We're going to start. Good morning.
Good morning.
Let's open up in a word of prayer, shall we?
Our Father in heaven,
Lord, great are your works, studied by all who delight in you.
Father, let us study your works, but ultimately we pray
that your Spirit would help us to delight in you,
the Lord of creation.
Father, and Jesus is the firstborn Son of a new creation.
Lord, help us to look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.
And Lord, on this Reformation Day, Lord, we thank you for the Reformers
who recovered the Gospel, and for saints, men and women,
who have stood firm in the face of opposition
to declare your Gospel, the good news of what Christ has done.
May we be people like that, Lord, who stand on the truth of the Gospel.
We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
The Bible, as you might know, uses different imagery
to help us to understand our relationship with God.
Christ is the King.
If we trust in Christ, we are citizens of His kingdom.
Christ is the Husband, and the Church is His bride.
Jesus came to reclaim that bride.
He is the Good Shepherd.
We are the sheep.
And He leads His sheep into green pastures.
He is the farmer.
We are divine.
He is the warrior.
He goes to war to save His people.
He is that kinsman redeemer.
He redeems us out of slavery as His inheritance.
He is the rock and a solid foundation to build our lives.
He is our Savior.
And Jesus' name literally means Yahweh saves.
Jesus is our Savior.
He is our refuge and fortress
and an ever-present help in time of trouble.
He is a fire.
And He not only burns in wrath,
but He also purifies His people.
He is the firstborn from the dead,
and that's the start of the new creation.
And finally, He is a Father,
and we are His children,
where we can cry,
Abba, Father.
All these are profound images
that God gives us
to help us think about our relationship with Him.
Today, we'll be talking about the new creation,
which is a different way to describe
the same reality we discussed last week.
that God would establish
a truly just and righteous kingdom
in which He is the King.
And in week one,
we define the discipline of biblical theology
as understanding how the diverse parts of the Bible,
66 books in total,
fit together into one grand story
centered on Christ.
And when we talk about the major storyline arc
of the Scripture,
people often rightly say
the Bible can be summarized in four words.
All right?
Creation,
fall,
redemption,
and restoration.
So that's the storyline of the Bible,
and that's called a metanarrative.
It's a way of describing
that storyline.
So the Bible is bookended
by the creation in Genesis 1
and the new creation
at the end of Revelation.
So for this class,
we'll have five sections.
First,
we'll start at the new creation
in Revelation 21.
Second,
rewind to the original creation
in Genesis 1 and 2.
Third,
the fall and the effect of sin.
Fourth,
redemption
by looking at
the Exodus
and then the prophesied second Exodus
and God redeeming creation.
and then finally back
to the new creation.
So five parts.
So part one,
the new creation.
The new creation.
So turn to the end of the Bible
to Revelation 21.
Revelation 21,
verses 1 to 5.
John says this,
Then I saw a new heaven
and a new earth.
For the first heaven
and the first earth
had passed away
and the sea was no more.
And I saw the holy city,
a new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven
from God,
prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice
from the throne saying,
Behold,
the dwelling place of God
is with man.
He will dwell with them
and they will be his people.
And God himself
will be with them
as their God.
He will wipe away
every tear from their eyes
and death shall be no more.
Neither shall there be mourning
nor crying
nor pain anymore
for the former things
have passed away.
And he who is seated
on the throne said,
Behold,
I am making all things new.
Right?
The Bible ends
with the new creation.
And our attention there
is drawn to a beautiful city
coming down out of heaven,
the new Jerusalem,
prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband.
And this isn't just
a holy land
located in the Middle East,
but a new heaven
and a new earth.
Every tear
will be wiped away
and God will again
dwell with his people
face to face.
And one of the glories
of this new creation
of heaven
will be that
we will never need
to say goodbye again.
We at Trinity
know the pain
of having to say goodbye.
Don't we?
Goodbye to saints
who have gone home
to be with the Lord
or goodbye to close friends
that have moved on elsewhere.
So perhaps the Lord
is whetting our appetite
here at Trinity
for the day
when we never need
to say goodbye again.
Right?
And this new creation
will be glorious.
God is concerned
with the renewal
of the entire world.
Creation itself
will be healed.
And this is a vision
John gives us
to show where
the Bible story ends.
The new heavens
and the new earth
is a great act
of new creation.
So if we trust in Christ,
this is our glorious future.
And John,
as you might have imagined
at this point
in our series
in biblical theology,
John is using imagery
that is similar
to another part
of the Bible.
The recreation
reminds us
of the original creation
going back
to the very beginning.
So turn with me
to Genesis 1.
So let's look
at the original creation.
God's original creation.
In Genesis 1,
familiar to us,
we read about
God creating the world.
He created the heavens
and the earth.
Right?
And then God created
Eden, the garden,
as a place for man
and God
to dwell together.
At the end
of the sixth day,
God saw all
that he had made
and it was very good.
From the smallest
subatomic particle
to the largest
galaxy in space,
everything was good
in God's creation.
Now, if you have questions
about how to understand
the creation account
in light of
scientific evidence,
Luke Batty,
Lord willing,
will be discussing this
in the next series.
So stay tuned
if you want to learn
more about the science
and creation.
But you know,
God didn't need
to create the world.
He didn't need
to create the world.
God was perfectly happy
in eternal bliss
before the world
was ever created.
God wasn't lonely.
No, he didn't need us.
He was perfectly happy
within the Trinity,
the Father,
Son, and Spirit.
So why did he do it?
Why did God
create the world
in the first place?
Well, God created
the world
for his own glory.
The heavens
declared the glory
of God
and the skies
proclaimed the work
of his hands,
Psalm 19 tells us.
Through Isaiah,
God says,
bring my sons
from afar
and my daughters
from the ends
of the earth,
everyone who is called
by my name,
whom I created
for my glory,
whom I formed
and made.
God created Israel
for his own glory
and God created
the world
for his own glory.
So creation exists
to show that
the author of creation
is absolutely glorious.
That's why he did it.
And Genesis 2
zooms in
and we see
the creation
of man and women,
the pinnacle
of God's creative work.
So if we were there,
we would have been
witnesses to the very
first marriage.
Adam and Eve,
a bride adorned
for her husband
and the husband
passionately loved
his bride.
Genesis 2.23
is the very first
love poem.
Adam said of Eve,
this is now
bone of my bone
and flesh of my flesh.
And so friends,
it is no accident,
right,
that we find marriage
in the beginning
and end of the Bible.
So when God
instituted marriage
in the account
of creation,
he was providing
the means by which
we might understand
the joy
of an exclusive
covenant love.
So throughout the Bible,
God frequently
addresses us
as people
in the language
of a husband.
Right?
And Paul says
marriage images
the relationship
between Christ
and his church.
And the marriage
ceremony in Genesis
is preparing us
for that great
marriage ceremony
that will happen
in Revelation 21
between Christ
and his people.
When Jesus came
to gather
to himself
the people of God,
he revealed himself
as the bridegroom,
come to claim
his church
as his bride.
In Revelation 21,
John sees that bride,
the church,
adorned for her husband
as Christ marries her.
So Jonathan Edwards
once said,
there may be
many ministers
in the church,
but the church
has only one husband.
A servant
who seeks to gain
attention to himself
is flirting
with Christ's bride.
Right?
You never flirt
with another person's spouse.
Right?
And rather,
servants of Christ
must point the bride
to the husband.
As John the Baptist
said of Jesus,
he must increase,
but I must decrease.
The best man
doesn't take attention
away from the groom
at the wedding.
Right?
And the church
is Christ's
beautiful bride.
Proverbs 31 says,
an excellent wife
who can find.
She is far more
precious than jewels.
Or Proverbs 12,
an excellent wife
is the crown
of her husband.
So if Solomon
could say that
about his wife,
how much more
does Christ love
his church?
Right?
So friend,
the church isn't perfect,
but it will be
once Christ returns.
You know,
perhaps when the church
doesn't live up
to its calling,
it should make us
more frustrated.
It's like seeing
our children misbehave.
Like, I love you
too much to see you
misbehave that way.
And perhaps you felt
that way about the church.
But let me ask you,
though,
do you love the church
the way Christ
loves his church?
The church is Christ's
beautiful bride.
He died for her.
He has an exclusive
covenant love
for his bride.
Friends,
do we love the church
that way,
the way Christ
sees the church?
And so that marriage
between Adam and Eve
is preparing us
for the joy
of that wedding celebration
on that last day
when Christ returns.
Come, Lord Jesus.
All right?
And Genesis 3.8
describes God
walking and talking
with Adam and Eve.
The dwelling place
of God is with man.
And both were to spread
that glory
to the ends of the earth,
filling the earth
with image bearers,
as we discussed last week.
That's paradise.
Everything's good.
Everything's perfect.
It's the pinnacle
of God's creative work.
But of course,
as we know,
tragedy strikes.
In the Bible,
Genesis 3,
tragically,
Adam and Eve
rebel against the God
who gave them
paradise and creation.
They are exiled,
exiled from the garden,
from God's very presence,
thrust into a deep darkness,
into a violent world.
So every good story
has a tension in it.
A problem must be resolved.
And what's the problem
in the Bible?
What's the first problem
that happens?
It's the devastating effects
of sin on creation
and God's original intention
in creation.
So because of sin,
all of creation
was subject to death
and pain.
The old creation
came into the world
through Adam's sin.
The old creation
was subject
to frustration
and futility
because of it.
all of creation groans.
Thorns,
thistles,
and pain
are the consequences
of sin.
Corruption
and death
characterizes it.
So in Tolkien,
the Lord of the Rings,
the two towers
were Saruman's
Isengard
and Sauron's
Mordor.
The two towers.
In the Bible,
death and sin
reign as the twin towers,
as cosmic powers
over the world.
So in Adam,
all die.
And because of Adam's
one sin,
all people enter the world
condemned spiritually dead
and as sinners,
as Paul says
in Ephesians 2.
Human beings
are not only subject
to sin,
in the old creation
they are slaves
to Satan,
who is the prince
of the power of the air.
As the sons and daughters
of Adam,
human beings
are by nature
children of wrath.
The root sin,
the most fundamental sin
in the old creation,
consists in the refusal
to give praise
and thanks
and glory to God.
Sin gives all glory
to self,
refusing to believe
in God's word,
trusting in our own wisdom.
Faith gives all glory
to God,
believing that he will
carry out what he promised.
And the symptom
of this sickness
of sin is boasting,
which is exalted
ourselves over God.
But that distorts reality,
doesn't it?
There is nothing falser
than exalting ourselves
over the creator God.
But Adam,
Eve did this,
you and I do this.
Pride or boasting
is the mark
of the old creation
with a refusal
to trust in God.
So nevertheless,
death is not the final word
in these opening chapters.
Right?
God gave that first
gospel promise
in Genesis 3.15.
The proto-evangelium
we discussed last week.
We see the promise
of victory
over the serpent.
The offspring of Eve
will crush the serpent.
The triumph over evil
is pledged
at the very beginning
in that gospel promise.
The chosen offspring
of Eve
will crush the serpent
one day.
And this is
the proto-evangelium.
In Genesis 3,
the new creation
is promised.
So it sets up
multiple conflicts
that propels
the narrative forward
in the Bible,
the proto-evangelium.
The first conflict
in this
is between Eve
and the serpent.
Right?
And that started
with the serpent's
deception of Eve.
The second conflict
is between
the woman's offspring
and the serpent's offspring.
Right?
Your offspring
and her offspring.
So all the offspring
of Adam and Eve
come into the world
as offspring
of the serpent.
But those who are
the offspring of Eve
are those who are
recipients of God's grace.
And the third conflict
is between
the specific offspring,
the male descendant
that will come.
And the heel
of the Savior
will be bruised,
but the Savior
shall crush
the serpent's head.
So from this point on
in Genesis,
Genesis depicts
two lines of seed
at war with each other.
The offspring of Satan
want to murder
the offspring of Eve.
And the offspring
of the serpent
are enemies
of the offspring of Eve.
So the point
isn't to say here
that Satan
physically conceived
these children.
The Bible is saying
the children of Satan
emulate his characteristics.
They share the same nature
as Satan,
the serpent.
And so this theme
of hostility
between the two lines
will now characterize
the biblical narrative
going forward.
So we begin to see
the rapid rise
of the serpent's offspring.
Eve said of Cain,
I have gotten a man
with the help
of the Lord.
This son, Cain,
is from the Lord.
What a hopeful beginning.
It seems that Eve
may have even thought
that her firstborn son,
Cain,
was that promised offspring
that would crush
the serpent.
Everything began
with a wonderful promise,
just like Judas.
But it doesn't take long
before Cain's character
is revealed to us.
As Shakespeare once wrote,
looks like the innocent flower,
but there's a serpent
under it.
In a plot twist,
Cain was the offspring
of the serpent
and murdered Abel.
And 1 John exhorts us,
do not be like Cain,
who belonged
to the evil one
and murdered his brother.
And why did he murder him?
Well, because his own
actions were evil
and his brothers
were righteous.
Cain belonged
to the serpent,
the evil one.
And why did he murder
his brother?
Cain murdered his brother
because Abel
was righteous.
Cain is marked
by the old creation
from the line
of the serpent,
someone who is proud
who hates the righteous,
the offspring of Eve.
In Genesis 4.11,
God cursed Cain
just like he had done
to the serpent.
God said to Cain
in Genesis 4.11,
and now you are cursed
from the ground
like father,
like son.
And later in Genesis 12,
anyone opposed to Abraham
will be cursed.
And the word curse
is the same word
that God uses
toward Cain
and the serpent.
So the two lines
are going to be at war.
The line of Abraham's offspring
and the serpent
will be at war.
We see that early on
in Genesis.
Jesus would tell
the Pharisees
that they are the offspring
of the serpent
in John 8.44.
Remember that verse?
You are of your father
the devil
and your will
is due to your father's desires.
He was a murderer
from the beginning
and does not stand
in the truth
because there is no truth
in him.
When he lies,
he speaks out of
his own character
for he is a liar
and the father of lies.
Jesus is telling them
they, the Pharisees,
are the offspring serpent.
They are opposing him.
And John the Baptist
even calls them
a brood of vipers.
So the conflict
between the serpent's
offspring
and Eve's offspring
intensifies
in the New Testament
as Christ
now is actively battling
Satan face to face
in the wilderness.
And Judas, remember,
is possessed by Satan
and hands Jesus
over to be murdered.
So that ancient conflict
is unfolding
and intensifying
in the Gospels.
So it's not surprising
then, right,
when Jesus says,
if the world hates you,
know that it hated me
before it hated you.
If you are in Christ,
all the offspring
of the serpent
will hate you.
Just like in Genesis.
And so,
in the narrative
in Genesis,
it seems like
the offspring
of the serpent
were triumphing.
Cain goes on
to build an evil empire.
So that's the line
of Cain right there
in that Albi Seth.
The seventh generation
from Cain
is Lamech.
Right here.
Who is the first
recorded polygamist
who even boasted
about killing a man
because the man
merely struck him.
So understanding
the narrative
between the two lines
helps us to guard
against us
from the era
of thinking
that polygamy
is acceptable
simply because
it's in the Bible
as people say.
Right,
the Bible is not
applauding polygamy
if you understand
how the story
is unfolding.
Lamech was a polygamist.
That doesn't mean
that God is approving
of polygamy.
So we have to understand
the narrative
of what's going on,
what's happening.
In Genesis 4.25
we read of the line
of the promise.
Eve bore a replacement
for righteous Abel
a son named Seth.
And to Seth
also a son was born
and he called
his name Enosh.
At that time,
verse 26,
chapter 4 says,
the people began
to call upon
the name of the Lord.
So there's the promised
line of the offspring
of Eve.
Seth's line
are the recipients
of God's grace.
in Genesis 1-11,
because of the offspring
of the serpent
were spreading so rapidly,
God had to destroy them
with a flood,
showing that God
rules and reigns
even when evil
seems to have
the upper hand.
So there is
a new beginning
of sorts
when God
destroyed the earth
in a flood,
a recreation
of sorts.
God hits
the reset button.
He gave them
away a covenant
showing that God
is committed
to his creation.
We discussed
the ins and outs
of the covenants
last week
if you're interested
in that.
He will not
destroy the earth
again by a flood.
But
the human race
fails
even after being
given a fresh start.
The Tower of Babel
is right around
the corner.
Humans continue
to demonically
reject God.
The reset button
did not solve
the problem
of the human heart.
So even with
an entirely
recreated world,
the human heart
had not changed
one bit.
So to solve
the problem
of this demonic
rejection of God,
we see early on
that this will not
come unless
humanity is given
a new heart.
That's the problem
the Bible is
presenting to us.
When Adam fell
in the garden,
the human heart
was profoundly,
profoundly polluted
by sin.
So Martin Lloyd
Jones once said,
our nature,
man's nature
is fallen.
Man is wrong
at the center
of his being
and therefore
everything is wrong.
He cannot be improved
for finally
nothing will suffice
but a radical
change,
a new nature.
Man loves darkness
and hates the light.
Man loves darkness
and hates the light.
As Martin Luther said,
there's a bondage
to sin,
a slavery to sin
that we all
inherit in Adam.
And that's the pattern
that's emerging.
Natural humans
love the darkness.
The fundamental
problem of the world
in Genesis 11
is within
the human heart.
Natural humanity
loves to sin.
It's not that they
just sin,
that we just sin.
It's that we love
to sin.
Our affections
are disordered.
And without Christ,
we love the darkness.
Jeremiah would say,
the heart is deceitful
above all things
and desperately sick.
From Genesis 3 to 11,
that's the pattern
that's emerging
in the narrative.
And I think this will
always be a pressure point
for hearers of the Bible.
Many reject the message
of the gospel
because it doesn't really
scratch an itch for us.
Why would I need
a savior to die
for my sin?
Why do I need
to be set free?
I'm really not that bad.
Really, come on.
I'm not bad.
And because we don't
understand the gravity
of the problem,
the gospel doesn't really
seem to apply to us.
But we know pride
is the deadliest
and most subtle form
of all sins.
Pride blinds us
to reality.
So if we don't think
we are lost
without Christ,
well, that's the clearest sign
that we actually are lost.
So Adam's sin
in Genesis
is like a virus
that has spread
to the entire human race.
So if our view
of sin is superficial,
then we will undoubtedly
have a superficial view
of salvation.
And that's what's happening
from Genesis 11.
And if we were there,
if we were in Genesis 11,
how in the world
are we going to get
to Revelation 21?
Where God's going to
wipe away every tear.
Where there is no longer
any sin.
How is God going to
recreate what was lost
by the fall?
So,
at this point,
there's a seed
of the new creation.
God will redeem creation
through a man,
Abraham.
At this point,
this one man,
in fact himself,
an idolater
in an evil world,
God called this man
out of darkness
and promised him blessing.
He was called
out of darkness
into light.
And this man is Abraham
who we discussed last week.
So I just said,
Abraham is in respect
a new Adam.
And the land of Canaan
would be the new Eden.
Abraham's descendants
would be the promised
offspring of Eve.
The offspring
that God promised to Eve
will now be a descendant
of Abraham.
And God's new humanity
would spread to the entire world.
All the families
of the earth
shall be blessed
through you, Abraham.
So right there
in Genesis 12,
God is going to
recreate the world.
So last week,
we traced the promise
of God recreating
the kingdom that was lost
in the garden
through Abraham.
But the citizens
of this kingdom
will also be the creatures
of, will be the people
of the new creation.
Right?
Paul says in 2 Corinthians
5 or 17,
Therefore,
if anyone
is in Christ,
he is a new creation.
The old has passed away.
Behold,
the new has come.
So if you belong to Christ,
you are a new creation,
friend.
And the new creation
is a different way
of describing
the kingdom of God.
Both are just different ways
of describing
the same reality.
So that's biblical theology
lets each part
speak with its own voice,
but all these
different ways
of describing it
fit into the overall
choir of Scripture
of God's going to
redeem all of creation.
So how does the promise
of the new creation
unfold in the New Testament?
Well,
unexpectedly,
it might surprise you,
but in the Pentateuch,
we see the promise
of a new creation
and the Exodus
are related events.
The pattern
of our salvation
is established
in the Exodus.
How is that?
How are they related?
Well,
God redeems
his people
out of slavery
and it leads
to the new creation.
The Lord
crushed Pharaoh,
that offspring
of the serpent
who attempted
to annihilate
the offspring
of Abraham.
And that pattern
will apply
in the New Testament
as well.
the Exodus
is the moment
in the Old Testament
which led
to the new creation
of the people
of Israel.
So the Exodus
is the moment
where God saves
his people
out of Egypt
and brings them
to Mount Sinai
and constitutes
Israel
as a new nation
and begins
to dwell with them.
So before the cross
there was the Exodus.
So whereas
John Stott
wrote the cross
of Christ
in the Old Testament
the Jews
would be writing
books titled
The Exodus
of Yahweh
or C.J.
Mahaney's
The Cross-Centered Life
they'd write
The Exodus-Centered Life
something like that.
So today
if we talk
to a person
and we want to say
look God is a redeemer
a deliverer
a savior
we would point
that person
to the cross.
But in the Old Testament
when the psalmist
wanted to praise God
and tell of God's
majestic acts
as a savior to Israel
the psalmist
tells of the Exodus.
So Psalm 105
recounts
the verses
within the Exodus
the
the facts
of the Exodus.
The psalmist
says this
He sent Moses
his servant
and Aaron
whom he had chosen
they performed
his signs among them
and miracles
in the land of Ham.
He sent darkness
and made the land dark.
They did not rebel
against his words.
He turned their waters
into blood
and caused their fish
to die.
Their land
swarmed with frogs.
Even in the chambers
of their kings
he spoke
and there came
swarms of flies
and gnats
throughout their country.
He gave them
hail for rain
and fire and lightning bolts
through their lands
and skipping ahead
He struck down
all the firstborn
in their land
the firstfruits
of all their strength
so He brought
His people out
with joy
His chosen ones
with singing
and He gave them
the land of the nations
and they took possession
of the fruit
of the people's toil
that they might
keep His statutes
and observe His laws.
Praise the Lord.
God saved His people
through the Exodus
and in the Exodus
God demonstrated
His power
above all the other
false gods
in Egypt.
So taking on
all the other
false gods
of the Egyptians
God proved
His majesty
and supremacy
in every realm
of creation.
He shows His power
and there is no one
above Yahweh.
The immenseity
of His power
is on display
in the ten plagues.
But if you read carefully
there is an echo
of God's work
in creation itself
throughout God's
saving act
in the Exodus.
The escape
from slavery
in Egypt
is a new creation story.
Not the creation
of the universe
but the creation
of a new nation
Israel
of God's
new humanity.
So in the ten plagues
in Egypt
God is reversing
the order of creation
as God brings chaos
and judgment
in Egypt
where He rescues
the Hebrew people.
Water is being
turned to blood.
Instead of giving
life to animals
animals are dying.
Rather than light
appearing
God is bringing
darkness
in Egypt.
And the touchstone
that God instituted
was the Passover meal
to remind them
how God
delivered them
the people
out of slavery.
And if the blood
of the lamb
was on the door
God's judgment
would not enter
but would pass
over the house.
The lamb
stood in place
of the firstborn son.
What a powerful image
of God's saving power.
And Lord willing
Nick presently
will be walking us
through the theme
of sacrifice.
That lamb
the Passover lamb
is picturing
the lamb of God
who came
to take away
the sin of the world.
And then at the Red Sea
as chaos
and darkness
threatened
to engulf
the people
the dramatic
crossing of the Red Sea
echoes the ancient
creation account
itself.
In this chaos
the God
who made light
shine into darkness
who formed the land
and sea
will do so
once again.
So at the sea
the waters
are divided
so that dry land
appears.
And the word wind
the wind blows
over the sea
and that word wind
is the same word
used for the spirit
hovering over the waters
in Genesis 1.
So the crossing
of the Red Sea
is a new
creative act
of God.
An act that
creates the new
people of Israel.
So the Red Sea
marks the moment
that Israelites
escaped slavery
and became
the people of God.
So as Baptists
this imagery
should really
resonate with us.
So this same pattern
applies to us
doesn't it?
In Christ
God's new covenant
people are free
from slavery
to sin
and judgment
in the Red Sea
and we come out
as God's
new creations.
And the waters
of baptism
picture that.
We go down
with Christ
in judgment
and we are
raised to new
life.
So the crossing
of the Red Sea
as we discussed
is typology
for baptism.
It's typology.
Remember we said
in the first week
we need to understand
this idea of typology
to understand how
the New Testament
apostles interpreted
the Old Testament.
here is such an example.
Listen to what Paul
says to the church
at Corinth
in 1 Corinthians 10
and how he interprets
the crossing
of the Red Sea.
So this slide
is the most exciting
thing that's going
to happen in this
class today
with the emojis.
For I do not want
you to be unaware
brothers
that our fathers
were all under
the cloud
and all passed
through the sea
and all were baptized
into Moses
in the cloud
and in the sea
and all ate
the same spiritual food
and all drank
the same spiritual drink.
Nevertheless
with most of them
God was not pleased
for they were
overthrown
in the wilderness.
So it seems
the church at Corinth
thought the act
of baptism
and partaking
the Lord's Supper
would save them
even if their lives
were filled
with idolatry
like some magic
antidote to poison.
So as long
as they show up
on Sundays
and take the elements
God's pleased with me
right?
No, that's not
how this works
Paul says.
Paul warns them
by explaining
the Israelites
had their own
form of baptism
and the Lord's Supper
right?
And nevertheless
they did not
please God
they were still
overthrown.
So typologically
when crossing
the Red Sea
the Israelites
were baptized
and Paul is saying
Israel's version
of baptism
and the Lord's Supper
did not protect
them from judgment
and so likewise
the Corinthians
taking the elements
of taking the Lord's
Supper
and getting baptized
will not save
them from judgment
if they are not
repenting of sin
right?
And that warning
still applies to us.
So as we learn
to interpret
the Old Testament
the way the Apostles
did you see how
important typology
is.
Now some see
this typology
and say
just like Israel
was saved
by passing
through the waters
of the Red Sea
the waters of baptism
actually save us.
So that view
is called
baptismal regeneration.
So Roman Catholics
and Lutherans
would point to the Red Sea
and say
see
the waters of baptism
save us.
Lutherans
they have different
slightly different ways
of explaining that
but in the end
they think
the act of
the waters
and baptism
will save
the people.
So they are using
a typology based argument
and it's a big one.
And before we move on
I don't think
we should view
the waters of baptism
as a thing
that saves us.
So water alone
has no power to save.
God through his spirit
saves.
So water imagery
is used elsewhere
to refer to the
sovereign work
of the Holy Spirit
to regenerate our hearts
and make us
into new creations.
So Titus 3.5
says
he saved us
not because of
works done by us
in righteousness
but according to
his own mercy
by the washing
of regeneration
and renewal
of the Holy Spirit.
So scripture
connects the work
of the spirit
with water.
So I think
we must ultimately
see the water
of baptism
as pointing
to the reality
of spiritual renewal
by the spirit.
And a second point
for anyone
inclined
for the view
of baptismal
regeneration
I think the Bible
clearly saves
clearly says
faith saves us.
Ephesians 2.8
By faith
you have been saved.
So if baptism
regeneration
were true
what saves us?
Is it faith
or is it
the waters
of baptism?
And of course
one can have faith
before being baptized.
So I think
baptism should
best be understood
as an outward
event that
depicts an
internal reality
where we are
already united
with Christ
in his burial
and in his resurrection.
So you see
how typology
based arguments
become important
and in fact
you can go
off the rails
with typology.
The Catholic Church
will use a lot
of typological
arguments
to argue
for the supremacy
of the Pope
for baptismal
regeneration
so it's important
that we understand
how they're
kind of constructing
these arguments
and you know
it can get
off the tracks
if we're not careful.
So what are we
meant to see
getting back
to Exodus
what are we
meant to see
by the intertwining
of the theme
of the Exodus
and creation?
So in the Exodus
we're meant to see
that through God's
salvation in the Exodus
God means to make
the new creation.
The pattern is established.
Salvation in the Exodus
will lead to the new creation.
So after the people
are saved
the Lord commanded
the people
to construct a tabernacle
showing that God
is now beginning
to dwell with his people again.
Not face to face
but in a tent.
So the people
are entering
into a new Eden.
A new Eden.
The land of Canaan
would be a new Eden.
So the song
of the sea
that Israel sings
after being rescued
shows this.
The song of the sea
is like a national anthem
written at the birth
of a nation.
This was Israel's
national anthem
they would sing.
And the Israelites
sing about how
Yahweh rescued them
from slavery
will lead them
through the desert
and into the land
of Canaan.
And God
will plant Israel
on his own mountain.
The place
O Lord
which you have made
for your abode.
So Ezekiel 28
will pick up
on this language
to describe
the Garden of Eden.
In the Exodus
Yahweh
would lead Israel
into a new Eden.
And
the prophets
Isaiah will pick up
on Exodus 15
as well
to show the promise
of Exodus 15
was not fully realized
once they were exiled.
The prophets
used the language
this language
now
to describe
a second Exodus
that would need
to happen.
So
we'll get into that.
That's just a preview
of what's going to happen.
But the Exodus
is the meaning
in the new creation
would be the end,
God's goal.
In the new creation
God
with his people
would be
there would be
an entirely new humanity
in the garden
in the land of Canaan.
God
leads the Israelites
to Mount Sinai
where God
gives the people
a set of laws
to live
by in the land of Canaan.
The law
was like a family
code
as God's
new creation.
So if you flip
the Deuteronomy
it's amazing.
Right before
Moses gives
the Ten Commandments
he recounts
the Exodus.
I am the Lord
your God
who brought you
up out of the land
of Egypt
out of the house
of slavery
therefore
live this way.
I have saved you
and I'll be a people
who obey my commandments.
So in the Bible
salvation
always comes
before obedience
or the indicatives
come before
the imperatives.
So it's amazing
to see how the Exodus
frames how Israel
would live
in the land of Canaan.
They would be
a kingdom of priests
and a holy nation
because the God
who saved them
was holy.
And in this new creation
there would be
a new people
meant to live
under God
and his word.
God is remaking
what was lost
in the garden.
So even as the Jews
looked back
at God's salvation
in the Exodus
it pointed forward
to an implied promise
of a new creation
a new humanity
God would create
where the people
are dwelling
with God once again.
But as we talked
about last week
there's a defect
in the laws
at Mount Sinai
or the Mosaic Covenant.
God gave the people
a set of moral rules
as God's covenant people
but not the power
to obey those rules.
So most Israelites
left Egypt unsaved
physically delivered
from slavery
but not spiritually.
Spiritually they were
still enslaved to sin.
And God would need
to do a supernatural work
in the people's hearts
to bring this about.
To truly be a new humanity
God would need to give us
new spiritual life.
Deuteronomy chapter 30
The Lord your God
must circumcise your hearts
and the hearts
of your descendants
to love the Lord your God
with all your heart
and all your soul
so that you may live.
To truly be a new creation
the people would need
to experience conversion
a sovereign work
of the Holy Spirit
or as Jesus would say
in John 3
to see the kingdom
you must be born again
from above.
So we see the pattern
is established
Exodus
new creation
and the rest of Israel's history
is marked by
repeated disobedience
and a refusal
to do the will of the Lord.
Israel desperately needed
sin to be forgiven
for God to give him
a new heart
and without conversion
the promise
to Abraham
to be a blessing
to the nations
would never be theirs.
So now we're going to look
at the second Exodus.
The second Exodus.
Because of the continued rebellion
God exiled the people
from the promised land.
The old saying
history doesn't repeat itself
but it often rhymes.
Like Adam
was exiled
from the garden
because of his disobedience
the Israelites
were again
exiled from the land
because of their disobedience.
The glory of God
left the temple.
Their people now
were in darkness.
They were in darkness.
But in the darkness
of the exile
the prophets
began to prophesy
about a second Exodus
that would need to happen
that would happen.
In the future
God was going
to do something
to redeem his people.
A second Exodus
where God
would lead his people
into an extraordinary
new Jerusalem.
A new heavens
and a new earth.
So during the exile
the people
we would say
wrote with an eschatological hope.
That just means
God was going to do something
in the future
to redeem his people.
And the prophets
told God's people
that there
would be a Messiah
like Moses
who would lead
another Exodus.
Listen to Isaiah 11
verses 10 to 12.
In that day
the root of Jesse
who shall stand
as a signal
for the peoples
of him
shall the nations inquire
and his resting place
shall be glorious.
In that day
the Lord
will extend his hand
yet a second time
to recover
the remnant
the remains
of his people
from Assyria
from Egypt
from Pathros
from Cush
from Elam
from Shinar
from Hamath
and from the coastlands
of the sea.
He will raise
a signal
for the nations
and he will
assemble
the banished
of Israel
and gather
the dispersed
of Judah
from the four corners
of the earth.
So the prophets
were telling people
there would be a Messiah
like Moses
who would lead
another Exodus.
Something
will shoot out
of the stump
of Jesse.
And so the image
the prophets use
is of a tree
that is devastated
but only a stump
remains.
David's line
will decline
to the brink
of extermination
but out of that stump
will come a king
who will lead
to second Exodus
where he saves
his people
not just from Egypt
but from the four corners
of the earth.
So now at one level
called the first
order fulfillment
the second Exodus
was fulfilled
when the people
returned from exile
and rebuilt
the temple
in Ezra and Nehemiah.
But in another horizon
the prophets
foresaw another Exodus
that would eclipse
even the Exodus
from Egypt.
So listen to what
Isaiah says
immediately before
the passage
in this one
in Isaiah chapter 11.
There shall come forth
a shoot
from the stump
of Jesse
and a branch
from his roots
shall bear fruit.
The spirit
of the Lord
shall rest
upon him
the spirit
of wisdom
and understanding
the spirit
of counsel
and might
the spirit
of knowledge
and the fear
of the Lord.
The wolf
shall dwell
with the lamb
and the leopard
shall lie down
with the young goat
and the calf
and the lion
and the fattened calf
together
and a little child
shall lead them
the cow
and the bear
shall graze
their young
shall lie down
together
and the lion
shall eat straw
like the ox
the nursing child
shall play over
the hole
of the cobra
and the weaned
child shall put
his hand
on the adder's den
they shall not hurt
or destroy
in all my holy mountain
for the earth
shall be as full
of the knowledge
of the Lord
as the waters
cover the sea.
So we see
the Messiah
from David's line
will not only
save his people
in the second exodus
that eclipses
the first one
but will bring about
the new creation
even the animals
would be healed
in the new creation.
Isaiah chapter 35
talks about
in that day
God will open
the eyes of the blind
and unstop the ears
of the deaf.
Isaiah is using
different images
and themes
to describe
the same reality.
Through the Messiah
God will save
his people
in another exodus
and he will bring
about the new creation.
So this is prophecy.
Right?
And we'll see
in the New Testament
Jesus too
saves his people
through an exodus.
Jesus is the promised
Messiah
who would deliver
his people
from a slave master
worse than the Egyptians.
As the story
unfolds
Christ will accomplish
that second exodus
and rescue his people
from sin and judgment
and bring the church
into the promised land
of rest.
So that promise
is fulfilled
in and through the church.
But we should notice
something here.
And how can we say
the new creation
arrives when Christ arrives
if these promises
of restored creation
haven't been fully realized?
So reading Isaiah
is often puzzling
because Isaiah
is often prophesying
about heaven,
the new heavens,
the new earth,
and the arrival
of the Messiah
at the same time
in the same sentence.
So you could spend
30 years in Isaiah
and you're going to have
more questions about it.
Someone described it.
It's like trying
to explain to someone
who's never seen
a snow leopard
what a snow leopard
looks like.
Isaiah is going
all over the place
but it's a profound book.
And you could spend
30 years in Isaiah
but we don't have
that amount of time
right now.
So someone wants
to explain it
this way to me.
The prophets
looked at the future
the way we might look
at a mountain range.
There are distant mountains
and nearer mountains
but they all look
like one mountain range.
Isaiah saw only
one mountain range
describing the events
of the coming
of the Messiah
but as the story unfolds
we know that
part of the prophecy
is fulfilled
in Jesus' first coming
and the rest
is fulfilled
in Jesus' second coming
when he consummates
the kingdom
and renews
the entire earth.
The Messiah
would set us free
and creation free
from its bondage
of decay and corruption.
So as the Old Testament
closes
it does so
with the minor prophets
and a note of anticipation
about the Messiah
in the second Exodus
that would renew
creation itself
and that would bring
the people
to dwell with God
once again.
So in the New Testament
the true redemption
to which the Exodus
pointed toward
comes.
So the New Testament
opens up
on a note of fulfillment.
When Jesus arrives
it doesn't take long
for the New Testament
writers to start
picking up on these
themes of an Exodus.
So in Matthew 2
verses 13 to 15
Jesus is transported
down to Egypt
by his mother
and Joseph
escaping the wrath
of Herod
and eventually
he returns
from Egypt.
After this
we are told
fulfills the words
out of Egypt
I call my son.
Referring to Hosea
verse 11
chapter 11
verse 1.
So the first
reference
in Hosea
there is clearly
to Israel
looking backward.
Exodus 4
22
God says
during the Exodus
Israel is my
firstborn son
and I say to you
let my son go
that he may serve me.
Centuries later
Hosea records
God's words
out of Egypt
I called my son
looking back
on the event.
So at this point
it's confusing
right?
Many might feel
the New Testament
writers are
misquoting the
Old Testament.
Hosea
clearly is referring
back to the Exodus
not looking forward
to Mary's
and Joseph's
flight from Egypt.
So where is
Matthew getting
this from?
So this
we would say
is a biblical
theological reading
of the scripture.
Matthew is doing
biblical theology
when he quotes
and he's a profound
thinker
and the more we
study the New Testament
and see the way
the authors
understood the Old Testament
and it really shows
that they were inspired
by the Spirit
to record this
for us.
Matthew is picking up
on a stream
of biblical theology
about the theme
of the Exodus
and the implied promise
that God would
establish his people
into the new garden
as his new creation.
The Exodus
had not been successful
in establishing
the new creation
and because the people
left spiritually unchanged
a greater Exodus
needed to come
to truly free
the people
out of slavery
the slavery
within the heart.
So Jesus
in the Gospels
in Matthew
is the true Israel
because he's
the true son of God.
What Israel
was meant to be
Jesus is.
Israel is the shadow
the type
Jesus is the fulfillment
the anti-type.
So right away
in Matthew
Jesus begins
to retrace
Israel's footsteps
footsteps
which is strange
isn't it?
But it's telling us
it's the second Exodus
that's starting
during his ministry.
So remember
our principles
for typology
are historical correspondence
and the intensifying
of the pattern.
In Matthew 4
Jesus is led
into the desert
by the Spirit
to be tempted
by Satan.
He's retracing
the footsteps.
This is a far
more intense
temptation
than Israel
ever faced.
Jesus quotes
Deuteronomy
he says
man shall not live
by bread alone
but by every word
that comes
from the mouth of God.
Israel heard
these words
but valued bread
over the words
of God
and the rulers.
But Jesus
the true Israel
refuses bread
from Satan
and instead
worships God alone.
That must have been
the hardest thing
for Jesus
to have said no.
Satan said
here's a crown
but no cross.
Just worship
me.
Bow down
and worship
me Jesus.
I'll give you
a crown
but you don't
have to go
to the cross.
Why is Jesus
doing this?
Why is he going
into the desert
to be tempted?
Because he's
beginning the second
exodus.
Or in Luke 9
at the scene
of the transfiguration
Luke uses
the word exodus
when describing
Jesus departing
to Jerusalem.
Luke is telling
us that Christ
has come to bring
the second exodus
by going
to Jerusalem.
Something's going
to happen
in Jerusalem.
Jesus is heading
there.
The second exodus
the great event
of salvation
will happen
in Jerusalem.
So as D.A. Carson
said
everything that is
said and done
all the parables
all the miracles
everything that is
said and done
is under the
impending
anticipated exodus.
His travel to
Jerusalem
means he's
heading for the
cross
the resurrection
and the ascension.
His exodus
as the true
Israel
taking his
people
as it were
in triumphant
array into
the new heaven
and the new
earth.
So on the way
toward Jerusalem
we see a
glimmer
it's a glimmer
of that new
creation that
God promised
through the
second exodus
through Jesus
healing ministry.
The beginning
signs of the
new creation
dimension in
the second
exodus
were shown
when Jesus
healed the
people.
Jesus went
through all
the cities
and villages
teaching in
their synagogues
and proclaiming
the gospel
of the kingdom
and healing
every disease
and every
affliction.
And we see
the same
connection to
the ministry
of the twelve
disciples.
Jesus instructs
them proclaim
as you go
saying the
kingdom of
heaven is at
hand.
Heal the
sick,
raise the
dead,
cleanse
leopards,
cast out
demons.
So the
new creation
is starting
in Jesus
coming.
But it is
not our own
efforts that
bring us into
the new
creation.
But it is
those that
Jesus says
are those
who are
raised from
death who
enjoy life.
Must be
raised from
the dead.
And how
does Jesus,
how does
the new
creation
come?
What's the
means by
which Jesus
brings about
the new
creation?
Well, it's
his word,
isn't it?
That scene
in Ezekiel
where God
tells Ezekiel,
prophesy out of
these dry,
dead bones.
And as he
prophesies,
as he preaches,
new life
starts coming
to these
dead bones.
And Jesus,
he says,
Lazarus,
come out of
that tomb.
Why did
Jesus have
to use
his words
to raise
Lazarus
from death
to life?
Well, it's
the pattern
of God
brings about
the new
creation
through the
proclamation
of his
word.
So Matthew
describes the
kingdom of
God that we
talked about
last week,
but John
is describing
the new
creation that
Christ brings.
So there's
different ways
of talking
about this
new thing
God is
doing.
So Jesus
would say
in John
14,
I am the
way and
the truth
and the
life.
No one
will come
to the
Father
except
through me.
My sheep
hear my
voice and
I know
them.
And they
follow me
and I
give on
to them
eternal
life and
they shall
never
perish.
So now
every great
story has
an amazing
unexpected
plot twist
that no
one expected.
So one
would expect
Jesus to
sit again
on the
throne of
David,
take his
place as
king,
and begin
to rule
his subjects
wisely and
be that
king everyone
hoped for.
So if I
were the
author of
the story,
that's how
I'd write
it.
But that
doesn't
happen,
does it?
Instead,
the author
of history,
Jesus,
triumphantly
enters Jerusalem
on a donkey,
but instead
of being crowned
as a king,
he is
crucified on
a Roman
cross.
But Jesus
said he
lays his
life down
for his
sheep.
The first
Adam in
the garden
threw his
bride under
the bus
the first
chance he
got,
saying,
it was a
woman you
gave me,
God.
But Christ,
the second
Adam,
he climbs
the cross
to die
for the
bride,
his bride,
the church.
No one
is expecting
this to
happen.
No one
is expecting
the king
to be
crucified.
And the
murderer
Barabbas
was set
free,
and the
righteous
king
was condemned
as a murderer.
The Holy
One of Israel,
the thrice
Holy One,
is condemned
as a murderer.
The serpent
has won
that ancient
conflict.
He's finally
and forever
destroyed that
promised male
descendant of
the offspring
of Eve.
But thank God
that's not where
the story ends.
So remember the
opening chapters
of Genesis.
The Lord,
not Satan,
will have the
final victory.
Where does
the victory come?
How does
Christ crush
the serpent
finally?
Well,
that victory
is the
resurrection
from the
dead,
isn't it?
It's interesting
that God
used the
serpent to
reverse the
devastation the
serpent helped
cause in the
first place.
It's the great
reversal in the
story.
In the second
Exodus,
the great act
of salvation
was accomplished
at Calvary.
And now the
new creation
has arrived
when Jesus
is resurrected
from the
dead.
The Lamb
of God
was slain,
but praise God
the Lamb
of God
was raised
again.
The Exodus
is God's
great act
of salvation
that leads
to the
new creation.
And the
cross is
what the
Exodus
narrative
points to.
So 1 Corinthians
15 says this,
For as in
Adam all
die,
so also in
Christ shall
all be made
alive,
be each in
his own
order,
Christ the
firstfruits.
Then it is
coming those
who belong to
Christ.
Christ is the
firstfruits,
the beginning
of the harvest
season where
many come
to life.
If anyone
is in
Christ,
he is a
new creation,
she is a
new creation.
So there's
an already
but not yet
period to
the dimension
of this
new creation.
Jesus'
resurrection
demonstrates
that even
though the
age to come
has not
fully arrived,
the new
creation is
here right
now.
Christians
in the
church are
that new
creation.
And that
new creation,
the promised
circumcision of
the heart
becomes a
reality.
God has
created a
new humanity
creation.
The church
is meant to
be an
outpost of
the new
creation people
of God in
the midst of
the old
creation.
Sunday is the
first day of
the week because
it's the first
day of a new
creation.
We gather on
Sundays as a
church and we
have a dress
rehearsal of what
we'll be doing
forever in
eternity, giving
thanks and
praise to God.
And as we live
our lives the
rest of the week
as new creation
in the midst of
the old creation.
So we come here
the first day of
the week reminded
about God's new
creation and then
we go out and
live as new
creations in the
old.
Now we can
both overestimate
and underestimate
the new creation
in us.
So we need to
read Romans 7
and 8 to
balance our
understanding about
the new creation
in us right
now.
But Christ has
promised us
eternal life in
the new creation.
The new creation
will be perfected.
God has broke the
power of sin and
one day he will
wipe away the
very presence of
sin.
And that's where
Revelation 21
ends.
So my favorite
book besides the
Bible.
So in John Bunyan's
classic Pilgrim's
Progress, Christian
and his companion
Hopeful approached
the celestial city.
Both had looked to
the Son of Man
lifted up on a
cross and saw
him by faith like
Israel gazing to
Moses' serpent lifted
up in the wilderness.
The burdens on their
backs came sliding
off and fell away
forever as they
gained the right
into the celestial
city.
So at the end of
his journey, as
Christian drew near
to that city, the
angels came and
told him, you are
going now to the
paradise of God
wherein you shall
see the tree of
life and eat of the
never fading fruits
thereof.
You shall have
white robes given
you and your walk
and talk shall be
every day with the
king, even all the
days of eternity.
The men then asked,
what must we do in
this holy place?
To whom it was
answered, you must
there receive the
comforts of all your
toil and have joy for
all your sorrow.
You must reap what you
have sown, even the
fruit of all your
prayers and tears and
sufferings for the
king by the way.
In that place, you
must wear crowns of
gold and enjoy the
perpetual sight and
vision of the Holy
One.
For there you shall
see him as he is.
There also you shall
serve him continually
with praise, with
shouting and
thanksgiving, whom
you desire to serve
in the world, though
with much difficulty
because of the
infirmity of your
flesh.
There your eyes shall
be delighted with
seeing, and your
ears with hearing the
pleasant voice of the
Mighty One.
There you shall enjoy
your friends again
that are gone there
before you.
And so Bunyan
describes them going
into this heavenly
city through the
gates.
And lo, as they
entered, they were
transfigured, and they
had clothing put on
that shone like gold.
All the bells in the
city rang again for
joy, and it was said
unto them, enter into
the joy of your Lord.
I love that.
There, as John
Owen said, as a man
sees his neighbor face
to face, so shall we
see the Lord Christ in
his glory.
Isn't that glorious?
The second creation is
better than the first.
It's restored.
But in the second
creation, we will see
the glory of Christ
there.
And the land will be
all the glory in that
new creation.
Amen.
So God is remaking
a perfect creation,
making it even better
in the new creation.
So to close, I want us
to sing a song that
we all know and love,
And Can It Be.
So this is a song
recognizing, recognizes
how God brought us
from death to new life.
So once again, I'll start,
and join me in singing,
please.
And can it be that I should
gain an interest in the Savior's blood?
Died he for me, who caused his pain?
For me, who in to death pursue?
Amazing love, how can it be?
That thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love, how can it be?
That thou, my God, should die for me?
He left his Father's throne above,
so free, so infinite his grace.
Empty himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam's helpless race.
Tis mercy all immense and free,
For all my God, he found out me.
Tis amazing love, how can it be?
That thou, my God, should die for me?
Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature's night.
Thine I diffused a quickening ray,
I woke the dungeon flamed with light.
My chains fell off, my heart was free.
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free.
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.
Verse 5.
No condemnation now I dread,
Jesus and all in him is mine.
Alive in him, my living hand,
And clothed in righteousness divine.
Bold I approached the eternal throne,
And claimed the crown through Christ my own.
Amen.
Let me pray.
Father in heaven, Lord, we thank you for the great work of salvation accomplished for us once for all at Calvary.
And that Jesus died for sins and now he sat down at your right hands.
And his work has been perfected to those of us who trust in him forever.
And a sufficient sacrifice.
Thank you for that truth, Lord.
Help us to live into that today and the rest of this week.
In Jesus name.
Amen.
All right.
So we have about five, maybe ten minutes of questions.
So this today, we did principles of biblical theology,
Kingdom through the Covenants, creation, new creation,
and the Lord willing, we'll have Nick Pesanti talk, walk us through God's people in the church,
and then the theme of sacrifice.
So, that's the plan.
Any questions?
Matt.
As we have things like Cain and,
evil being born,
and then that doesn't work out well.
The, you know, things go from bad to worse,
and so God starts again with the flood.
That doesn't end up, you know, producing the results on it.
And so, you have a repeating pattern, a new start.
From the viewpoint of biblical theology, you know, is there an idea of,
well, yeah, we haven't reached the, you know, the new heaven and the new earth yet,
but there's progress being made.
Hmm.
So, as the storyline unfolds, is there more image bearers that are reflecting,
following God as the king?
Do we see progress in that manner?
Is that your question?
Are we seeing progress in that image bearers are now following God more and more,
versus what we saw in Genesis 1 through to 11?
In that sense?
As individuals, you know, we see that happening, or as a group.
Okay.
Like, in what ways is the church superior to the church?
Oh, I see.
But both.
Yeah.
Yeah, I see.
Or, kind of like the judges.
Hmm.
You know, the cycle continues, and there just seems to be no progress.
So, it's the same old, same old.
I think we have the spirit now in dwelling believers.
In the Old Testament, I, people differ on this.
I think the spirit dwelled in the temple, and people wanted to go to the temple.
But now, we are many temples, we have the spirit indwelling us.
So, in that respect, we are able to follow the Shema,
love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Not perfectly, but we now have the spirit who is able to,
we can keep the law of Christ, which is the law of love for him and neighbor.
So, I think the church now is different than the old Israel.
However, I do think there is a pattern where, you know,
God has to revive his people again.
There has to be, I mean, it happened in the Reformation.
I think the gospel is going forth in power.
And maybe it's because we don't see, the history books don't record for us,
the faithful people who proclaim the gospel.
But God does have to do a sort of reviving work again in his church.
I think that that's the same way as in Israel.
But I do think we now have, it is better than it was before.
There are not only eight people in the entire world that are following God.
Amen.
Yeah.
So, God...
Yeah.
I think a really, another through line in biblical theology that can be traced is remnant theology,
where God always preserves his people.
No matter how bad things seem to be.
Mm-hmm.
Talking about the shoots from the stone.
Every time God promises to keep the line going.
And so that once we get to Paul, he's commissioning those who have the gospel after him,
not because he thinks the gospel is going to die out.
He's certain that he will.
But that, again, the indignities come before the indignities.
He's like, I want you to do these things.
Just know that this is how God's life.
Yeah.
I agree.
And it's amazing in Hebrews 11 that the second half, we get all the, the hall of faith of Moses and Enoch and Abraham.
But then it says, those were sawn in half.
Like, we don't get their names.
They're just Christians that have lived faithfully and died for the Lord.
As we see, they were persecuted by the world, but also by faithless Israel.
So there was that remnant in Israel, God's faithful.
And then they were persecuted by even the people, the elders of Israel who were meant to lead Israel.
They were the ones who were persecuted, the persecutors of God.
And we see that thread line.
The Pharisees now are killing the Creator.
Yeah.
So God preserves a remnant for his people.
Matt.
Yeah.
Matt.
And it just occurred to me as we were talking that you do have this narrowing down to Abraham.
And then the promise that, you know, the victory would expand out to all nations.
And that's the way in which the church is declaring the glory of God in a way that Israel did not.
And then there's this narrowing down from, like, all of humanity.
Okay, Noah.
Okay, Abraham.
Okay, Judah, the Davidic line.
Jesus.
Yeah.
And now everyone in Jesus.
And then just sort of explodes out there.
Now the narrowing, when we talk about the narrowing, are we going back to the original story where, like, you know, the, you have evil and, you know, that comes out in the, you know, the, you know, in Genesis story.
Mm-hmm.
Are the changes, a progression of the good line versus the evil line or is it more of an over time that more than evil converts to, you know, hopefully, you know, the good line?
I, it's, so, it kind of goes back to what we talked about last week.
So the promise that God made to Genesis 3.15 of a, provide an offspring of a savior is fulfilled, will be a descendant of Abraham.
And now, and then we learn that, that descendant will be of the line of the house of David.
And so God is, God is getting, he's promising a people and he's building a kingdom that will be truly a righteous nation.
And once we get to David, once we get to Jesus, now that those promises of being an international blessing are now being fulfilled.
So I would say there's, there was a remnant, like we're saying, between Genesis 3 to Jesus, that God has, God has saved the people in the midst of an unregenerate Israel.
And now he's, he's fulfilled that through Christ.
So I think there, I don't know how many, I can't quantify how many believers were in Israel at this time and that time.
I think the Lord knows.
But my question is, is the conversion from, just a, you're changing everybody, good and evil, or is it more of a more good people or good mind liberating?
And then, do you answer what I'm saying?
Yeah, I...
So the narrowing isn't about morality.
It's, who is, who is God's people?
I think, Nick, when you cover, like, the people of God in the church, I think that will kind of help play our lives.
Yeah.
By Abraham, we're saved by faith.
Right.
In Genesis 15, he believed the Lord and he accounted to him as righteousness.
And every believer, from beginning to end, have been saved by faith.
So it's faith in Yahweh.
So I don't think the Lord, saved by morality here, and now we're saved by faith over here.
So I think there's a continual way in which God relates to his people.
And we'll see that.
But in terms of how many, I think now the church is universal.
The universal church comprises of every tongue, tribe, and nation.
In the Old Testament, the church, well, Israel was exclusively ethnic Israel with some Gentiles sprinkled in.
But now that worldwide blessing has now come to pass through Christ.
So we do live in that progressive revelation.
The light's brighter now.
We can see that God is saving every nation.
And he wants the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
So we get to live in the privilege.
I mean, 1 Peter says, like concerning the salvation, the angels long to see what we see now.
It really is a privilege to be able to see Christ and what he's doing in the world.
So they long to see what we see.
Like we have the privilege of a fuller revelation.
But once we get to heaven, you know, well, boom.
Like we're going to see.
We see dimly now, but we'll see clearly then.
All right.
Well, thank you all.
I can just stop there.
If you have any more questions, I'm happy to answer it.
So I don't...
Just...
But...