Not just a physical kingdom, not just a kingdom that ends, not just a priesthood that ends, not just a temple that ends. This temple in heaven is always going to exist. Jesus is always going to be our high priest. We're always going to be saved. He's always going to intercede for us. And so it's just a better testament, isn't it? And it says in verse 14, I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men. But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. See, Saul disobeyed him, and he took it away. David disobeys too, but he doesn't take it away. He gives him mercy, because the picture is an everlasting kingdom. And that picture is the seed, which is Christ, right? So an everlasting kingdom, Saul's kingdom vanishes away, Saul's kingdom gets weak, but David's gets stronger and stronger, and he's the greatest king of all of Israel. I mean, even though he messed up in a lot of different ways, Solomon turned his heart away from the Lord when he was old. And then every other king had problems. Now, there were kings that were comparable to David, I would say, Hezekiah being one of them, but nobody was as good as David, in my opinion. I mean, I think that that's the picture that is set before us, but so let's turn back to Hebrews chapter 8. It says in Hebrews chapter 8 verse 7, it says, For if the first covenant had been faultless, I mean, think about Saul, if he would have done what he was supposed to do, he would have continued on, right? But if the first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. What second? The second covenant, the New Testament, okay? So it wasn't a perfect covenant, but the second covenant is, and there was sought a place for that new covenant. So, like I said, the first son isn't always the best son, is it? The first king isn't always the best king. The second king was David. See the picture there? And the first Adam wasn't the best Adam either. So, because there is two Adams in the Bible. Turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. I know we're going through a lot of scripture, but it is a Bible study, so, you know, there's that. So, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, and I'm just trying to show you pictures in the Bible that establish this truth that the New Testament's better. And why is it so important? Like, why is it in the Bible? Why does it matter? Because there are people now, even today, that will live in that Old Testament, they'll try to bring the Old Testament back to us, and then they'll try to Judaize or add works or whatever you want to call it, and try to tell us, hey, you're not saved unless you repent of all your sins. You're not saved unless you make Jesus the Lord of your life. You're not saved unless you keep the law of Moses, unless you blow the horns on, you know, the shofar, unless you, you know, apparently not make sacrifice because they don't do that anymore, even though that's what the Bible says they were supposed to do under the Old Covenant. They pick and choose. But it is an important doctrine. 1 Corinthians 15, 45 says, and so it was written, the first man Adam was made a living soul. The last Adam was made a quickening spirit. The difference is Adam was made a, he was made a soul, a living soul, but the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. So Jesus is that quickening spirit. What does quickening mean? It means to make alive. And Jesus, his purpose was to make sure that a lot of people could be made alive, right? Now look at verse 46. Howbeit that was not the first which is spiritual, but that which is natural. So natural being like fleshly, earthly, or whatever, and afterward that which is spiritual. So what came first? The natural man came first, the natural Adam, and then the spiritual Adam came second. So you see how the picture just kind of fits in the whole Bible, and it says the first man is of the earth, earthy. The second man is the Lord from heaven. Big difference there, isn't there? The second one is just a man, he's just a man. Yes, he's made a living soul. Yes, his soul will last forever, and I do believe that Adam was saved. I mean, I don't have any evidence for that. He's got a lot to answer for, but obviously if he's in heaven, he doesn't have to answer to God anymore for it, but there might be a line. I don't know. Before the thousand years is up, I don't know if people might want to have a conversation with him, but there's a lot of people that die because of the choices he made. But anyway, the point is, the second man is the Lord from heaven. Jesus Christ is the Lord. He is God. That right there is a good proof text to show that Jesus Christ is God. The Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy. So people that are earthy, that's talking about like the flesh, the natural man, or whatever you want to call it. And as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. So he's making a distinction between these two different types of people, right? And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we also shall bear the image of the heavenly. So we're all earthy. We're all worldly at some point, but when you get saved, you will bear the image of Christ, and that's an everlasting, you know, he's made him a quickening spirit, and he makes us all alive forevermore. So there's another instance of the first not being the best, it's the second that's the best, right? And so people will say, well, the new IFB, you know, well, the new is better sometimes than the old. So just saying. I'm not trying to be mean, but I think there's a lot of things, and obviously our churches aren't perfect. Nobody's church is perfect, but there's a reason why we're called the new IFB because we, you know, we want to get rid of the old things that the IFB still does today. Like I was just watching an old IFB sermon last night. I was just watching, like, how they run their services and stuff last night, and, you know, he's like, as the music begins to play, and all heads bowed and every eye closed, and it's just like, then they come up and they have somebody sing a sad song or they play a sad song so that you'll come up to the altar and kneel down in front of everybody and repent of all your sins or get saved again. It's just like, those are the kinds of things that we left behind for a reason, folks. And then sometimes people will leave our church and they'll go to these old IFB churches and then they realize really quickly that the new is better than the old. Well, some people have just kind of blown themselves up to the point where they just can't come back or, you know, they would have to eat so much crow to come back that they just won't do that either. But anybody that's, you know, gone to our church for a long time, then just go try and visit an old IFB church sometime just so you can remember how special this church is because, you know, obviously our church isn't perfect. Nobody in this building is perfect. But we try and strive our best to do the will of God here, and we want to get rid of that old trash that they are holding on to and bring in the new stuff that's actually the better stuff. It's not new doctrine. It's old doctrine that someone else said that's not true, that Schofield said, well, you know, there's a pre-trib rapture, then everybody just buys it, the Dallas Theological Cemetery, you know, sayings of a madman that was divorced several times and he was known to be a cheater and a charlatan. But, you know, he was a criminal. I mean, I'm not saying that you can't recover from that stuff, but, you know, once you've been divorced, you're not qualified anymore to be a pastor. So, anyway, enough about that. But, you know, people mock the fact that we would call ourselves a new IFB church or whatever. It's just like that just means we're separating ourselves from some of the old stuff that they did that wasn't right, wasn't good, like the pre-trib rapture. No scripture in the whole Bible about that, but we'll just keep going on. You know, he could come back at any moment. Before the end of my sermon, he could come out of the clouds and he could rapture you all up. Charge up all your credit cards because we're going away or whatever, you know. They just say all this kind of weird stuff, and it's like, no, the Bible says that the man of sin has to come first. How do you get around that? They do it through gymnastics in their brain. Anyway, so, the first and second covenant is also... Turn to Matthew chapter 9. Matthew chapter 9. I'll try to speed up this process here. Matthew chapter 9. So, you've probably heard this before and maybe scratched your head about this, but just think about it in these terms of what we're talking about tonight. Matthew 9.16 says, No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles, else the bottles break and the wine runneth out and the bottles perish, but they put new wine into new bottles and both are preserved. There again is a picture of... You can't take the New Testament and put it into the Old Testament. You have to take the New Testament and put that into a new bottle. It's just kind of like all these people that try to attach themselves to the movement from the old IFB. Eventually, they just kind of fizzled out. They burned out. They got upset about something, and then they had to just prove how different they are in some way, and then they just stab their friends in the back and go back to the old IFB ways or whatever. They hang on to the good doctrine, which is good, but most of the guys that have said, I'm new IFB now or whatever, are now back somewhere straddling a fence somewhere. You can't take that old IFB sometimes and put it into a new bottle, a new IFB church. Basically, the New Testament breaks the Old Testament, doesn't it? Because that bottle needs to get broken, because it's a new bottle. It's the new wine going to the new bottle. Again, the New Testament, better than the Old Testament. The Jews want to stay in the Old Testament. They don't want to go in the New Testament. The Hebrew Roots movement wants to stay in the Old Testament. They don't want to be in the New Testament. The black Hebrew Israelites really want to stay in the Old Testament and then say that they're the real Jews or whatever, and they want to stay in the Old Testament. They mock the King James Bible. They mock Jesus Christ. They're not saved. There's a lot of people out there, and that's not just them. Anybody that teaches a works-based salvation or says you have to keep the law or you have to have grace and works at the same time, what is the picture that we've seen so far tonight? That the old goes away, doesn't it? And the new comes up. You can't mix them together. The new bottles, you know, the old bottles aren't going to inherit with the new bottles. They're going to break. Saul diminished. David increased. Right? So, and again, there's only one covenant. What is it? The New Covenant. The New Testament. Hebrews 8, 8. Let's go back to our scriptures. Hebrews 8, 8. It says, For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. So, see, it is the house of Judah. It is the house of Israel. Well, let's read on here. Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers. So is it a different covenant? It is a different covenant. So, they that would say that the father's covenant is still in existence. Now, what does the Bible actually say here in verse 9? Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers. That covenant's gone. And the day when I took, and it's going to help us to understand what covenant's he talking about. And the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt because they continued not in my covenant. And I regarded them not, saith the Lord. I regarded them not. And when it says regarded, he esteemed them not. He didn't have respect for them. Because what? They're trying to stay in that. Why did Paul always go to the synagogue first? Because he wanted to get the people that were the children of Israel after the flesh and make them children of Israel after the Spirit. And he loved his people, his brethren after the flesh. That's very clear from the Scriptures. But it's also very clear that Paul's telling these Hebrews here, he's telling them all that other stuff is gone. You need to get in on the new stuff. But what ended up happening and what have we seen through history that it's a very rare thing when a Jew gets saved. A Jew according to the flesh or according, maybe not according to the flesh, but according to their Old Testament that God got rid of. It doesn't exist anymore. See, they're like Saul. They just don't realize it slipped out of their hands and they're still just trying to hang on to it. Verse 10, For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws in their mind and write them in their hearts, and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord. And I've always kind of just scratched my head at this, but it really, after studying this sermon, it kind of helps me understand that it was such a small scale that the Jews got to, they would just like take trips and try to get one proselyte. You know how it says that? But they really ended up just caring about themselves, their tribes, their neighbors, their brothers. And what did they do? They treated everybody else like garbage. They call us goyim. And goyim is basically equivalent to being a cattle. Cattle. We're nothing to them. We're a beast. They probably would like their beasts more than they like us. I mean, if they consider us cattle, then what does that tell you? They would probably do anything. They'll slice off a chunk and make them some hamburgers or whatever. I mean, they don't care about what they do to other people. I'm talking about the religious, lost, pharisaical, Talmudic Jews of this day. Their religion. And even if they're not specifically religious, they still hold to that, don't they? They still do a quasi-passover. They probably still keep these certain feasts or whatever, but do they keep them like the Bible says to keep them? No. They just want to hang on to their culture. Just like every other culture, it seems like there's this remnant that wants to hang on to their old heathen ways. And their ways weren't necessarily heathen, but to practice them now basically is. I mean, what are they getting out of it? Like, does God... I mean, the Passover has already been killed. The Passover has already... His blood has been shed for us, and yet they still every year eat a Passover dinner together with bitter herbs, and they tell their little stories about leaving Egypt. But really the picture was for something else, and they completely missed the boat on it. It says, let's see, I will be to them a God. They shall be unto me a people. This is the new covenant that he's talking about. And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know me from the least to the greatest. What was God's bigger picture? God's bigger picture was, let's stop just focusing on this small thing, this small area, this small amount of people. Quit just worrying about only your brother and sister and your next-door neighbor. How about we focus on the whole world? How about we just be loving and caring and compassionate to the rest of the people that are on this planet? That's God's bigger picture with the New Testament, isn't it? He wants all people to be saved. He's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. It's not just for you, your family, your neighbors. And sometimes I see Christians kind of get into this, where all they care about is getting their family saved. And it's like they keep rejecting you. Go to someone else. But that's kind of what was going on here. All they cared about is their own little things, their own little bar mitzvahs and whatever else, the Festival of Lights and Hanukkah and whatever else. Turn to John chapter 1. And our prayer requests went a little bit long, so I'm sorry about that. I'll try to rush through the rest of this, but it is going to be a little bit later. I'm sorry about that. John chapter 1. I don't want to preach another sermon out here. I'll move on to chapter 9 next week. But I just think it's really important that we see the pictures in the Bible, we get a clear understanding that that Old Covenant's gone. It's trash. John chapter... And I'm not saying that the laws are trash. I'm not saying that. But some of them are done away in Christ, and the moral laws are still intact. We are supposed to, to the best of our ability, obey God's laws, but we don't have to do them to be saved. Okay? And we never did. But anyway, John chapter 1 verse 11 says, he came to his own, and his own received him not. So he came to the first people, right? They didn't accept him. But as many as received him, to them gave you power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born not of blood, it's not your blood relation, nor of the will of the flesh, you keeping the commandments, you being a good person, nor of the will of man, just like Sarah tried to will in Ishmael, and then she regretted it, didn't she? And then Ishmael was kicked to the curb, and Isaac was to see the promise that it was always supposed to be if they hadn't just tried to do it on their own. Right? Not of the will of man, but of God. God is the one that made sure that all this stuff would happen. I mean, just think about the children of Israel leaving in the Exodus. And it says in that chapter, they went out with a high hand. Whose hand was high? It was God's hand. God led those people out. God saved them. God broke the chains of slavery and let them go out and serve him in the wilderness, which was the whole, you know, all the chapters we've been dealing with, you know, talking about that we can serve God. So you can't really serve God until you're actually saved. So it says, And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, that he that cometh after me is preferred before me. Here's another picture, and I don't know that I'd ever really noticed this or not, but here's another picture for us tonight. John came before Jesus, didn't he? John was the forerunner of Jesus. He's prophesied in the Old Testament to be the forerunner of Jesus, that he would come first. And he even says, He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before me. And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace, for the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. You see how it's making that differential for us right there? The law was from Moses, but grace and truth came from Jesus Christ. And what was John? Think about what John actually was. What was John? You know, people said he was a prophet. Was he a prophet? They said he was Elijah, and more than a prophet. But what was he a prophet of? What covenant was he a prophet of? He was the last prophet of what? The Old Testament. Right? So, the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. So, just an interesting thing about John T. Baptist. John the Baptist. Let's look at Luke chapter 16 verse 14. Luke 16, 14. It says in Luke 16, 14, it says, And the Pharisees also who were covetous heard all these things and derided him, and he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts, for that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. Notice this part here, it says, The law and the prophets were until John. So, when did the law and the prophets end? John. Since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. So, John was the forerunner of Jesus, and just think about this. He was the last prophet of the Old Testament. And what did he say? That he comes after me as preferred before me. The last prophet is going to the, basically the first prophet of the New Testament, if you think about it. Jesus Christ. He was that prophet. And so, what happened to John? He ended. His life was ended, right? His head was chopped off. And I'm not saying that God did that to show us this picture, but think about the picture. The Old Testament's done. It ended with John. And the New Testament was with Jesus Christ. Turn to John chapter three. John chapter three. What did John say? This is really interesting because it kind of, you know, fits with everything I've been talking about. And especially with the story of Saul and David. Now, was John saved? Absolutely. Was Saul saved? Now, obviously John was a way better Christian than Saul was, but I'm just saying it for the picture's sake. Look what it says. And they came unto John and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. So, isn't that what people started doing when Saul diminished? All people started going to who? David, right? So, this is how David is pictured as Jesus Christ. But it says in verse 27, John answered and said, A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness that I say, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiced greatly because the bridegroom's voice. This my joy, therefore, is fulfilled. So, John's saying, I'm not the bridegroom, but I'm the friend of the bridegroom. And I'm happy about the fact that he's here. Look at verse 30. What's it say? He must increase, I must decrease. See, like Saul decreased, didn't he? And David increased. So, you see the picture there. And even in the picture with John the Baptist himself, now, obviously, John was a great man of God, and Jesus said there was nobody born among women greater than he. Now, turn back to, well, I'm just going to read it for you, because we've already been there, but 2 Samuel 3, 1. Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David, but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul got weaker and weaker, waxed weaker and weaker. So, I mean, there's definitely a parallel there for us in the New Testament. So, it's not just a family thing, not just one people, but the good news goes to the whole world, to the uttermost parts of the earth. And why? Because God's vision and scope is way bigger than what it became with the children of Israel in the land of Israel. Galatians chapter 3, verse 28. Galatians 3, 28. I'm going to start just going through these, okay? We're a little over right now, but just calm down. I'm almost done. Stay asleep. Whatever you want to do. You can just go. I'll just keep preaching. Anyway, Galatians 3, 28 says, There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus, and if ye be Christ, then ye are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to, what's it say? The promise. The new covenant is built upon greater promises. These people out there that say they're Abraham's seed, they're not Abraham's seed. We're Abraham's seed. Isn't that what it says? If you be Christ, are you saved? Would you say you belong to Christ? What's Paul say? Then you're Abraham's seed. And heirs. See, we're the heirs. We're the sons. We're the daughters. These other people, these phonies out there, these workspace salvation people, these wanting to keep the law, these quote unquote false Jews or whatever, they're not the ones that are the children of the promise. We're the children of the promise by faith and through Abraham's seed, which is the Lord Jesus Christ. The new covenant is a spiritual covenant of spiritual promises, not of the flesh, not of the natural, not of the world. We are Israel in the New Testament. And you know, people will just get mad about that, but it's true. It's a fact. It's easily proven. Galatians chapter 6 verse 13, let's prove it here. Because remember, I told you in the book of Galatians, who's he writing to? He's writing to Gentile churches in Galatia, which would be modern day Turkey now. So, Galatians chapter 6 verse 13 says, For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law, but desire to have you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh. But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. We don't have any great things that make us great that made us save. It's Jesus Christ and the fact that he died on the cross for us. By whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them and mercy, and upon the, what's it say there? Israel of God. Who's he talking to? He's talking to people that are saved. He's talking to people that go to these churches in Galatia that are Gentile churches. And he's saying, peace be on the Israel of God. I mean, that's a hard verse to hide from. When you want to try to say that, oh they're still, the Jews over in Israel are still God's chosen people. I think I've proved that seven ways to Sunday, that's not true tonight. Hebrews, so turn to Psalm chapter 103, I'm going to read Hebrews 8, 12 in our text. Hebrews 8, 12 in our text says, For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. God promised us this in the Psalms. He's reiterating it for us in Hebrews chapter 8 verse 12. In Psalm chapter 103 verse 8, and this is the last place I'm going to have you turn, I'll be done. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide, neither will he keep his anger forever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. We deserve a lot worse. We get treated with kids gloves most of the time. As bad as we are in reality, we deserve to have a lot of bad things happen to us. But you know, God is not like that. God is to be feared. He is to be feared. But he also is very merciful, he's gracious, he's slow to anger, he's plenteous in mercy. His iniquities he will remember no more. And it says that he's, let's see, verse 11 in Psalm chapter 103, it says, For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us, like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. Those are comforting verses, because we all have our issues, and if we just stop and think about the things we've done in our lives and how we're here in this room right now with a lot of God's mercy upon us, we ought to remember that we need to be merciful to people too. So obviously there's a lot of bad going on in this world, but we're supposed to be Christians because we're like Christ, right? That's kind of what our namesake is. So, yes, people should fear the Lord, yes, people should fear the commandment, but also we should be able to fall upon his mercies. And we should be forgiving to others, we should be forgiving to each other, and we need to go to God for mercy when we mess up. Verse 14 says, For he knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are dust. He made us out of the dust of the earth, right? He remembers that, he understands that, he knows what's wrong with us, he knows how stupid we are, how bad we mess up. We're like, well, I don't like the word stupid. We are stupid sometimes. Sometimes people know to do what's right and they don't do it. Why? It's because we're stupid sometimes. We just make stupid mistakes. We have the right path before us and then we choose the wrong. Why do we do that? Because we're idiots sometimes. I mean, it's just true. We all are. I'm not calling anybody specifically an idiot. I call myself an idiot. I mean, sometimes I do stupid things too. But thank God we have someone who is God that has that mercy upon us. The last verse in Hebrews 8, 13, I'll be done. In that he sayeth a new covenant he hath made the first old. Why is it old? Because it's gone. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. So, in Paul's time when he wrote this, you know, I'm not sure whether he wrote this before or after the temple was destroyed. I would say that it was probably before. I mean, I'm pretty sure about that. But he's telling them, just like Saul diminished, just like, you know, John diminished, you know, these things are diminishing before your eyes and that covenant is actually going away. It's decaying, it's getting old, and it's ready to vanish away. So, I would say to you now, 2,000 years later, it's completely gone, right? And really, like I said, it was gone the moment that Jesus won the victory for us. But then you see how it took so long for Saul to get out and David to come in. We had to wait for Jesus. You know, now we're looking back on that, obviously, but, you know, the old covenant's gone. There's another covenant in force. That's the New Testament. It's the better testament, and he made it for a reason because it's better. It's far, far better. And anyone that's trying to live under the old covenant is doomed because the New Testament is better and it's the only testament that we have and it's the only testament we will ever have, the new covenant. Well, let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you, Lord, so much for these great passages of the Bible, and I pray, Lord, that maybe if some of this stuff went over some people's head, I pray that they would maybe just re-listen to things and go back through the Scriptures, and I pray, Lord, that people just understand. Sometimes these things are complicated. Sometimes, you know, some of the passages we go to aren't as easy, but I pray, Lord, that everybody in this room would understand what was preached tonight, and I pray that you just help us to be merciful to other people, and, Lord, looking to you as our example, we should be the same way that you are with us with other people, and, Lord, that that would be pleasing to you. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Just when I need Him Jesus is here Just when I falter Just when I fear Ready to tell me Ready to cheer Just when I need Him most Just when I need Him most Just when I need Him most Jesus is near to comfort and cheer Just when I need Him most Just when I need Him Jesus is true Ever-forsaking all the way through Living for heard its pleasures anew Just when I need Him most Just when I need Him most Just when I need Him most Jesus is near to comfort and cheer Just when I need Him most Just when I need Him Jesus is strong Burying my burdens all the day long For all my sorrow giving us all Just when I need Him most Just when I need Him most Just when I need Him most Jesus is near to comfort and cheer Just when I need Him most God bless! Just when I need Him He is my all Entering then upon Him I call Tenderly watching lest I should fall Just when I need Him most Just when I need Him most Just when I need Him most Jesus is near to comfort and cheer Just when I need Him most Amen! Great seeing everyone! Love to see you back here on Sunday and see you out on Saturday at the Soul Waning Marathon. Brother Bill, you want to end us with a word of prayer? Amen! Amen!