Before Mt. Sinai | David Shin

Added: 2026-06-01

[00:00:01][music] [music] [music] >> Previously on Law of Love and Liberty.

[00:00:43]We are standing [music] in His presence [music] on >> [singing] >> He's going to write in [music] our hearts His law of love.

[00:00:59]That's what we see taking place here.

[00:01:01]This is the promise that we see taking place here.

[00:01:04]God can cause the Red Sea to open up and let His people cross that thing on dry land, then God can move in your life.

[00:01:12]He's not only sovereign over the wind and the waves, He's sovereign over what's going on in your life, too. Oh, yes, He is. Sovereign. Super. He is the supreme ruler. That's what God is.

[00:01:29]Amen, and welcome to Spring Camp Meeting 2019.

[00:01:34]Boy, that previously on, that's inspiring, too, isn't it?

[00:01:37]Anyway, we welcome you as you're joining us maybe through the radio, through the internet, through the TV airwaves. Thank you for joining us for Spring Camp Meeting. Our local audience that's here, many have traveled from many states here in the United States, outside of the United States. We have Russia, Australia. Am I missing another country?

[00:01:57]England? Wow. Fantastic. We thank you for coming here to 3ABN Camp Meeting.

[00:02:02]What a blessing it is to spend time together, isn't it?

[00:02:06]To me, it's a foretaste of heaven.

[00:02:08]And I tell you, I look forward to heaven, and that should be the prayer on each one of our hearts as we prepare, right, for Christ's soon return. And He is coming soon. You know, some of the things that we really enjoy about Spring Camp Meeting is meeting you here. And I met a dear couple, the Pennys, right, from Georgia, came into the to the truth because of you, because of 3ABN.

[00:02:32]And what a blessing, these stories are the ones that inspire our hearts and should inspire you, as well.

[00:02:37]It's because of the money that you give, the donations, the prayers that you put forward for 3ABN, it's making a difference, and that's what's really special to each one of us.

[00:02:48]Here in the the Midwest, we've had a lot of rain. You may have heard about all the rain and the flooding, and usually these fields around here have corn that are that's already growing, and it's not even planted. The other night, I was talking about pre- preparing.

[00:03:04]We I had my neighbor, he tilled my garden, for those of you that like to garden, and I like to plant sweet potatoes.

[00:03:10]And they tilled the garden, the soil was nice and soft, but I knew this rain was coming. You know, last night we got a lot of rain, right? Lot of rain. For those that were tenting in tents, they said they were wet. We need to pray that it dries out for them. But anyway, we knew the rain was coming, so I wanted to plant my sweet potatoes before my garden became a muddy mess.

[00:03:29]So, in case some of you saw me, I was planting sweet potatoes at 10:30 at night.

[00:03:37]With a flashlight.

[00:03:39]So, if you go look at my garden and my rows are a little crooked, please don't judge me.

[00:03:44]>> [laughter] >> But But talking about preparing, we knew the rain was coming, so I wanted to get them in the soil. So, we need to We know Christ is coming soon. So, Camp Meeting is about renewing our walk with Christ.

[00:03:55]But it's not about just taking what we have here at Camp Meeting and saying that was wonderful, it's about taking it back for our local churches, our local communities, and doing something about it. And in our own lives, recommitting our lives to Jesus Christ. This morning, we're going to be blessed with a powerful message by Pastor David Shin.

[00:04:11]He's a dear friend of the ministry of 3ABN and of Jill and myself.

[00:04:17]Boy, this may age us, but uh we were in college together over 20-some years ago.

[00:04:22]So, he's a dear friend. He has a a wonderful wife and a little son. But before he comes and breaks the word of God to us, we have uh another dear friend, and uh it's Tim Parton. He's the general manager of the 3ABN Praise Him Network, but he's a dear friend to Jill and myself, and he's going to be blessing us with a song this morning uh entitled I Will Cherish the Cross.

[00:04:54]I remember the day mercy saved me.

[00:04:59]Trembling, I knelt down and prayed.

[00:05:03]There at the cross, [music] love forgave me, exchanging my sin for His grace.

[00:05:12]I will never forget the burden He lifted and the peace that flooded my soul.

[00:05:20][music] I will cherish the cross, so precious to me, the place of my pardon, where I [music] was redeemed.

[00:05:30]No more a sinner, I'm a child of God.

[00:05:35]I'm free and forgiven, [music] and that's why I cherish the cross.

[00:05:50]Wherever this journey may lead me, whatever [music] road I may walk, my heart will always [music] be clinging to the treasure I have in this cross.

[00:06:07]It is foolish [music] to those [singing] who don't choose to believe, but to me, it's the power of God. I will cherish the cross, [music] so precious to me, the place of my pardon, where [music] I was redeemed.

[00:06:26]No more a sinner, I'm [music] a child of God. I'm free and forgiven, and that's [music] why I cherish the cross.

[00:06:37]>> [singing] [music] >> I will cherish the cross till my trophies at last I lay down.

[00:06:48]Oh, [music and singing] I will cherish the cross till I trade it someday for a crown. [singing] [music] I'm going to cherish the cross, so precious to me, the place of my pardon, where I [music] was redeemed.

[00:07:07]No more [singing] a sinner, I'm a child [music] of God. I'm free and forgiven, >> [music] >> and that's why I cherish the cross.

[00:07:18]>> [singing] [music] >> That's why [music] I cherish the cross.

[00:07:36]>> [singing] >> Amen. Amen. I will cherish the cross.

[00:07:50]Thank you so much for that beautiful special music. Good morning, everyone.

[00:07:55]Good morning. I almost said happy Sabbath, but uh it's different being up here on a Thursday morning. Are you enjoying Camp Meeting thus far?

[00:08:05]Praise the Lord for this opportunity to share together about the law of God.

[00:08:11]I was in the back, and Greg mentioned that he, Jill, and I were in college over 20 years ago.

[00:08:19]Hard to believe. Of course, we started when we were 10, and uh so that's why uh but uh don't let this baby face fool you, actually. And uh I don't know what I'm eating or drinking, but uh it's slowed down the aging process. Praise the Lord.

[00:08:36]Well, let's spend some time in God's word, and let before we do that, let's bow our heads as we pray this morning.

[00:08:45]Father in heaven, we thank you so much for this opportunity to reflect on the law of God, the law of law love and liberty, and we pray this morning that as we open your holy word, that the Holy Spirit, the divine teacher, would guide our thoughts and minds this morning. Hide me behind the cross.

[00:09:08]May Jesus be uplifted and Christ be seen, for we ask these things in His precious name. Amen.

[00:09:15]Our topic today is the law before Sinai, and it can actually be framed as a question, the did the law exist prior to Mount Sinai, or was it invented at Mount Sinai? And before we do that, we want to go into a study and ask ourselves the question, why is it in the New Testament that there seems to be a contradiction between a set of verses on one side that say that the law has been done away with, and another set of verses on the other side that the law is still binding? And many people don't understand that in the Bible that there's actually two laws in scripture.

[00:10:03]There were actually two laws that were given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai and I want to do a brief study this morning.

[00:10:12]Do you have your Bibles as we open the word of God?

[00:10:15]And I want to put on the screen a set of verses here. The first one I want to invite you to go to is James chapter 2 and verse 10 and this this verse indicates that the law has been established and still binding upon all of us. James chapter 2 and verse 10 and we can see from the context here that this is actually talking about the moral law. James 2:10 for whoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of how much?

[00:10:49]He's guilty of all. The Bible indicates that the law is so immutable, so unchangeable that if you break one, you break them all.

[00:11:02]Some individuals will say, "Look, some laws or some aspects of the 10 Commandments are not as a high of a priority as the other ones. They say you can get a 10% discount on the 10 Commandments."

[00:11:15]But the Bible indicates even if you break one, you break them all. In verse 11, the Bible says, "For he said, 'Do not commit adultery.' Also said, 'Do not murder.'

[00:11:26]Now, if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law." This is clearly talking about the 10 Commandments and the moral law.

[00:11:37]Let's go to our second verse here. Let's go to Colossians chapter 2 and verse 14.

[00:11:44]Every time I give a study on the Sabbath, I know that Colossians 2 and verse 14 is coming up as an objection many times.

[00:11:52]And here is the text. Colossians chapter 2:14, "Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us, he has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." Every time I give a study on the Sabbath, this text is quoted 90% of the time. They say, "The law has been done away with. See, the Bible says that the law has been nailed to the cross. We're no longer under the law, we're under grace." Now, you'll notice here it says, "Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements." Some of them Some of the translation actually say "ordinances." We'll come back to that in a moment. And then in verse 15, "Having disarmed principalities and powers, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them. So, let no one judge you in food or drink or festival or new moon or Sabbaths." Now, we'll come back to that text in a moment, but here's another text that indicates that the law is done away with, that after the cross, we don't have to keep the law anymore, which seems to contradict the passage that we just read in James chapter 2:10 that indicates if you break one, you break them all. Now, let's go to our next passage very quickly. Let's go to the words of Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapter 5:17 through 19. Here Jesus gave the greatest sermon ever preached. Matthew chapter 5, 6, and 7, the Sermon on the Mount. And here he talks about the law. Matthew chapter 5:17, "Do not think that I've come to destroy the law or the prophets.

[00:13:38]I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill."

[00:13:43]Now, some of our evangelical friends will say that that word fulfill means to do away with the law. Now, let's put that in there. It doesn't make any sense. I did not come to destroy the law, but to do away with the law.

[00:13:58]The word but indicates a contrast. Here he's actually saying, "Look, I did not come to destroy the law, I came to magnify the law."

[00:14:07]And we can see that in the Beatitudes.

[00:14:09]He said, "You have heard it said, 'You shall not commit adultery, but I say unto you, if you look at a woman to lust after her, you have committed adultery in your heart.'" In other words, he expands the law from the actions to the thoughts.

[00:14:25]You've heard it said, "You shall not kill."

[00:14:27]But if you hate your brother, you have committed murder in your heart.

[00:14:31]Here Jesus says, "Look, I've not come to destroy the law, but to magnify or to fulfill the law." Now, let's go to another text that seems to contradict this. Let's go to Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 15. Here the Apostle Paul seems to allude to this notion to some evangelicals that the law is no longer binding. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 15. He's talking about a new covenant relationship with Christ after the cross. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 15.

[00:15:05]The Bible says, "Having abolished in his Christ flesh the enmity that is the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in himself a new man from the two, thus making peace." Notice the Bible says that he "abolished in his flesh." In other words, when Jesus died on the cross, he abolished the law contained in ordinances. Now, we'll come back to this idea of ordinances in a minute, but many times this text is used to say that after we become a Christian, after the cross, we no longer have to keep the law anymore because when Jesus died, the law died with him.

[00:15:52]Let's go to the last book of the Bible very quickly, Revelation chapter 14 and verse 12.

[00:15:57]Here's another text that seems to indicate that the law is still binding, that the law is eternal. The last book of the Bible, Revelation chapter 14:12.

[00:16:05]This is a great eschatological prophecy indicating that there will be an end-time people who will keep the Commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus. Revelation chapter 14:12, "Here is the patience of the saints.

[00:16:19]Here are those who keep the Commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus."

[00:16:25]Notice that there's an interdependence implied between keeping the Commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. In other words, if you are in a relationship with Christ, righteousness by faith and keeping the law are not mutually exclusive.

[00:16:45]They are interrelated.

[00:16:47]And the Bible indicates that before Jesus comes the second time, there will be a people that keep all 10 of God's Commandments and have the faith of Jesus. Righteousness by faith. We have this notion that's put up today that righteousness by faith and being in a loving, law-keeping relationship with Christ are mutually exclusive. In other words, having a relationship with Christ is on one hand and you don't have to keep the law anymore. But the Bible indicates that if you are abiding in Christ, you will have fruit.

[00:17:24]Jesus will work in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

[00:17:31]Let's go to Romans chapter 6 and verse 14. Our next passage that seems to indicate that the law is no longer binding.

[00:17:40]And this one is quoted many times as well when the Sabbath study is given.

[00:17:44]"For sin shall have no dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace."

[00:17:53]They say, "Look, once you accept Christ as your savior, you're no longer under the law."

[00:18:01]But the Bible also presents this principle that when you accept Jesus as savior, you're also accepting him as Lord of your life.

[00:18:10]It's not a popular teaching today, by the way. Everyone wants Jesus as savior.

[00:18:16]But after that, you want to say, "My Lord and my God."

[00:18:20]You want to have him Lord of your life.

[00:18:23]Let's go to our next passage here, 1 John chapter 3.

[00:18:27]1 John chapter 2:3 and 4.

[00:18:31]1 John is near the end of the Bible, close to the book of Revelation. 1 John chapter 2:3 and 4. Here John makes it very clear about the nature of God's 10 Commandments.

[00:18:45]"Now, by this we know that we know him."

[00:18:50]How many people today say that they know Jesus? Here John says, "Here's the litmus test.

[00:18:58]Here's the visible manifestation of knowing Jesus. And by this we know that we know him if we keep his Commandments." In other words, the visible manifestation of an individual that knows Jesus is keeping God's Commandments.

[00:19:17]Verse 4, "For he who says, 'I know him' and does not keep his Commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him." The Bible makes it very clear. Now, this is not talking about ignorance sins because the Bible says, "For him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, it is not sin." But this is talking about a willful transgression of God's law.

[00:19:42]Let's go to our last passage here, Galatians chapter 3:23 through 25.

[00:19:48]The law in Galatians.

[00:19:51]And here Paul establishes that the law is like a tutor or a schoolmaster to bring us to Jesus Christ.

[00:20:01]Galatians chapter 3 verse 23 through 25.

[00:20:11]The Bible says, "But before faith came, we were kept under the law, kept for faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore, the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith, but after faith has come, we are no longer under the tutor."

[00:20:35]People use this text to indicate that look, the law brings us to Jesus Christ, but after Jesus Christ, we have no use for the law in a relationship with Christ, which is a twisting of what Paul actually says.

[00:20:49]Now, how do we deal with this contradiction that seems to appear in scripture? By the way, this is an important hermeneutical rule that we need to follow. When you uh are studying the Bible and you come across a contradiction or an apparent or seemingly contradiction, we need to take the posture of not immediately jumping to the conclusion of saying, "Look, the Bible's contradicting itself. It must be wrong."

[00:21:17]When we study scripture, we need to take our shoes off our feet in humility recognizing that we are in a divine engagement with Holy Scripture. Amen?

[00:21:30]So, we can't take that posture. We need to take the posture that when we approach scripture and we come across something that seems to contradict itself, not to just say, "Oh, the Bible's contradictory." But say, "Look, the issue is my understanding of scripture, not scripture." You know, there's some things I read in scripture or I should say many things I read in scripture that I simply cannot understand because this is a divine book.

[00:21:55]I can read this book multiple times and not have a complete understanding. And that's okay.

[00:22:02]And here is one of those cases where it is our understanding of scripture. Here we have two sets of text, one on one side that says that the law is eternal, immutable, and cannot be changed. And on the other side, the Bible indicates that after the cross, we are no longer under the law.

[00:22:21]Now, which is it?

[00:22:23]It's both.

[00:22:25]The solution for this contradiction is actually that there are two laws.

[00:22:32]You see, when Moses, and praise the Lord for this beautiful set by the way, amen?

[00:22:38]When Moses went up on Mount Sinai to commune with God, he did not only come down with tablets of stone, but you know, Moses was a genius.

[00:22:53]He also got the sanctuary blueprint, which he wrote down. But in addition to that, after that engagement with God on Mount Sinai, he also came down with another law, the ceremonial law.

[00:23:09]So, there were two things that were given to Moses by God, the 10 Commandments and the ceremonial law. And I want to go through the characteristics of each so that we do not confuse one for the other. Let's go to Exodus chapter 31 verse 18. This is on Mount Sinai.

[00:23:27]Exodus chapter 31 verse 18. "And when he had made made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, he gave Moses two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone written with the finger of God."

[00:23:47]So, here's the first characteristic of God's 10 Commandments. It was written by whom?

[00:23:54]It was written by God. Now, I want us to think about the implications of this.

[00:24:00]The majority of scripture, God did not directly write.

[00:24:08]Now, I'm not saying that it's not inspired, but the Bible tells us that holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. In other words, the way that God chose to give us the Bible was by inspiring the person and then as the person was writing what he was inspired with, the Holy Spirit also guided that process as well.

[00:24:33]But this divine revelation was so important that God said, "You know what, Moses?

[00:24:43]The rest of the Bible, the rest of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, I'm going to inspire you and you write it.

[00:24:51]But this one is so important that I'm going to write it myself."

[00:25:01]Now, there are certain times that I have someone else write a document for me.

[00:25:08]You know, I'm privileged to have a secretary at my church. Praise God.

[00:25:12]Happens to be my wife. Praise the Lord.

[00:25:14]Yeah, I don't know how worried I would have been. Okay.

[00:25:18]And I I sometimes I say, "Honey, can you respond to this person for me on my behalf?"

[00:25:26]Now, does that respond have merit? Absolutely. Okay? She's speaking on my behalf.

[00:25:34]But there are certain times that I have to write the person myself.

[00:25:41]And this is one of those instances.

[00:25:44]The 10 Commandments were so preeminent, so important that God said, "Look, Moses, I'm going to write this myself."

[00:25:57]And notice the material that God used.

[00:26:00]The material itself indicates the importance of this.

[00:26:05]He didn't write it in sand.

[00:26:08]He did write in sand, by the way.

[00:26:11]Wrote our sins in sand. Praise God he didn't write it in stone. Amen?

[00:26:15]Okay?

[00:26:17]Wrote the Pharisees' sins in the sand.

[00:26:19]He didn't write it in stone. But this one, he said, "I'm going to take an object." He didn't write it on parchment.

[00:26:24]He said, "I'm going to write it in stone."

[00:26:28]The material that God chose to write the 10 Commandments, not only did he write it with his own finger, indicating that he's not going to dictate this to Moses.

[00:26:37]He didn't say, "Moses, get out your pen and paper. I'm about to give you the 10 Commandments. By the way, this is very important." Moses is like, "I got a pen.

[00:26:43]Okay." No, it wasn't dictated. God said, "This is so important." He didn't delegate it to an angel.

[00:26:51]Like the book of Revelation or the book of Daniel.

[00:26:56]God wrote it himself.

[00:26:59]And I have to do a study on this, but I believe that the 10 Commandments are the only part of the scriptures that God said, "I'm going to write myself."

[00:27:09]And he wrote it in stone to indicate its permanence, its immutability, that it does not change.

[00:27:21]So, when Moses came down from the mountain, he had in his hands two tablets of stone that were written by God with his own finger. It must have been emblazoned with fire as he was coming down from that mountain.

[00:27:38]Now, why would God go through all of that trouble if the 10 Commandments were temporary?

[00:27:48]I mean, it doesn't make any sense.

[00:27:51]I mean, have you heard of common sense?

[00:27:53]I mean, you don't have to go into Hebrew to understand this. Written by God and it was written in stone.

[00:28:01]Now, I want to go to Deuteronomy chapter 10 verse 5.

[00:28:05]Because this 10 Commandments that God received or God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai were placed in a very unique location.

[00:28:18]Deuteronomy chapter 10 verse 5.

[00:28:20]"And I turned and came down from the mountain and put the tablets in the ark which I had made, and they are there just as the Lord commanded me." So, Moses gets the 10 Commandments from God on Mount Sinai and he comes down and he places it in a particular place. In the sanctuary, you have the courtyard, the holy place, and the most holy place. The most holy place, you know, by the name is the most sacred room.

[00:28:51]Now, he doesn't just place it in the room, but here you have the ark of the covenant. Now, the ark of the covenant was a replica of the throne of God. You see that in Isaiah where you see the throne room of God, these angels are hovering over the Shekinah glory saying, "Holy, holy, holy." So, it's a replica of the throne of God. And and the 10 Commandments were placed inside of the ark. The ark of the covenant is like a chest, okay, representing the throne room of God. And think about the implications of this, all right? So, here's the throne and he places it inside of the ark.

[00:29:28]Think about that. The throne of God, the foundation of that by the symbolism here is the 10 Commandments.

[00:29:40]The throne of God placed inside of the ark.

[00:29:45]Now, notice that Moses did not come and place it in the courtyard or outside of the sanctuary.

[00:29:56]He didn't place it in the holy place. He didn't just place it in the most holy place, but the most sacred entity, the ark of the covenant, he placed it inside.

[00:30:07]Isaiah chapter 42:21 says that Christ was to magnify the law and make it honorable. So, here is the 10 Commandments. It was written by God.

[00:30:18]It was written on stone and it was deposited by Moses inside of the ark and Christ was to magnify the law and make it honorable. By the way, Ellen White indicates that at the siege of Jerusalem or just prior to the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, holy men of God took the ark of the covenant and hid it in caves.

[00:30:42]And she says that it is hidden till this day and she indicates that before the close of probation, which I believe is very soon, that the ark of the covenant will be rediscovered.

[00:30:56]And the 10 Commandments will emerge from within the ark of the covenant and highlighted will be the fourth commandment.

[00:31:10]So, God's 10 Commandments, written by God, written in stone and was deposited by Moses inside of the ark. Christ was to magnify the law and make it honorable. Now, let's go to the ceremonial law very quickly here in Exodus chapter 24:4.

[00:31:26]Exodus chapter 24:4 and this is in contrast to the moral law of God.

[00:31:32]Exodus chapter 24:4 and Moses wrote all of the words of the Lord and he rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and 12 tribes of Israel.

[00:31:45]Verse 7, then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people and they said, "All that the Lord has said, we will do." In other words, this was given to Moses by God, but he did not write it himself. He had Moses write it and it was written in a book.

[00:32:08]So, contrast this to the 10 Commandments. The 10 Commandments are written by God.

[00:32:13]Moses' law was written by Moses.

[00:32:17]And it was placed in a book.

[00:32:20]And notice the location of this book, this law of Moses. Go to Deuteronomy chapter 31 and verse 26. Deuteronomy chapter 31 and verse 26, Moses took the book of the law and he placed it in a different location than the 10 Commandments.

[00:32:39]Deuteronomy chapter 31:26, "Take this book of the law and put it beside the ark of the covenant." Where were the 10 Commandments placed? Inside of the ark, but the book of the law was placed beside the ark.

[00:32:57]Now, just by location, which one by implication had precedence?

[00:33:06]The one inside the ark or the one outside of the ark on the side? The one inside. The one inside. So, the 10 Commandments were placed inside, the book of Moses was placed at the outside.

[00:33:17]And notice what the Bible says at the end of this verse, "Take this book of the law and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there as a witness." And what are the last two words there?

[00:33:29]Against you. Very interesting. The book of Moses was placed at the side of the ark and the Bible uses the phrase that it was to be against the people.

[00:33:40]The book of Moses was known as the law of blessings and cursings.

[00:33:46]The book of Deuteronomy says, "Look, if you follow God, all of these blessings will follow you. If you do not follow him, all of these curses will follow you. You'll be taken off into captivity and all these other things will come to play."

[00:34:01]It will be there as a witness against you.

[00:34:05]Now, I want to have you go back to Colossians chapter 2:14.

[00:34:13]Because, friends, every time I give the study on the Sabbath, this text is quoted.

[00:34:20]To to say that the moral law, the 10 Commandments, were nailed to the cross, but it is clearly not in the text and I'll show you why. Verse 14, "Having wiped out the handwriting."

[00:34:34]Now, which one had handwriting? Moses' law or 10 the 10 Commandments? Moses' law.

[00:34:41]Okay, and notice the word of requirements. If you look it up in the Strong's Concordance, it literally says the laws of Moses, the ordinances of Moses.

[00:34:52]Now, the one that does it for me in verse 14, it says, "Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was" And what does the Bible say?

[00:35:01]Against us. That is a direct quote of Deuteronomy chapter 31:26.

[00:35:08]Moses' law was placed by the side of the ark and it was to be there as a witness against the people. And here Paul in Colossians chapter 2:14 says, "Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, that was contrary to us, having taken it away, having nailed it to the cross." In other words, after the cross, the law of Moses is no longer binding.

[00:35:34]The law of Moses that was against the people was nailed to the cross.

[00:35:40]What did the law of Moses have to have to do with? It had to do with the Passover.

[00:35:46]It had to do with the festivals and feasts. And when Jesus died on the cross, the temple veil was rent from top to bottom, indicating a new and living way.

[00:35:59]Jesus, the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, had died.

[00:36:05]And friends, this is an important principle that we need to follow. We need to let the Bible interpret itself. This is the law that Colossians chapter 2:14 is talking about. It's talking about the law of Moses.

[00:36:23]Now, I want to give a quotation here from Billy Graham. I believe we have this quotation here on this screen. A question was asked to Billy Graham.

[00:36:31]Question, "Some religious people that I know tell me that the 10 Commandments are part of the law and they do not apply to us today. They say that as Christians, we are free from the law. Is that right?" So, Billy Graham was asked this question. You know, the 10 Commandments, some people say we are no longer under the law, we don't have to keep the law anymore. And this is Billy Graham's answer. Answer, "No, it is not right and I hope that you will not be misled by these false opinions. It is very important that Christians understand what the Bible means when it says they are free from the law. It certainly does not mean they are free from the obligations of the moral law and are at liberty to sin.

[00:37:10]You see, the word law is used by the New Testament writers in two senses.

[00:37:15]Sometimes it refers to the ceremonial law of the Old Testament, which is concerned about rituals and regulations regarding food, drink and things of that kind. This ceremonial law was of a passing nature and was done away with when Christ came. From this law, Christians are indeed free. But the New Testament does also speak of a moral law, which is of a permanent, unchanging character and is summarized in the 10 Commandments. This law sets forth God's demands on human life and man's duties to God and his neighbor that it definitely applies to Christians is made clear in Romans chapter 13:8-10.

[00:37:53]Billy Graham."

[00:37:55]I agree with him.

[00:37:57]I absolutely agree with him.

[00:38:00]The purpose of Moses' law was to point forward to Jesus.

[00:38:06]It served a purpose.

[00:38:09]But after Jesus came and died, we no longer have to bring a lamb to a sanctuary. Praise God.

[00:38:17]We no longer have to travel to Jerusalem for these festivals and feasts. Praise his name.

[00:38:24]Because Jesus came to fulfill the ceremonial law.

[00:38:31]Now, very quickly here, I want to go through some aspects where the Bible indicates that all of the attributes of God's character are also attributed to God's 10 Commandment law.

[00:38:47]I want to read these through for you for you very quickly. They're here on this screen.

[00:38:52]The Bible says that God is spiritual, John 4:24. The Bible also says that his law is spiritual.

[00:38:59]Romans chapter 7:14. The Bible says, "The law God is love." 1 John chapter 4:8, "His law is love." Matthew 22:37-40.

[00:39:08]"God is truth. His law is truth." "God is righteous. His law is righteous. God is holy. His law is holy. God stands forever. His law stands forever. God is good. His law is good. God is just. His law is just. God is pure. His law is pure. God is unchangeable. His law is unchangeable."

[00:39:36]In other words, the law of God is a transcript of God's character.

[00:39:46]All the attributes and the essence of who God is is in the law.

[00:39:52]That's why you can find all of the attributes of God and who he is are attributed to the law of God.

[00:40:00]God is love. His law is love.

[00:40:06]How do we know that the law God's 10 Commandments preceded Mount Sinai?

[00:40:12]Because the law is a transcript of God's character.

[00:40:17]And God is eternal.

[00:40:20]You see the moral law of God, the 10 Commandments was not something that God fabricated or invented on Mount Sinai. It's not as though prior to Moses there was no 10 Commandments even in heaven that the principle of love and the attributes of God's character as defined in the 10 Commandments did not preexist Moses.

[00:40:46]They were there from eternity because of who God is.

[00:40:53]Now, I want to invite you to go to Numbers chapter 4 verse 5 and 6 as we look at the Ark of the Covenant.

[00:41:00]The Ark of the Covenant was transported in a particular way.

[00:41:05]The first tabernacle that was built under the instruction given to Moses by God was a portable sanctuary.

[00:41:16]It was to be set up and taken down as the children of Israel traveled from Egypt to Canaan. Numbers chapter 4 verse 5 and 6 indicates that when the Ark of the Covenant was being transported from one place to another that there was a particular way that it was to be transported. Numbers chapter 4 verse 5 and 6.

[00:41:42]When the camp prepares to journey, Aaron is and his son shall come and they shall take down the covering veil and cover the Ark of the Testimony with it.

[00:41:54]You know, the children of Israel, they never saw inside of the Ark.

[00:42:00]It was always covered.

[00:42:02]So, as the Levites would carry the Ark of the Covenant from Egypt to Canaan between camps it was always covered.

[00:42:13]But there was a particular way that the Ark of the Covenant was covered.

[00:42:17]Verse 5.

[00:42:20]When the camp prepares to journey uh verse 6, they shall put on it a covering of badger skins and spread over that a cloth entirely of what?

[00:42:34]Of blue and they shall insert its poles.

[00:42:39]So, the the Levites would take badger skins and cover the Ark of the Covenant, but over the badger skins they would take a what color cloth?

[00:42:50]They would take a blue cloth and cover it. So, as the children of Israel would see the Ark of the Covenant that was being transported, they would see the color blue.

[00:43:01]That was the color that they saw. They were never able to see inside the Ark, but the covering was blue. Now, what is the significance of the color blue? Go over to Numbers chapter 15 verse 38 and 39. The children of Israel were even given instructions as to what they were to construct their clothes of. Numbers chapter 15 verse 38 and 39 it says that they were to use a particular type of thread in their garments. Numbers 15 verse 38 and 39.

[00:43:33]Speak to the children of Israel, tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations and put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. So, the children of Israel were to have tassels on the edge of their garments and within the tassels they were to use a blue cloth.

[00:43:53]And notice what the Bible says.

[00:43:56]And you shall have the tassels that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them.

[00:44:06]So, what did the color blue represent to the children of Israel? The Bible says that that as they saw the tassels and they saw the blue thread within the cloth, they were to look at it and to remember to keep God's 10 Commandments.

[00:44:22]Very interesting. The color blue according to scripture represents God's moral law.

[00:44:31]The covering of the Ark, the blue represents God's moral law. So, the the Ark of the Covenant was called covered in blue, but also the law of God was a part of the Israelites' robe.

[00:44:46]It was to go with them wherever they went. So, as they looked at the tassels it reminded them to keep the law of God.

[00:44:56]There's another place where the color blue comes up. Go over to Exodus chapter 24 verse 9 through 12.

[00:45:04]Exodus chapter 24 verse 9 through 12. This is at Mount Sinai.

[00:45:13]Exodus chapter 24 verses 9 through 12.

[00:45:17]Then Moses went up and also Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and 70 elders of Israel.

[00:45:26]And they saw the God of Israel and there were under his feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone and it was like the very heavens in clarity.

[00:45:40]So, here Moses and a group of elders go up to Mount Sinai and they see God and he's standing there.

[00:45:46]And notice what he's standing on.

[00:45:48]God is standing there. They see God and he's standing on a stone.

[00:45:53]Do you see that? According to the text.

[00:45:56]What color is that stone?

[00:45:58]It's sapphire.

[00:46:00]And what color is sapphire?

[00:46:02]It's blue. So, so picture this in your minds. The elders of Israel Moses, Aaron are there and they see God and he's standing.

[00:46:11]The very foundation of who God is, he's standing on a blue stone.

[00:46:18]He's standing on a blue stone.

[00:46:21]Now, let's read on.

[00:46:23]But the nobles of the children of Israel did not lay his hand. So, they saw God and ate and drank. Verse 12, then the Lord said to Moses, come up to me on the mountain and be there and I will give you tablets of stone on and the law and the commandments which I have written that you may teach them. So, they they see the scene where God is standing on a blue stone and God says to Moses, come up to me and I will give you tables of stone. Now, you you can't pick this up in in the English, but in the Hebrew when God says, look, I'm going to give you tablets of stone in the Hebrew it literally says tablets of the stone.

[00:47:08]Are you following me?

[00:47:10]Tablets of the stone.

[00:47:13]In other words where did God get the material for the 10 Commandments?

[00:47:23]I mean, where did he get it?

[00:47:25]According to the Hebrew it indicates tablets of the stone. In other words, in God's mind God said, look, I want to I want to give the 10 Commandments to Moses, but I want to give it on something that is so meaningful that will establish the immutability and the eternal nature of the 10 Commandments, I'm not just going to get any old rock for the 10 Commandments on which to write.

[00:47:51]I'm going to get the sapphire stone.

[00:47:56]I'm going to get the very stone that is the very foundation of who I am.

[00:48:02]So, God gets the sapphire stone which is from his foundation that he's standing on.

[00:48:11]If you notice in the the flyer the 10 Commandments for this weekend, it's on a blue stone.

[00:48:22]Richard Davidson, Old Testament scholar at Andrews Uni- Andrews Theological Seminary establishes this idea of the blue stone and that the very foundation of who God is and the government of God God took the 10 Commandments from the sapphire stone that he was standing on.

[00:48:43]And this idea this notion that the 10 Commandments are no longer binding is actually a lie from Lucifer himself.

[00:48:57]Because Lucifer in heaven caused an insurrection to attack the very government of God.

[00:49:05]And he says, look, I'm going to strike at the very heart, the very foundation of who God is. I'm going to attack the law of God because it is a transcript of his character.

[00:49:18]Tablets of the stone.

[00:49:22]Now, I want to invite you to go to Ezekiel chapter 10 verse 1 because the sapphire stone arises again in the book of Ezekiel.

[00:49:30]And this is not on Mount Sinai. This is a vision in heaven. Ezekiel chapter 10 and verse 1.

[00:49:39]Ezequiel sees a vision of heaven and he sees cherubim.

[00:49:46]Ezequiel chapter 10 verse 1 and I looked and there was in the firmament above the head of the cherubim. Now, where have you seen cherubim before? The cherubim are they're replicated in the ark of the covenant. But here, he's not looking at the ark of the covenant. He's seeing a vision of heaven.

[00:50:02]Ezequiel chapter 10 verse 1 and I looked in the firmament and there was above the head of the cherubim and there appeared something like What does the Bible say?

[00:50:10]Like a sapphire stone.

[00:50:12]Appeared having the appearance of the likeness of a throne. So, this is the real thing.

[00:50:18]This is the real thing. This is not talking about the ark of the covenant.

[00:50:21]This is the the the scene that Ezequiel is seeing in heaven.

[00:50:26]Actual cherubim and he sees the sapphire stone.

[00:50:31]The sapphire stone. Now, go to verse 26.

[00:50:35]Ezequiel chapter 10 verse 26 because the sapphire stone arises again.

[00:50:42]Ezequiel chapter 10 and verse 26.

[00:50:47]Oh, there's no 26. Well, I'll just Uh-oh, I'm in trouble now. Well, it's in the book of Ezequiel. I'll I'll read it to you cuz I have the reference here wrong. And above the firmament over its head, there was the likeness of a throne, the appearance of a sapphire and seated above the likeness of a throne as it were of human form.

[00:51:12]In other words, this is a scene of the throne room of God.

[00:51:17]And the throne of God is made of sapphire stone.

[00:51:24]Now, look at the ark of the covenant.

[00:51:26]The ark of the covenant is a replica of the real thing in heaven. You have cherubim and the 10 Commandments which was taken from the very foundation of the of what God was standing on was placed inside of the ark indicating that the ark of the covenant is a replica of the very throne room of God and the 10 Commandments is the foundation of God's government.

[00:51:56]The essence of who God is.

[00:52:02]Indicating that God's 10 Commandments is eternal.

[00:52:10]Is God's throne eternal?

[00:52:14]Absolutely.

[00:52:16]And this idea and this notion that the 10 Commandments were done away with that we get a 10% discount on the 10 Commandments is a lie, friends.

[00:52:29]The 10 Commandments preexisted Sinai from the times of eternity. It is the very foundation of God's government and who he is.

[00:52:42]In Romans chapter 13 verse 8 through 13, the Bible says, "Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law."

[00:52:50]God is love.

[00:52:52]His law is love. In other words, if you love God, you're going to keep the Bible Sabbath. Amen?

[00:52:58]If you love God, you're not going to have any other idols before you.

[00:53:02]If you love your neighbor, you're not going to kill him. Amen? You're not going to steal from him. You're not going to take his wife. In other words, love is the motivation of the law.

[00:53:14]And the 10 Commandments many times are postured in a negative sense, "Thou shalt not." But in actuality, it is you will not.

[00:53:23]You will not. If you love your neighbor, you will not. If you love God, you will not.

[00:53:32]Now, I want to put a diagram very quickly on the screen of the sanctuary.

[00:53:36]This is a bird's eye view of the Mosaic Sanctuary.

[00:53:39]And there are three different compartments in the sanctuary. You have the courtyard, you have the holy place and you have the most holy place. And the whole idea is movement. And notice the ark of the covenant with God's moral law is in the most holy place. Adam and Eve back in Edenic perfection before sin were located in the most holy place.

[00:54:00]They had open communion with God, face-to-face communion with God. Now, the question is, where was the moral law prior to sin in the Garden of Eden? Was there a tablet that was there that Adam and Eve had to get up every morning, go to the tablet and say, "Oh, I got to look at this. I got to remember, Eve, you know, I can't steal. I can't cheat."

[00:54:21]You know, all these things. Did they have to go to a moral law and say, "Oh, you know, I got to keep all these things and requirements." Where were the Where was the moral law written prior to Eden?

[00:54:32]It wasn't written in their hearts.

[00:54:36]They naturally were loving people.

[00:54:40]It was their character.

[00:54:43]After sin the entire human race, when you look at the sanctuary were placed outside of the sanctuary.

[00:54:53]But the sanctuary by implication indicates movement through the three openings. In other words, God wants to bring you back.

[00:55:04]In other words, Eden was lost but God wants to restore Eden. I mean, that's the whole story of the Bible.

[00:55:11]Genesis, Eden lost. Revelation, Eden restored.

[00:55:15]And God wants to bring us back.

[00:55:19]That's the movement of the sanctuary. He wants to bring us back into the courtyard, justification. Into the holy place, sanctification. And into the most holy place, glorification.

[00:55:31]He wants to bring us back and notice what the Bible says in the book of Hebrews, "And this is the covenant that I will make with God's people after those days, I will write the law in their hearts."

[00:55:43]In other words, God wants to bring us back to Eden, to that relationship that Adam and Eve had had prior to the fall.

[00:55:51]He wants to write his character of love on our hearts. That is the message of the sanctuary. And notice where the law of God is. It's in the most holy place.

[00:56:04]He wants to bring us all the way back to restore in us the image of God.

[00:56:13]I'm going to invite you to go to the last book of the Bible, Revelation chapter 22 verse 5. This is when Eden is restored.

[00:56:20]And notice what the Bible says.

[00:56:23]Eden is restored.

[00:56:25]Revelation chapter 22 verse 5. In the preceding verses, the Bible indicates that the tree of life is there. Just like Eden. Verse 2, the tree of life is there yielding 12 fruits. And in verse 4, the Bible says, "And they shall see his face and his name shall be on their foreheads."

[00:56:48]In other words, when God restores man back to Eden the Bible says that we will see his face. We'll be able to have that face-to-face relationship with God and the Bible says, "And his name, his character, shall be on their foreheads."

[00:57:05]The prefrontal cortex indicating that God will bring us all the way back.

[00:57:12]How many of you want to say today, "Lord bring me back." Amen? Let's be faithful to him and to his word. Let us pray. Let us pray. Father in heaven, thank you so much for the law of God.

[00:57:26]We thank you that it was not only written in stone.