Davidic Covenant Pt 3

0:01 All right, we have been looking at the subject of eschatology now for a while. We took a little break, we came back to it. We are currently working on God's Covenant with David, but we're going to add a little more practical concept to this first and then we'll try to finish up the Covenant with David. We just have a lot of scriptures to look at and we'll see if we can how we can accomplish that. Well, let's do this. When we think of the subject of eschatology, right, what is that simple definition of eschatology study of the end times? But what we're studying is we're studying scriptures that we believe are inspired by God, which gives us the outline of future events. Correct? And do we believe that outline of future events is correct? Yeah? Okay, yeah, we believe what God tells us about the future events.

1:06 We believe that's correct. Yes. Now, we may not agree on it. I mean, we know there's no agreement, but I'm saying, when we open our Bible, and if we believe this is what's God's saying about the future, we believe that's correct. Yes? And why do we believe that it is correct? Okay, Well, because we believe God knows all things, yes, all right, and if God says something is going to happen, we believe it's going to happen. Not only because we believe God knows it. But there's another reason, there's another reason we can be sure that if God says this is going to happen, it's going to happen. There we go, God doesn't change. And what is that called immutability? The immutability of God. Eschatology absolutely hinges on that concept, right, because if we believe God could just change his mind randomly, then he could say, Oh, I'm gonna do this and then three months later decide he's not. So we have to without immutability, we really there's no point in studying eschatology correct. Without immutability, What then, how good that would the covenants be? They'd be useless? Correct?

2:31 All right, So let's just take a few minutes to really consider the immutability of God, because I think when we consider it, it has everything to do with eschatology, has everything to do with the covenants. But there's much more a practical reason why the immutability of God may be of something of great a source of comfort. Because what is the one thing we know about life? Everything is in a constant date of change, right, Everything changes? Right, Things outside of us change, right, the world changes, weather changes, Okay, everything outside of us to other people change right, every I mean, everything is in a constant flux of change.

3:20 And then when we come to ourselves, we constantly are changing internally, right, likes, desires, whatever the way we think, it's always changing, moods. Everything is constantly changing, our bodies change. Everything is in a constant flux of change. Because everything, I mean, that's the only that's the only certainty on life is that everything changes, right, And because everything is constantly changing, that can lead to what from from from a personal perspective, all of this change can lead to what inside of us Fear, anxiety, discouragement, depression, confusion, frustration, I mean, people can Usually as people get older, they constantly talk about the good old days, right, well back in my day, this, back in my day, then back in my day. And typically the way they remember those days are not is not very accurate. But even if it was accurate, that indicates that they are troubled by changes, changes, changes, changes.

4:31 So since and so what we have a tendency to do is we try to grab on to what we can control, almost as a psychological response to all the things that are changing, which is outside of our control. Right, it's a psychological thing. Right, You'll say, well, I can't, I can't hold onto this, I can't do this, but I can. And so we'll grab on to something and try to control it because it gives us some and some stability. Well, for a Christian, we shouldn't be looking to what we can grab onto and control. What we should be doing is to find something that is immovable, immutable that we can cling to because it does not change, and that would be God. Right. So let's remind ourselves a little bit here about the immutability of God, all right now, when we come to the doctrine of God's immutability, we need to write some of this down. It refers to the belief the doctrine of immutability refers to the belief that God is unchanging and his nature. But he got that one. He's unchanging in his nature. Number two character, number three purposes and number four promises. God is unchanging

6:09 number one in his nature, number two character, number three purposes and number four promises right, God is unchanging in his character. His nature is character, purposes, and promises. Now, what's significant about his nature is the God that was, is the God that is and is the God that will be. All right, right, we can go to Liturgy of the Hours for that. Okay, we won't get into all of the historical significance of that, Okay, But the God that was is the God that is and will be, the God that will be. Because his nature does not change, his character does not change, His purposes do not change.

6:55 But obviously, when it comes to eschatology and covenants, away was the last one. His promises does not change, which is of great significance. Now here's some key scriptures. Everyone go to Malachi chapter three. Malachi chapter three. Whether it was a Bible institute, a Bible college, or a seminary, anytime you would take a course on theology and deal with the attributes of God, you would deal with the immutability of God, and this verse would always be brought up. Right, you probably know which verse I'm going to go to, but I think there's a part to it that I always overlooked. Let's see if you see it. It's Malachi chapter three, verse six, and how does it read? Okay, now everyone focuses on that first part, right, depending on your translation. For I the Lord do not change. So there's the emphatic declaration God does not change. All right?

8:16 Everybody got that. So we typically run to that and say, there's the proof text for God's immutability. That is accurate. Yes, that is a proof text. What is the second part of that that I always overlooked, but I think I'm gonna consider it in greater detail today, which is what children of Jacob are not consumed? Who are the children of Jacob? Children of Jacobs whom Israel? Right? Okay? So why are they not going to be consumed? Because God does not change? Right? Does the nation of Israel and a constant say of change? Yes? Right? What were they constantly doing disobeying changing, saying we're going to be faithful?

9:15 Then they would be unfaithful, We're going to be godly? Then there would be ungodly. I mean, it wasn't it was constant, right? I Mean when we read the Book of Judges, we always talk about that cycle, right, that never ending cycle, and that cycle is true and all of us. So why are they not going to be consumed? Had nothing to do with whom them, but with the unchanging nature of God. Right, and God made what kind of promises to Israel eternal? We can say immutable promises. Why do we know the promises are immutable? Because God is immutable? Right? So that's that's a major part. Look, I cannot stress how significant that is because so much of the discussion and debate over eschatology. What does it come down to? Over and do all the debates about eschatology come down to? What? What were the nature of God's promises? Who were those promises too? And did they change?

10:19 And there's there's the debate. Right, many believe, well, God made a covenant with Israel, and then the argument is Israel broke said covenant, and then so therefore God did what give the covenant to someone else? Right? But then that would have God doing what changing? Now, now, those who believe God decided to give the promises Sir Israel to the Church, they will argue God did not change, right, They will argue that the nature the covenant was conditional. Right, So then we get into these never ending issues. But we have to just begin and focus on the fact that God does not change. And we have to begin from that very important standpoint. So there's Malachi three six.

11:07 I just want you to really emphasize that last part. Oh, children of Jacob are not consumed. It is because God doesn't change. That's the key part there, right. Go to James chapter one, verse seventeen. James chapter one, verse seventeen, James Chapter one, verse seventeen. All right, it talks about every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow. Do to change depending on your translation. Everybody see that. So the gifts come from God, and this God from whom the gifts come, what do we learn about him? There's no variation or change. There's no variation or change, once again emphasizing the immutability of God.

12:20 Go to Psalm one O two, Psalm one O two, Psalm one O two. Look at verse twenty five through twenty seven. Say a man when you're there Psalm one O two, twenty five through twenty seven. Depending on your translation, or read something like this, of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish next phrase, but you will remain, or thou shall endure next they all they with will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe. They will pass away. But you are the same, and your years have no end.

13:26 It is a contrast between God's creation and himself, the unchangeable. God creates a created, has created a creation that is now subject to constant change and wearing out and getting old. And that's the constant change. All right, everybody see that. That's a very important verse. All right? Look at numbers twenty three, numbers twenty three, Look at verse nineteen. What do we see here in numbers twenty three nineteen? God is not a man that he should lie or a son of man that he should change his mind? Has he said it and will he not do it? Or has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? Look at the context of numbers twenty three nineteen and identify who God is speaking to here, and if there's a purpose in what he is saying, what is he attempting to do in this verse? What's good? Right? Tell me?

14:57 Speaking of truth? I can't yeah, I can't do anything because God does not look God's going to do what he said? Right? And what God had said that he was going to do certain things for Israel. We have to look any student of the Bible, this is the constant issue. God made promises to Israel that are not made to anyone else. And we can't steal those promises from them because we're trying to take that which the unchangeable God has not changed. All right, Does that make sense? All right? Look at Isaiah forty six. I'm skipping a lot of these Isaiah forty six. Isaiah forty six. Look at verses nine through ten. Tell me what we find here?

16:00 Remember what the former things of old? For I am God. There is none no other. I am God. There is none like me. And what is this? What is the one God, the true God, the only God? Does? What does he do? He declares the end, from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done. And that last sentence, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. His counsel will stand his purpose, his pleasure will be accomplished. Because God is immutable, the unchangeability of God. I cannot stress the importance of this doctrine when dealing with eschatology or with dealing with God's covenants.

16:53 This is absolutely critical now for us. So there's two us. This I want you to grab onto. I want you to grab onto the personal aspect. Right, Hey, look, everything around you is in flux, it's changing. Grab on to God. Don't try to just take control over one thing and say this is not Sometimes we don't even know what we're doing, but we like to grab onto something so that we feel like we have control even when we don't. You'll see this in sometimes children who are in the midst of a divorce. Right they're being tossed to and fro. They can't change everything. Everything's constantly changing for them, so they'll start There'll be some behavior the child is doing, and sometimes the counselor will say that child is trying to establish some sense of control because everything around them is out of control. Children do it and adults do it.

17:50 But we may not perceive what we're doing. We may try to control a person, we may try to control a situation because we want control. What we have to do is stop worrying about us controlling anything and surrender and grab onto the one who controls everyone and most importantly does not change, does not change. So that's the personal aspect the doctrine or a philological aspect of God's immutability is how it pertains to the covenants made with Israel and how it pertains to the subject of eschatology. Right, because when it comes to these covenants, if we understand God made the Covenant it's immutable, it will stand. Then that greatly impacts how we interpret a lot of things. Okay, Now with that said, now let's go back to the Covenant.

18:43 I got a lot more on im mutability. We could spend a month on it, but you've got the basic idea. Now let's go back. Remember we're using Rory's Basic Theology, chapter eighty two, God's Covenant with David. Which covenant have we looked at before? What was the covenant we looked at before the Abrahamic I remember we looked at the Covenant with Abraham. Now we're looking at the Dividic Covenant. All right. Now we talked about the provisions of the Covenant. All right. Remember Second Samuel seven twelve through sixteen. If you want to look there, Second Samuel seven twelve through sixteen, all right, and Second Samuel seven twelve through sixteen. I'm going to summarize it you can look at it. David desired to build a temple for the Lord to replace the temporary tent like tabernacle. Since David himself led House of Cedar, it seemed only fitting that there should be a more permanent building for the worship of God. But God revealed to Nathan the prophet that he had a something far greater in mind for David, and that revelation is the Dvidict Covenant. Now I find that interesting the way ryary Di describes it, because you know how that's typically described. Damon wanted to build the temple, but Damon was not allowed to build the temple because of all his sin, and so this is one of the negative consequences for it. All right, Now, there may if there

20:17 is any negative consequence upon David for doing that. Number One, you can't just take that and then said, well, how I can determine the consequences for this situation. It's a completely specific situation, is it not. And let's remember a couple of things. Even if David didn't get to build the temple, Let's remind ourselves of a couple of things. Number One, who was still used by God to write a lot of scripture, so oh wait, he can. He can write inspired scripture, but he can't build the temple. And then we're gonna extrapolate from that now some consequence that we can throw on other people. That's you see, that's we play fast and with scripture, do we not?

21:01 And I can't. I can't stand that, all right? And second, it seems that even David sin did not stop God from establishing what with David a dividic covenant, and as Riri put it, was far more significant then the temple. Why was the covenant more significant than the temple? Well, the covenant is everlasting, and who built that temple? First of all, Solomon builds the temple, who was far worse than David, So that that already destroys anyone's argument about consequences. Second, Solomon's temple was destroyed, okay, So that means what David gets is far greater than what Solomon got to build.

21:45 All right, So I again, I just weep everyone just like, well, you know, you know David. So here's the consequence. Well you can't just oh that's so weird the way we handle scripture. Okay. But so now in this covenant, there were promises related to David, and those promises related to Solomon. All right, the promises related to David. I think we looked at this. Look at does everyone remember that the first promise made to David. We covered it last week, verse twelve descendants, David would have a son who would succeed him and establish his kingdom. Right, Okay, everybody see that in verse twelve. Okay, good, a kingdom, David's house, throne and kingdom would be established forever. I sat verse sixteen.

22:36 All right, Now, remember, though this is important, the Covenant did not guarantee uninterrupt an uninterrupted rule by David's family, though it did promise that the right to rule would always remain with David's dynasty. The Babylonian captivity did, of course, interrupt Davidic rule. All right, So there was an interruption, but it did not take away the promise of the kingdom. Right, Okay. I know that that's complicated, and I know skeptics and atheists could definitely make some hard arguments for us on that point. But we can at least we have to at least acknowledge it was interrupted. Can we at least acknowledge that? Okay? Right, So those were the promises related to David? What were the promises related to Solomon? Look at verse thirteen, Second Samuel seven. I think it's the very first part of verse thirteen. What does it say in that Second Samuel seven where we've been twelve through sixteen?

23:41 Verse thirteen? What is verse thirteen? Okay? Who should build the house? All right? Solomon? Does that not say? Is it not Solomon? Are we all? Are? We are? Okay? Who built the house? Okay? So who's that promise too? All right? So remember with the first in the Dividic Covenant, make sure we're on the same page. We have the provisions of the covenant. The first provisions relate to David. Those were descendants in a kingdom. Everybody got that. Then we have promises related to Solomon. Okay, verse thirteen. I want to make sure we are all in agreement. Does verse thirteen? Would that not be a promise to Solomon that the temple he would build a temple? Okay? We got yeses okay, right right. There seem to be some confusion there, all right, okay, okay, all right, So make sure we're in good shape. Okay, all right, Second, look at the second part of thirteen. The second part of verse thirteen. All right, the throne of Solomon's kingdom would be established forever. Everybody see that. So the provisions related to Solomon as a temple and a throne. All right, What happens in verse fourteen through fifteen. We talked about

25:15 this all last week. This is all review. Does it seem to indicate that he's going to be chastened for his sins? All right? Yes, however, he would not be deposed, all right, We got that, all right, So there would be punishment, but there would not be a white He would not be deposed. In other words, what even though he sinned, what would remain in effect the covenant? Right? And why would the covenant remain in effect even if Solomon sinned? Because God does not change. He's immutable. Now this is very critical, right, because so much of the argument is God made a promise with Israel and they sin, and so then it gets taken to the that's ridiculous because God's covenant is based on whose faithfulness his Unless the covenant is clearly conditional, which we've already looked at in this entire series. We even looked at this when we went through Schofield's Bible. This is all just where all we're doing is reviewing. We looked at this over and over and over. Every attempt to make the covenants conditional almost inevitably fall apart, as we have seen over and over and over again. Everybody remember all of that.

26:33 I'm just going to assume you do. Okay, all right. God did not promisedly promise, specifically that the posterity of David would be through the line of Solomon Jack Andia or Kanaiah, one of Solomon's descendants, was decreed by God to be childless. Actually, Kaniah had seven sons, perhaps adopted, though none occupied the throne. Thus, as far as continuing dynasty was concerned, Kanaiah was childless. His line did retain legal throne rights which were claimed for Jesus through his legal father Joseph. And we spent an entire series on check and Ayah in that entire situation. All right, everybody remember all of that. I hope so, okay. It is important to remember that these promises were made. Here's the key word. These promises were made unconditionally. Some attempt to deny that it was an unconditional promise, claiming that the Covenant could be broken. And they said, and they cited a number of verses. Do I need to go through all of those verses again? Because we covered them all last week? Right, everybody got them all? Right? Remember, we looked at first Kings two four one, Kings eight twenty five.

27:40 We looked at Second Samuel seven to fourteen, First Kings nine four through five, Isaiah twenty four to five in Ezekiel sixteen fifty nine. And so we could simply say this, the breaking or conditionality can only refer to personal and individual invalidation of the benefits of the covenant, but it can affect the transmission of the promise to the lineal descendants. This is why God would staunchly affirm his fidelity and perpetuity of the covenant to David in spite of those who would appear in his lineage, because there are those who appear in the lineage who were not very good. Can we agree with that? Yeah, So those individuals may have missed out on benefits, but the covenant does what remain.

28:29 He may find fault with them, but not with his Abrahamic Divedic covenant. Why does he not find fault with the covenant because he made the Covenant, and it's based on him, not on the people who will appear within this family line, right, just like it had when he made the Abrahamic Covenant. Abraham was where ultimately, remember when he confirmed the Covenant, Abraham was asleep. I remember that. Okay, So we got all of that, all right. So we have those are the provisions of the Covenant, the promises to David, the promises to Solomon, all right. Now we have the Old Testament confirmation of the Covenant, all right.

29:17 All the Old Testament passages that describe the Messiah as king and his coming kingdom confirm the promises of the Davidic Covenant. So anytime you find in the Old Testament passages that describe the Messiah as king and the coming kingdom, they confirm the promises of the Davidic Covenant. All the royal psalms, for example, give more information about the Davidic kingdom. Now they give a list of psalms here. I've looked at them all. Some of them I have no idea why they're listed. Some of them I'm completely perplexed and confused by. So we're not going to go through them. And what I was going to do was, have you read them and try to figure out why they're there. But I'm not going to do that because of time, because we've spent a lot of time doing review. All right, So what we need to do then is LEAs look at one. So go to Psalm eighty nine, Psalm eighty nine, because I found this one maybe to be super important to the subject. All right, Psalm eighty nine, tell me when you're there. Okay, everybody there, all right, Saw eighty nine.

30:36 Let's start in verse one. Now, remember we're looking for Old Testament confirmation of the Covenant. Okay, Saw eighty nine. Verse one, Well, I'm I'm gonna just start reading through the Psalm and not immediately going to the key verses. All right, so let's just consider this, everybody ready. Verse one, I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever. Uh with my mouth, will I make known your face fethfulness to all generations. For I have said, mercy shall be built up forever. Your faithfulness you shall establish in the very heavens. All right, we can seeing of God's mercy, we can make known his faithfulness because God does not change, So his mercy does not change, and his faithfulness does not change. All right? Everybody got that right? Now? What does verse three begin with? I have made a covenant with my chosen? All right? So who makes the covenant? God?

31:38 Who did the choosing? God? All right? If he chose David to make the covenant with, did he know David's all of David's failures? Now here's a good question. All right. Now you're writing now this part, I'm going to have you figure out. I want you to find we know where the dividic covenant is made Second Samuel seven, right, Okay, now find out her? Look, does David commit all of the big sins that he's known for prior to or after? Okay? Oh wow, we probably have, right, But so everyone look for the chapter where it occurs where his big sin happens.

32:25 Do what Second Samuel? All right? So God makes a covenant with the very man whom he knew would do what all the actions in chapter eleven? He passes that covenant on to Solomon, whom he knows is going to do all those things? Now, what it would be? What would be your qual like if let's say you were watching or just let's say this could happen. Right, Let's say someone could walk up to you and say, hey, you're going to give your child. You've chosen this child whom you're gonna give this to, or this too, or this too or this too. You're that child is going to do all of these horrible things, but that child is not going to engage in any of those horrible things.

33:19 What would we expect the parent to do? Then, to choose that one? God doesn't choose that one does he could he have found someone who would not have done what David did. Well, now we could make an argument, well could he that because whoever he chose was going to commit wie. So now this this is always our struggle, right, because we classify sins in very different categories, do we not? Right? I mean, David numbering the people, eh, whatever, right, David killing some people, David lying hey, I'm on a I'm on a mission from the king. And then as a result of David's lie, what happened? All the priests are killed and all the people in the city, even the children.

34:04 And you preach that in church and we even saw it here. Inevitably someone will argue with me that Damon wasn't actually lying, and you're like, what is happening? Hell because we will justify and it weird. But when it comes to David's sexual sin, oh, then that's the end, right, that's the end. So how do we how do we so we judge sins? What? In very specific categories do we not? Some sins don't even bother us. David getting an entire city killed, nobody in church even cares, whatever, who cares? Or we argue that David was actually not lying, which just blows my mind. What do you mean if not lie? He clearly lied? Right? And why did he lie?

34:49 Because he was protecting himself? Right? I mean, come on, now, like the whole end, he knew he needed he needed things right, and those people would not have helped him if they realized that he was not that he was being hunted down. So there was a lot about that story. So my point is is, even if God chose someone else, what would be true of them? There would still be sinners. They may not commit those sins. But in some ways I kind of love the fact that David chose, that God chose David, because what does that demonstrate that he makes the covenant with whom? In fact, I said in First Corinthians, I think it's First Corinthians. See if y'all can find it, where it says God choose chooses the unwise, the foolish, the weak. Yeah, see if y'all can find it.

35:42 I think it's in First Corinthians who man sord h See if y'all can find it? Okay, Yeah, that's it's a contrast of the God's wisdom in the world's wisdom says something like he does not choose the mighty, he does not choose the wise. Yeah. Yeah, you can look it up. I don't care how you find it and look it up. Call someone, ask Siri, you can utilize any tool you have available to you. No, it is

37:14 where it says God. Well, God chooses the foolish, chooses the weak, chooses the poor. You're finding lots of verses that talk about wisdom and wise and foolish. Sarah's using her phone. Let's see I who finds it first. Does the old way work or the new way work? See? God has choosen the foolish things of this world. Why is he chosen the foolish? The week passage tell us why He's chosen those things? People online will be screaming at their phones. Yeah, I bet you did okay, First Corinthians one. Actually I would have. I probably would have missed it. I think I would have probably gone to I don't know which chapter, Probably two or three is

38:44 probably where I've gone. But yeah, if you start, and I believe in verse twenty eighteen, if we go to eighteen, I think that's where it starts. First Corinthians one, eighteen. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, right, because the message of the cross. Why would the message of the cross be foolishness? What? What is so foolish about the cross? You got someone who's h a condemned criminal, who's being crucified between other criminals. Where where is victory in that? Where is salvation in that? That looks like total, complete and utter failure in defeat? Right, But to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. Well, that is bizarre that we see power.

39:32 And you know it's a bizarre thing, right, and like and people my Christianity for it because it does seem strange. Right, we have that in our in our buildings, across somewhere it around your neck. What's a bizarre thing to have? Right? That would be like wearing a necklace of an electric chair. Right, we're looking at a thing that was used for capital punishment. Right, that's twisted, right, and you can see why people mu us for that. They're like you, people are sick. You wear and a symbol of execution as some what, Well, that to us represents what it doesn't represent necessarily execution.

40:14 It represents the power of God to save whom sinners through what appears to be defeat are foolish. Right, everybody see that? Okay? Next, for it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. So God, now's that's being quoted from somewhere. But God, God's purpose. God's plan is to ultimately do what according to that verse. His purpose is to destroy, it says right there in verse yeah, to destroy the wisdom of the wise. It says right there in verse eighteen or nineteen. Does everybody see it?

41:01 Does I am am? I the only translation that says destroy, Yeah, yeah, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Then he says, where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the dispute of the age. Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom do not know God? What is the one thing human wisdom cannot get you to? It cannot get you to God. Human wisdom cannot get you to God. It cannot know God. Why? Why is human wisdom limited to getting us to God? Right? Because our God's ways are contradictory to our wisdom? Right? Don't I constantly The one thing I've pointed out in twenty three years of preaching is my constant struggle with this. How much things in the Bible make absolutely no sense? Does it make sense to pray to a God who allowed or caused them? Very thing we're praying for God to fix makes no sense? Right? Why am I confessing to God sin when God knew I was gonna commit that sin and did nothing to stop said sin? Does that make any sense? Why should I feel broken and upset over my sin when He is the one who allows me to have a nature that leads me to commit

42:31 the sin? Right? If you are a parent, you know, hey, you take a small child, put a small child in front of this wall and hand them a crayon and walk away. What is a high probability is going to happen? And then you go smack them on the bottom, going, how dare you color? You're the one added on the crayon. You're the one to put him against the wall. It's on you. But we're not supposed to blame God. Does that make any sense? I know you're afraid to say it. Let me say it. It makes absolutely no sense. So our wisdom will always lead us where. Oh, come on left, we can be We can be painfully honest here. If we are honest with our wisdom and logic and reason, we would come to one conclusion. There is no God.

43:34 That's what. That's where the verse says, has not got looked for sense in the wisdom of God. The world, through wisdom did not know God. So what happened? It pleads God, through the foolishness of the message, preach to save those who believe Jews requests a sign. Greek seek after wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified to Jews a stumbling block and to the Greek's foolishness. But to those who are called both Jew and Greek Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God, because the foolishness of God is wiser than man, and the weakness of God is stronger than man. God is operating contrary to what our wisdom, our way of thinking. He's doing things that appear what to man's wisdom, weak and foolish. But in what appears to be weak and foolish, he's doing what Saving sinners from human perspective doesn't make any sense. No.

44:40 I know, we sit here as Christians, and this is what ticks me off about Christians, because we always act like the people out there are so dumb. They just don't know. We're the wise ones. Shut up, we're not. Because from a human perspective, we're the dumb ones. We're the idiots. Because from human wisdom, nothing about Christianity makes any sense. But we create these apologetic programs to try to make it sound like no, no, no, no, We've got it all figured out. They're just dumb. It's not. It doesn't work that way, and so we try to argue with them, to convince them through apologetic arguments, to believe.

45:21 But through man's wisdom, what does the verse say, God better find it? Through man's wisdom? They cannot know God. Everybody see that verse I'm paraphrasing it. The world by wisdom not God. You can't argue intellectually someone to God. I know that destroys every apologetic argument ever made, because apologetics is that we by by apologetics we can convince someone. You can't convince someone, because what does a salvation the result of being convinced or a salvation the result of being chosen. Now, if you believe in free will, you believe that you can convince someone. But the problem is you can't convince someone. Right, Yes, have we not seen kids raised in a Christian home hearing the Gospel preach seventy five thousand times? Yet they do not? What believe?

46:34 Have they heard every argument imaginable? Yes? Have your arguments worked? No? You have other kids never even knew anything about God, didn't have any real understanding, not even raised around it, and they come to believe. Were did they believe because they were convinced? No? They didn't even hear arguments, they heard the message preached it. What what is the difference? Not wisdom? Sometimes you can have children and the smartest kids in your family will be the ones who will rejecte God and it'll be the ones who quote unquote are less smart to be nice who will believe. And you're like, well, wait a minute, that because like, because we tend to think that. And look, there was a time in my Christian life I would have argued, no, we can prove we can convince someone, right, even if I held to our reform view of soteriology, because I was so into apologetics, thinking oh, this will work, this will work, this will work, this will work. I listened to doctor James White hour after hour after hour, debate after debate after debate, like you can, and then you come to realize from a thological perspective, my entire approach was stupid. Because the reality is from man's wisdom. Christian, let we can see it from man's wisdom. What should

48:06 be the end result? What should be the conclusion that man's wisdom gives everyone there is no God. Now you're gonna say, no, no, no, no, man's wisdom cannot know God. Now you could argue man's wisdom should should at least argue there's a creator. Maybe you could argue that. Okay, so maybe going so far to say there is no God is too far. But I'm telling you You're not gonna know God? All right? Does that make sense? I'm just saying man's wisdom is gonna call into question everything we read in our Bible because it makes no sense. Come on, from human wisdom. You open up the Bible, what do you have? Within minutes you have a talking snake?

48:48 Come on, that seems ridiculous, right, and the whole world is plummeted into basically the threat of hell because a woman ate a piece of fruit. Come on, that seems ridiculous. What all the animals were put on a boat and God flooded the world only to preserve the very thing that was going to create the world that he just destroyed. He literally preserved the very thing that was going to recreate the world he just destroyed. That seems like the most ridiculous, dumb story I've ever read in my life. He should have sunk the arc, right, Let a couple of fish swim around, Let them have the world, because the people he preserved on the boat carried the very disease called the sinful nature. And did the world get better after the flood? No, it went right back to the way it was, and it only is going to get worse. All right, but we didn't get to the part to where we wanted to go. All right, because look in verse twenty five, because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brethren, than not many. Why is according to the flesh not many mighty, not many, noble or cold? But God has chosen the

50:19 foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame, the things which are mighty, and the base things of the world, and the things which are despised. God has chosen and the things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are. Why does he do this verse twenty nine, that no flesh shall glory in his presence? Now go back to Psalm eighty nine. Who was God's chosen? In Psalm eighty nine, verse three, David Right Now, In Second Samuel seven, God establishes his covenant. Right what happens how many chapters later, four chapters later, the person God chose is doing what committing adultery and murder and murder? Yeah, coveting the well, yeah, you know, even before he committed the adultery exactly, he gets off the hook for the coveting, right, So, but I mean, yeah, he I mean even if he would not, even if he would not have done anything, he would still have done something. If he looked at her and lusted and coveted for her. He was already guilty even before he did anything, which puts everyone where guilty. So even if God wouldn't have chosen David, he still would

51:51 have been choosing sinners. But the fact that he chose David is absolutely inconceivable to our minds, is it not? Because how do we think? God only chooses those people who are good and who are righteous and they have to meet this standard, and we're all everything about Christianity is about morality? Is it not? Right? And wrong? But God chooses a man who is the epitome of what if you mention everything in First Corinthians One? Is he weak? He appears to be weak? Based does he appear to be base? Yeah? All those things foolish? What do we always say David was absolutely foolish and what he did do we not? Right? So, but guess what, that's the kind of people God chooses and from a human perspective, we would say, what about God's choices from a human perspective, like, this is the dumbest thing I've ever seen in my life. Right, if you've ever played sports in a situation where outside or maybe a school where it's not an organized sport but the kids are just playing, you almost always pick team captains and then those team captains do what they pick. Now, who do you pick? You pick the best kids so that you can destroy the other kids, now if you really want. And he says, what God does is he

53:23 has he picks the worst of the worst so that they get no glory. But God does and that makes literally no sense to us. Right, God could every person he chooses. He could choose the people who would bring him glory and honor and what they do. But the glory and the glory and honor is not in what we do. The glory and honor is in the God who saved those who end up doing things that God does not approve of. Now does that excuse the wrong? I'll everyone say it. That does not excuse the wrong. Okay, no one is making any argument to excuse any behavior, but it demonstrates that God could choose better. Right, but then again, could he choose better? Not really, he could choose what we perceive to be better, because they wouldn't commit that sin or that sin. But every person chosen commits sin. All right now, oh well, we're out of time.

54:38 Just go ahead and read the rest of verse three. I've made a covenant with my chosen. I have sworn to my some eighty nine. Okay, if you'll close your Bible. I have made a covenant with my chosen. I have sworn to my servant David. So now we know exactly David was the one being spoken of. If there was ever any question, it's David. Now this begins to this is Old Testament confirmation of the dividic covenant. Even here in the Psalm, we are getting confirmation that God made this covenant with David. And now we didn't get a chance to read more about the covenant, but we'll do that later. All right, we'll stop there for now, Lord God, we come before you this morning. Lord, I hope this went halfway. Okay, forgive me for where I may have messed up, But Lord, help us walk away understanding that our understanding is always going to lead us to conclusions that are contrary to you. If by our wisdom you make no sense, your ways make no sense, and we would be led to a path that's contrary to you.

55:44 That is a hard concept to grasp, but it's one we must embrace because it's what you have told us in your word. Forgive us for all the things we do in our own wisdom, and help us trust in you better. And we asked this in Jesus name it Gods. People said