Prayer: Jew vs Gentile Pt 2

0:01 All right, back to some eighty three, at least have that ready to go. All right, here is kind of where we are for those who weren't here for the first hour. All right, we've been working at SSAW eighty three, and we came to the realization, or at least I pointed it out that psaw Maty three should make everyone feel somewhat uncomfortable and struggle with a fact that no one ever likes to talk about. The In Psaal eighty three, there's at least three passages three verses there that clearly indicates that the Psalmist is writing a prayer, at least to some level. We could call it a lament, but he's writing a prayer asking God to intervene and to change and to help them with their circumstances and the circumstances they are facing at the time the salm was written, as a confederacy of nations is coming against them to wipe them off the face of the earth. The Psalmist is asking God to not only intervene, but to do what destroy their enemies. All right, that's a direct intervention, a direction, and actually go against the will of the people who are coming to destroy them, So they're asking God not to respect the free will of the nations coming against them. Right. But the most important thing I wanted us to realize is this is a prayer to a God and whom they cannot see. And they're praying to the very God who, at the bare minimum knew this was going to happen and allowed it. And at

1:31 the very most, they're praying to the God who decrete it and is goiding and directing it through there his providence. So this raises the question and what are they praying for? Correct? This brought in the whole concept of prayer. So we realize that how we understand prayer should be guided by what principle our theology and not guided by our emotions and feelings and hopes and desires and fears and anxiety. The problem is very few Christians ever pray and accordance to their theology. So we looked at specific theologies, we looked at the reformed perspective. The reformed perspective would say, what about prayer If we're true, being true to our theology, that prayer is not asking God to change anything. The prayer is simply saying, God, I accept your will and this, oh don't. I may not like this, I may wish you would do this, but I'm not here to change it because I believe your will has been eternally determined and that you're guiding it through your providence. And your will is what's the key word. What's in the reformed world?

2:47 What do we believe about God's will? Immutable and unchangeable. I know that's somewhat redundant, but the idea it's not changeable. So I'm not asking you to change anything because you can't change anything because your will is immutable, all right, So that that would be. But no one whose reform prays that way. They pray for God to intervene to change something. And now if you're our Minian, you could believe that God could possibly change as well. The problem with me our Minian perspective is they supposedly believe that God that man's will is free. Well, then you can't pray for God to do anything because inevitably prayer would ultimately go against someone's will. And only that then you begin to destroy God's sovereignty. Then you believes don't have eternal decrease, then all kinds of things and and logically, if you take it to its to its conclusion, our Minianism leads to open theism. I mean, it's just the problem is most Arminians won't take it to its logical conclusion, and if it takes it a lot, you end it with open theism, and then you have a God who doesn't know. I mean that that becomes major problem. So we looked at all of that, right, and so we talked about it and we said that that that challenges us to consider do we pray in accordance with our theology.

4:06 So you may have thought, well, we were, we should be done, we should be done. Well, I grabbed my some of my books and I was like, okay, well, you know what, the first hour next week, we'll go back to the Dividic Covenant because we've been working on eschatology and we got to fix that. We got to finish that. And as soon as I picked up the book and started thinking of the Davidic Covenant, all of a sudden, it was like a slap in the face, right, and I was like, wait, the Dividic Covenant. Wait, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. I got an idea. I got an idea, I think I can fix some of this problem. I got an idea, and my idea was this, whenever we read in the Old Testament about people praying, because when you when you go to saw Maty three, you're like, well, wait a minute, this prayer doesn't seem to be praying. They're not praying in accordance to the Reformed way. This prayer doesn't really definitely doesn't fit the Armenian way, because asking God to destroy nations, that's not respecting someone's free will. I'm like, where do I put Psawn eighty three in line of anythiological system? It makes no sense. Now I could just leave it, like, well it makes no sense and I don't know what to do, but you know, I can never leave things alone, right, But then I was like, covenant, covenant, And then I came up with a theory. The pray of the Old Testament is guided and directed by one thing, and that is God's covenant or covenants with Israel. And

5:41 that would mean they can pray far different than I can pray, and that their prayers would then actually be in accordance with God's decree providence. And what did you say, Diane, His will because that will was re build in the covenants. So what would israel struggle be in prayer? Their struggle in prayer would be they're praying to a God whom they cannot see. I mean, in some cases God actually manifests themselves in a way they can see, okay, but a God in whom they cannot see as they see circumstances that goes against the very promises God made to them.

6:23 So all they have to do is now pray, God, do what you said you would do. And they and they could pray that way and it would make sense. We cannot pray that way. So what we have started doing my hypotheses is, is then when we look at the prayers in the Old Testament, they are God not Can't they sound different than the way we pray because it's a completely different situation. And this is why the keeping the Church in Israel distinct is so important. So we started looking at the covenants God made with Israel. We had the Abrahamic Covenant, where the Abrahamic Covenant promises blessing, right descendants and land. So obviously, if Israel's facing certain things, they can pray for God to do something on the basis that really the Abrahamic Covenant established them as God's chosen people that God may listen, not spiritual promises to I mean there may be spiritual aspects to it, but very literal practical promises of land of blessing, meaning you can't wipe us off the face of the earth because you promise us that we're going to be in a land, and you promise us that we're You're a peak. So they can pray for things for God to intervene practically, because God has to preserve them practically. All right, then we have the Mosaic Covenant where there's all kinds of

7:55 promises to them. Right. In fact, if you get to part of the Mosaic Covenant will also the land Covenant, which is in Deuteronomy twenty eight. And God promised blessing after blessing on Israel. And those promises are what materialistic and physical. I will defeat your enemies, I will bless you, I will provide this for you, I will provide this for you. I will provide this for you. Well, then their prayers can be very much related to those things which I can't pray for because those are specific to Israel. Now, all that, we have the Dividic Covenant, and then we have and this is where we ended the first hour. And I can't go back and go through all of these, but we'll work on them a little bit more here because we're going to kind of circle back around and go into more detail. We have the New Covenant, and the New Covenant is where things get really irritating, because every Christian that you know runs to the New Covenant and makes it about them. But the New Covenant is about Israel. And the first passage we ended last hour looking at is Ezekiel thirty six, Ezequel thirty six. We know this is about Israel. So let's just make sure.

9:07 I want you to start in Ezekuel thirty six. Okay, this is your task, right, We're gonna do this in real time. There are thirty eight verses in chapter thirty six of Ezekiel. All right, now, here's what I want you to do. Everybody ready, I want you you can work together. I want you to go through Ezequel thirty six, and I want you to count how many times Israel is mentioned in some way, shape or form Ezequel thirty six. Your job is to count how many times Israel's mentioned. If you want to use electronic device, it's okay. But if you want to use it the old fashioned way, I don't care. Find the answer, but don't scream it out yet when you find it, because I want other people to engage in the work to some level. How many times is it Israel mentioned in that chapter? How many times in some way, shape or form. If it mentions Judah, if it mentions anything that would be related to Israel, any term not just the word Israel, any term that would be like, oh, well, obviously this is Israel.

10:27 Any indicator, any phrase. I know we're gonna come up with radically different numbers, but we'll see if we can get within the same ballpark. Don't say it out loud if you find it, don't just let everyone do their work. Give it a couple of minutes, see what we find. Keep marking away. Now. Some people would say this is ridiculous and redundant. Why don't you just give them the number? But that doesn't accomplish anything. If I just give you the number, Steven's counting on his fingers. That's real old school. Sarah's done.

11:47 I'm assuming okay. Sarah thinks he's done. Okay, Okay, Sarah has fourteen. That's a lot. Thirty thirty seven verses fourteen times, the thirty eight verses fourteen times. I'm horrible at math. Someone can tell me that percentage. Okay, I don't know what that is, but okay, but still a lot. Anybody else get more than fourteen? Okay, that's okay, fifteen, I mean you're still right there close. If fourteen fifteen, that's I mean, that's okay. If someone comes like, I've got forty seven, then we need to talk. Okay, right, I've got I've got more than the verse is used. Okay, then we would need to talk. Okay, you okay, true, Okay, that's true, and you could go back and make it.

12:40 You would have to determine who it's about, and almost every single case it's going to be Israel, so you could definitely increase it. Okay, Okay, that's that's that's easy. Okay, Now, no, that's good though. That's a that's a good argument because anyone reading it would have to identify that you and if THEU goes back to Israel, then that increases the number of times. Okay, nineteen and more, counting more counting the use. Oh okay, good, okay, good, all right. So I think we put it this way, we're gonna be I think probably over twenty I think is where you're gonna ultimately get. Yeah, I think you're gonna be over twenty, right, and you only have thirty seven verses. Yeah, but that's okay.

13:34 I just want you to see because I don't want you to think I'm coming at this from some theological perspective. I'm coming at it from just reading comprehension. If I go read this chapter and over and over and over, it's Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel. The author is making it very clear, which if we believe this is written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, God wants you to know this is about Israel. Now, if it's about Israel, there are specific promises in this New Covenant that we know are not for us, which would dramatically impact how they could pray. Let's look again briefly at some of this. And the reason I get so ticked off at this is every church that you've ever been to and you don't believe me, you can go home today. You can grab the sermons two point oh app look for sermons on Ezekiel thirty six. I challenge you to do it.

14:23 Look up random sermons. Almost ninety nine percent of them other than the ones you may find for me. Are gonna make this about the church and make it about you. You are not here. The you is not you. The you is them, and the them is not us. Okay, it's them and that them is Israel? All right? Is everybody under this is just reading comprehension. One of the big I think one of the biggest failures in all forms of education, public school, homeschool, Christian school, is that we have failed to emphasize reading comprehension and reading analysis.

15:08 Like schooling is so much about just go write a report on this, write a paper on this. That doesn't accomplish anything. They gather facts and then all you have to do is then put those facts down. They can't analyze it, they can't critique it, they can't understand it. Christianity is the world's worst at this. It just says that's bad. No analysis, no critique, no understanding. I don't care if you know bad or good. I need you to be able to explain and analyze. I don't care if you can write a paper. I need you to be able to analyze it. I don't care if you can tell me dates. I need you to be able to So much of education is not about understanding. It's about what memorization. Memorize and just throw it up on paper.

15:57 You're in the honor roll and you're smart. Talk to some people on the honor roll. Ask them to explain something. They can't explain anything. Now, I'm not saying all, I'm just saying, in many of my experiences, people who have done very well in school may know facts, but they can't articulate or analyze what that means or how that well this. Christians are horrible when it comes to the Bible with this right because any reading comprehension. If I removed, if I had a group of atheists with no religious education and they read Ezekiel thirty six, who would they tell me it's about Go to any church. They'll tell you it's about How is that possible? Well, look at the specific promises here verse twenty five. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all filthiness and from all your idols. Now, immediately when I read that, I know something is going on here. That's not talking about an imputed righteousness, is it.

17:07 That's not an imputed righteousness that's actually leading to what transformation of behavior? Because they're going to get rid of all their actual idols. This is physical idols they're going to get rid of. Right, does everybody see that? And then what happens next verse? I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh, Ladies and gentlemen. That is not imputed, that's infused. This is a total transformation externally and internally, which should then lead to what a dramatic change of behavior. Keep reading and tell me how it describes the change of behavior. What does it say immediately after this, Well, it goes, I will put my spirit within you. Now this is the part I want you to see and will cause you. How does the King James translate verse twenty seven? I will cause you?

18:19 How does the NIV translate verse twenty seven and move you? In other words, God is now literally doing something that's going to cause and well, how does he describe it? This is how the king are the new King James, I will cause you to walk in my statutes, not try to walk in my statues, not attempt to not no, actually do that, But does he go further and will keep my judgments? And then I love the way the new King James has it, and do them. This is not progressive sanctification, ladies and gentlemen. This is total, complete transformation done instantaneously that has never happened to anyone in this room. And you know, you know people today who go to church. Call them when you get home, invite them over and say who is that about? They will look you in the eye and say that's about me?

19:18 Then kick them out of your house for being a liar, or do better yet, just insult them or slap them in the face. And when they don't act right, go what's your problem? You have a new heart? Come on, be perfect? Do you have my permission to go do that? Okay, you have my permission. How do you think that that conversation will go? What do you think? Oh, are they gonna act like they have a new heart and a new spirit and be all perfect? No, they're gonna act like a typical sinful human being and may insult you and may say, well, my kids are never coming to your house ever again. You're like, so what I'm losing? What? Okay, get out of my face, Come on, do it? Guess what they won't. They will talk up a big game that this is them, but in practice, will this be them?

20:08 Now? Because you know what, they still have an old heart and a sinful nature. You know how I know they do because I can make I can prove it in five seconds by just provoking just a little bit. Oh, you don't know how to provoke? Come on, the women are here. Y'all know how to provoke. Your experts in it? Right? Come on? Can we agree? Right? The good the if you need if you breake skills, the skills of men and the skills of women provoking the evil women, I'll do men. I mean, we don't even come close. We All we can do is bow before their greatness? Right, y'all don't agree? Okay? They provoke? Do they not? Okay? Good?

21:01 Everyone agrees. So the point is we know that. Wait a minute, and guess what this has led. This one ticks me off. Everyone thinks Martin Luther is a great story, but nobody can relate to him because very few people have that kind of an emotional breakdown. You know why he was having an emotional breakdown because he realized, that's not me, that's not you. So you either have to convince yourself. But now, guess what if those promises are given to you, your praying is gonna sound really different than for people that promise is not for correct, yes, dramatically, Now, how do I know that this promise? How do you know when this promise is going to take place? Look at the very next verse in verse twenty eight. Okay, when you know this takes this is taking place is connected to what getting the land? So does this describe Israel in twenty twenty four? No? Does this describe Jews in twenty twenty four? No? How do I know when that takes place? When they're in the land, meaning this has not occurred yet. This is not us, This is not the church. Does everyone understand that this is not the church? I'm saying these promises should greatly impact the way they pray. Now for us, this will describe us?

22:34 In what? When? Will this describe us? And glorification? But not? Now? Does that make sense? Christians running around claiming this and now, well, if they're claiming, and now what are they praying for? They should just basically be perfect, but they're not because they Oh man, the amount of delusion in the minds of Christians is frightening. Okay, So does everyone see those covenants? Right? So where are the covenants again? Abrahamic, Mosaic, Dovidic, and the New Covenant. They're all related to Israel and they should greatly impact the way they pray. Now, let's look at how this should impact the way they pray. Are you ready? I want you to see the influence of the covenants on prayer. All right, First, let's take this influence down to this the basis of their relationship. Within the covenants, Israel could refer to themselves as what the chosen people of God. Right, So the Jews viewed themselves as uniquely chosen by God due to his covenant with Abraham.

23:43 This fostered a sense of identity and belonging reflected in their prayers. So they could pray in a way that reflected what God, we're your chosen nation. And because we're your chosen nation, and because you promised to bless your nation, then provide this. Bless us with this, protect us with this, destroy your enemies, do this, do this, do this, do this. We can't pray in that similar way because we don't have those specific promises that they had. But when they prayed that way, are they going against God's will? Are they going against his sovereignty? No? Are they going against other people's will? Absolutely? And why could they go against other people's will? Because God made promises to them, didn't make to other nations, so that could dramatically impact how they pray. We can't learn to pray the way they prayed.

24:42 Everybody got that, all right? Next? Covenant faithfulness prayers often included appeals to God's faithfulness to his covenant promises. Now, according to one source, they say, look at ne Amaiah, y'all, look at Neemaiyah, and I'm gonna see you can tell me if this is true or false. I'm not gonna make any dogmatic assertion here. Look at me a mayah Yah chapter one, m Namiah chapter one. Everybody there, Now, I'm not gonna say anything. Just look at verses five through eleven and tell me what you see. I'm not gonna give you. I don't want to give anything away.

25:39 Nam I one five to eleven. You tell me what you find. Maybe you don't find anything, Namia one five to eleven, tell me what you find, mem I one five to eleven. Okay, I'll ask. Now I'm going to ask a specific question. Do you believe that this prayer includes appeals to God's faithfulness to his covenant promises? Yes? Yes, it definitely refers back to them, right, yeah, definitely, because because what was the Mosaic covenant based on? If you

27:12 keep it blessing, if you don't curse. So it is it is right there connected, it's praying and that we'll call that economy. Does that make sense? The economy? Or I'm going to use this now, I'm going to tick off every reform person who's listening. So, hey, reform people, plug your ears right now. Okay, all the non reform people, it's okay, you listening. Ready. Dispensation. I know we're not supposed to say that word because all the people go to reform churches were like, you're idiots. Okay, but remember I don't care about who I offend reform, because I'll reform. I will offend dispensations just as fast as because I don't care about the team. Right. But when we say, dispensations.

27:53 The reason we use that term because that's how God is operating in a specific given time. The way he deals with Israel under that Covenant is very specifically outlined. Right, do this this, do this this now? What that should teach everyone if none of us wants to live and that system, because if God does blessing or curse based on our behavior, we're all going to hell, all right? Because it was to demonstrate that under that system they could not keep the law. Could they keep the law? Did they keep the law? No? All right? And they constantly found themselves cursed. In fact, the Old Testament ends with the threat of a curse, and then we open the New Testament, where do we find Israel cursed? Okay?

28:39 And so then what's the solution? They were thinking of a practical solution to remove the enemy. But God had to come to fix the thing that causes the curse, which is the old nature. And the only way to fix that is not an infused righteousness, but in imputed righteousness. Okay, Right, so we get the idea, but please note this prayer is directly related to the Covenant, meaning that that prayer is going to be very different than us. Everybody see that. So how does the covenants influence prayer? Well, they pray on the basis of that relationship. They pray on the basis of those covenants. That's that's very different. Correct Or number two. The contents of their prayer, they remember the acts of God. Many prayers recounted God's mighty deeds and covenant faithfulness. Look at Psalm one thirty six, Psalm one thirty six. You just look at it and tell me what you find in Psalm one thirty six. Look at verse ten. Just I'll skip down to him who struck

30:10 Egypt and their first born for his mercy indors forever, and brought out This is all recounting all the things God done for Israel. Right, he did this and this I'll never forget. Right, And you can say that I'm fleshly. You may think that I'm an ungodly person. I'll never forget. It was definitely during the time where I was having a countless number of seizures. I was having all kinds of seizures. My military career was coming to an end. They told me I didn't know when I was going to get my disability. It could put be a year to two years before I got my disability. I'm like, how am I going to pay for everything? Okay? Because now my pay is going to drop dramatically. I can't ask the church for more money. What am I going to do? What am I going to do? What am I going to do? Okay? Well, now I'm going to be able to get a job, as you know, as a civilian. But how is this all going to work? Man?

30:59 What's going on? Happened to me? Oh, well, you know, there's no way the church can take care of me. This is gonna be bad. This is gonna be bad. And so I was to say ticked off at God would be an understatement, right, because I didn't ask to get a seizure disorder. I didn't ask to have neurological issues. I didn't ask for my military career to come to an end. I didn't ask for any of this. I don't remember doing the Liturgy of the Hours that day, and it saw one thirty six was the morning prairie. I don't know what time of day it was, and I remember walking around with my Liturgy of the hours. Okay, God, you can do this, you can do this, you can do this, you can but you can't fix my problem. I mean that that that's big things. I need a little bit of interm just a little bit of internet.

31:41 I don't need anything major. Just have a check show up, just to pay off. Because it's always like if my house is paid off, then everything I don't need anything, right, my house paid off, I don't need one thing. I don't need anything, right but my house paid off. I don't need a I don't need a we don't need I don't need one thing because everything is taken care of. My house payment is always the issue, right, because it's a lot of money, right. You all know about house payments. You know that, right, Okay, so it's like, okay, just fix that. That's all I need. Just fix that. I don't need you to part the red sea. I don't need manna to fall from heaven. I don't need you to destroy my enemy. Like I'm not even asking you to take away my seizure disorder. Just pay off my stinking house and all my problems are over. But you know what, why now I realize how utterly stupid I was, because that they can pray that way because God made covenance with them. So God intervened that way to keep his promise. I'm not Israel. I mean, if I was Israel, I could expect God to do these miraculous things, but I can't. Now what was their constant struggle. Their constant struggle was wait a minute, if God can do all these mighty things, why do we constantly find ourselves in the midst of these problems? And God waits so long to show up. Now, in many cases, the reason they

33:11 had problems was specifically related to the covenant that they were involved in, which required them to do what to obey, which they didn't, which constantly placed them in difficulty. So many of their difficulties could be clearly explained. Our difficulties are not that easily explained. Now many people will take those curses and apply them to us, which does major psychological damage to people because nobody can live under that circum but we are not under that. That's why again, dispensationalism, in some cases, I think makes more sense, does it not? Do you see them that all of this is remembering God's acts, and these acts were done for them because on the basis of what his covenant with them? Does that make sense? Right? I'm going to go through some of these quickly because I don't want to run out of time. The content of the prayer remembrance of God's acts, confession and repentance based on the Mosaic Covenant. Prayers included confessions and sins, and please for forgiveness. For example, Daniel chapter nine, we see them repenting and confessing, but there were many cases. Why are they repenting and confessing because they see the result of the curse, and now they're confessing so that they can get thee blessing. Sometimes their confession you may not like to hear, this was very selfish, not so much godly. Well, they always are, and I'm not condemning them for that. I'm just saying, let's just be honest if you're I mean, do we not see

34:43 this cycle in Judges over and over and over and over they find themselves where bondage suffering, and they cry out to God. God not on the basis of their goodness, but on the basis of his covenant. Then does all all those wonderful things for them? Things are good? And then they go right back to And you know why that's so great to know, because that proves they still had not received the new heart, and they still haven't received the new heart because if they received a new heart, they would never have gone back to doing see so, but in some ways it just demonstrates under that covenant it's not going to go well. But they're still praying.

35:24 And according to why can't they pray no matter how bad they've been because God says, hey, you're my covenant people. And God shows them and God is not going to unchoose them, right because He may promise this for them. Correct? All right? Uh, then look at Psalm forty four. Look at Psalm forty four, verses one through twenty six, and tell me what you find. Psalm forty four one through twenty six. Just skim it and tell me what you find.

36:04 How this relates to covenants and what they're asking specifically for. What do we find in Psalm forty four Deliver Well, they immediately are asking for God to do what in this translation. Look at verse one, Oh God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us the work that you did in the past in their days. Right, So this is all based on how God had dealt with Israel in the past, and they're now asking for God to do and just like saw eighty three, God do for us in the present as you've done in the past. God's past actions done for them was on the basis of his covenant with them, so they could pray for the same thing because God's covenant had not changed, irregardless of their behavior. Correct. Remember, this is why, this is why we believe. And the Book of Romans brings this subject up. Right. God's calling an election is sure, right,

37:39 and the best proof of that is what Israel. If you believe God replaced Israel with us, then God's calling an election is not sure. But if we believe God is not done with Israel, then guess what his call. His choosing of them has nothing to do with their behavior, and he will do what he said he will do not on the basis of their behavior, but on the basis of his election. That's the whole argument in the Book of Romans. Right, Who can lay anything a charge against God's elect No one, because it is God who justifies. So they're all they're praying is constantly on the basis of that covenant. Does that make sense? All? Right? So we have in a sense, the basis of their relationship, the covenant, the content of their prayer is directly related to the Covenant. The forms of their prayers they had liturgical prayers, structured prayers, and temple worship and communal settings reflected the covenant relationship. For example, all the Psalms. The psalms reflect their covenant relationship with God and throughout. You can go to any church and way preach the psalms.

38:47 Then they come about us. It's about them. Oh, I know nobody's gonna like that, but it's about them. Because I would use to read those psalms and be like, Okay, well, God, God, if you can do this and this and this and this and this and this and this and this and this and this and this and this, then why is it too much for me to ask for you to do this? Isn't that the struggle for every Christian? Don't you read all these things that God did in the Old Testament. You're like, Okay, God, I'm not needing much. I just need this. You parted the Red Sea. I don't need you to part anything. I just need this much.

39:29 Do you not ever get bothered by that? Well, now I realize how dumb I was, because I was looking at prayers that was based on promises made to them that are not made to me, and I was trying to hijack those promises and make them for God to do similar to me on the basis of what promises made to them. I'm not them, right. If I hear Sarah and Steven talking to their kids, I'm like, okay, so when you turn this age, we're gonna give you, you know, one hundred thousand dollars. And then I'll be like, whoa, Steven, Sarah, I need one hundred thousand dollars. How about what about me?

40:10 And then they would be like, you're not my kid. I'm like, well, that's offensive. Okay, okay, you're you're kind of you're kind of stingy. But I made the promise to them. Hey yeah, but I don't know if you realize this. I've been I've replaced them, they have been removed, they've been kicked out. Your promise was actually made to me. That in't that what Christians do? That's good. That's literally reformed theology. Hey God, no, no, no, no, no no, you made that promise to us. And God's like, I think I know who I made my promise to you. I don't care what I don't care if you went to Westminster Seminary. I don't care where you went. I don't care. I know who I made the promise to.

40:54 I don't need you to tell me. I'll never forget. When I was working in Romans and it said all Israel will be saved, someone made a bee line right to the pulpit right after that sermon. It's like, that's referring to the church. Well, I told them to go look up Israel. Guess what. They never came back with it done because they wouldn't do the work because it's easier just to tell me in the middle of a sermon that I am wrong. Now that's you understand how frustrating that is. But the minute you do that, that what happens to your entire hermeneutic for the rest of the Old Testament. You assert whom there? Remember I right here in this church. I did it night after night.

41:36 I kept telling you weoning grabbed the Matthew Henry commentary, grabbed the Matthew Henry commentary grabbed them at because over and over and over you read the New Testament. Where does Matthew Henry always insert the church, the church, the church, the church the church. The church when you see the problem that leads to I go to these psalms. I'm like, God, do that for me. I don't need you to destroy a nation. I just need a check. I don't need you to destroy a nation. I just need you to remove a seizure disorder. Well, now I realize, man, I'm an idiot. I'm not Israel. Okay, right, Well, yeah, it's that's what it does. Yeah, it's all for us, all right.

42:29 So do we have the liturgical prayers? And those liturgical prayers or those lament Saw eighty three is in a sense of liturgical prayer, right, and it's for the people to cry out to God to do in the past as he has done for them, or do in the present as He has done for them in the past. On the basis of what is covenant. We can't take that and make that about us. But it also includes the personal prayers. Individual prayers express personal devotion and reliance on God's covenant. Go to first sam two and tell me what you find in verses one through ten. Everyone knows this prayer for Samuel two. Again, I think this prayer usually gets talked about a mother's day when you do the typical mother Day's sermon. I think it's Mother's Day when they typically You can tell me if I'm wrong.

43:17 I think this is the prayer, and this Hannah's prayer for Samuel two. Okay, doesn't Hannah always get talked about during Mother's Day? Right? Okay? Hey, you'll be good mothers and you offer your kid to be taken to raised by a priest. I mean, I mean you don't have to do that part. You don't have to do that part. Okay, you dedicate yourself. You dedicate your kids to the Lord by coming up in front of the church and having a little ceremony. That means absolutely nothing, but I guess you got some good pictures of it. Okay, don't even baby dedications? Do? I be absolutely crazy. If you need to dedicate your baby to the Lord. You don't need to do it in a church service. Right, you do it when before they're born? Right? And what does it mean to dedicate your child to the Lord? What does that do? Look biologically?

44:06 What does that do? Like? Okay, Bobby dedicates his child to the Lord and Sarah doesn't dedicate her child to the Lord. Is that going to determine one salvation. Even if you believe in free will, it doesn't fix their salvation, And if you believe in God's election, it doesn't. So you know what it is. It's a stupid ceremony so people can take pictures and all feel good about themselves. Meaningless ritual, that's what it is. Oh, I'm gonna offend all kinds of people with that. But it's meaningless ritual and everybody's taking pictures like, Eh, Mayby's I'm cute. What is this is ridiculous? Oh? I know, I know I'm probably making some of you upset, but I'm just I can't stand meaningless ritual when it's so contradictory to the very theology that we claim. Right now, it would make more sense to do if you believe in a sacramental system, then you do bring the baby up and you baptize them because you believe something is actually happening. But baby dedication supposedly is not doing anything I said, dedicating it to the Lord. But you can't dedicate a kid whom God hasn't chosen to the Lord. If you believe in reform theology and you believe in free will, what about the kids free will? The kids not asking to be dedicated to the Lord. So why don't you respect us free will? Do Christian parents who believe in free will respect their kids' free will? No? They ground them, threaten them, make them go to church. Respect your kids free will?

45:36 Back off? Oh if I say that, does that make Christian parents happy with me? Nor? Well, what happens in the prayer? Okay, now went off of my little rant there? But okay, what happens in the prayer for Samuel too? Hannah's prayer verses one through ten? Is there any covenant something with covenant there? You can tell me if there is or isn't. The reason we're looking at this one. This is a prayer of an individual, not a liturgical prayer. What do we find?

46:25 Nothing? Okay? Do you feel like there's any covenant kind of reference or no? My heart rejoices in the Lord. My horn is exalted in the Lord. I smite, I smile at my enemies because I rejoice in your salvation. What do you think this is a d do you? What do you think she's making any references to anything here? Is she She's clearly making a reference to some things of the past. Is she not? She's clearly relying on some past promises. Do you not agree or do you? Okay?

47:35 I think you can see it. Maybe it's not as specific or as explicit as maybe we want it to be, but it just seems like that there's a lot here that she's clearly referring to how God has acted in the past. Does that make sense? And I think she's relying clearly on what God has promised in the past, and that promise would be for whom Israel now for a gentile? Correct? Okay? All right? I think that's what I think I would I would I would do. All right, So let's go with this because we are going to run out of time, all right. So, the influence of covenants on prayer, it's the basis of the relationship. It impacts the actual contents of the prayer, and it actually impacts the form of the prayer, whether it's liturgical or whether it's personal. Now, let's look some examples of covenant based prayers. You want some examples of covenant based prayers, all right, go to Genesis eighteen, Genesis eighteen twenty two through twenty three. Tell me what happens here. You may agree or disagree with these examples, and if you disagree, that's okay. We could probably find better ones. Eighteen twenty two twenty three. What happens in Genesis eighteen twenty two to twenty three is Abraham praying Who's he praying for?

49:08 For Sodom? Now, this is how some would argue Abram's intercession for Sodom reflects his intimate relationship with God and his role as the father of a chosen nation, that this is all his entire he directed he kind of he asks very specific for God to do things, does he not? In a very specific way? But he can do this because God has made him, in a sense, the father of a nation. And there are people there who are related to whom. And God said that He's going to raise his descendants from him. So he would obviously pray for his descendants not to be destroyed, and he refers to his descendants. Obviously he has some concept that his descendants by some definition, are considered to be righteous based more on the Covenant idea obviously on their actions.

50:03 And God does what he does spare his descendants, does he not? Now the wife doesn't make it, but Lod does. And Lod is his direct and his nephew. Yeah, his nephew, right, am I right? So has his direct descendants? So and so God spares a lot, not on the basis of anything. And he can pray this way. Why because of a covenant? Do you understand that? Like I couldn't say God, do this. I mean, I can say this, but I could be our way. At the same time, I've got to respect God. I can't overcome someone else's will, right, and I can't. I gotta respect God's sovereignty. But here he can ask this specifically because hey, God, you said from me would come a great nation. You can't start wiping out my descendants.

50:53 Does that make sense? All right? So there's there's the Abrahamic covenant coming into play. How about Exodus thirty two, Exodus thirty two, look at eleven through fourteen. Exodus thirty two, eleven through fourteen, Tell me what happens here. Moses is going to be the one praying, and he's going to be interceding for Israel. Is he what is he kind of basis or appeal to? Exodus thirty two eleven through fourteen. Thirty two eleven through fourteen. What is Moses appeals to?

51:35 He appeals to certain things God's promised to whom. Here we go to Israel. He intercedes and says, wait, on the basis of what the covenant you made. You see that the Covenant has everything to do with their prayers? Does everybody see that? We looked at Neemiah one five through eleven. Nemiah's prayer for Jerusalem's restoration invokes God's covenantal faithfulness and mercy. So we have the Abrahamic Covenant, we have the Mosaic Covenant influencing prayers. How about the Dividic Covenant. You can look at tewod Samuel seventh, eighteen through twenty nine. I won't have time. We don't have time to read all of it. David's prayer of gratitude and praise after receiving the Covenant promises reflects his awe and reliance on God's faithfulness. So he prays after receiving the promise of the Covenant based on that covenant. Look at Psalm eighty nine.

52:41 Psalm eighty nine. Oh, the Dividic Covenant. Okay? Is that the title or what does it say? Is that the title you're reading? Oh? Verse three? What does it say? There we go? This is now the dividic Covenant showing up in the prayer, so which all the covenants influence wide praying. So for a Jew, their prayer could be influenced by which covenant they abraham it mosaic, the Divinic, and the New, which almost explains every prayer you have in the Old Testament. And and we know the New Covenant Jeremiah thirty one thirty one through thirty four, Right, Jeremiah thirty one thirty one through forty four, you should know it. The promises of the New Covenant underscores prayers for you ready for renewal, for transformation, and looking for a restored relationship with God on the basis of the New Covenant. So the covenants provide a foundation for Israel's identity and assurance and prayer. Believers approached God with confidence in his promise. Prayers frequently appeal to God's covenantal attributes his faithfulness, mercy, and commitment to his people. The Covenant promises fueled hope and expectation in prayer, especially in times

54:14 of distress, looking forward to God's intervention and fulfillment of his promise. The covenantal relationship between God and Israel profoundly shaped Jewish prayer in the Old Testament. Did everyone hear that that's not for me? I took it from a different source. Covenant. The covenantal relationship between God and Israel profoundly shaped Jewish prayer in the Old Testament. The Covenant provided a framework for understanding God's character, his promise, his relationship with his people. As a result, prayers were deeply rooted in the assurance of God's faithfulness and the expectation of his covenantal fulfillment. The covenantal contexts gave the Jewish people a unique perspective on prayer, characterized by trust, hope, and a deep sense of belonging to God's chosen community. Meaning, every prayer you're reading the Old Testament is directly related to the covenant He made with them. You cannot take that and make it about us in any way, shape or form. We can't pray that way because those promises are not to us. But we constantly pray like we're ancient Israel and we're not. So. I then went to Ai.

55:35 I'm like, hey, Ai, I got an issue here. Well, I've got a hypothesis here. I thinks the way I put it I believe that the Old Testament Jews could pray in a way that I can't pray. That's different. Right. So I started having this conversation with Ai. So AI, this is its response. I copied it, Yes exactly, and I was like, oh, wow, AI's in agreement with me. Right, Hey, I like something. I'm telling you. I just want to get rid of all people and just have a congregation of Ai. That's all I want. But because if you can, if you if you no, it will correct me. But if I can reason with it long enough, it will be willing to acknowledge, like if I'm right, but it will stand its ground if I'm wrong. But I do like having the conversation. So it says, yes, exactly, this is what I quote. Are you ready? The Jews in the Old Testament could ask for God's intervention and expect him to act based on those specific promises outlined in the covenants. Wooh, that sounds like my entire hypothesis. Right.

56:38 They believed that their prayers were consistent with God's eternal decrees and providence because these were revealed through the covenants. What what that's That's exactly what My whole the whole thing. I'm like, and they brought in the word eternal decrees and providence. I'm like, oh, this is so good. This goes perfectly that they could pray that way, and it goes nothing against the reform view of prayer. And the reason they could ask for things that seemed to go against God's will is because they were literally praying in accordance with God's will that was revealed in the very covenants.

57:25 That if we study those covenants and we let them be about Israel, then we don't have any conflict with the way they prayed. But we can't pray that way because we don't have those promises. So I said, well, what would it look like to pray within the framework of the covenants? So I asked Ai, what would it look like? This is what AI gave me, right number one, pray. If they prayed within the framework of God's covenant Number one, it would give them confidence in God's promises. The covenants provided a clear understanding of God's promise and intention. This gave Israel confidence that their prayer for intervention and protection and blessing were aligned with God's will. They could know they could know they were in aligned with God's will.

58:08 And guess which one they gave as an example. Nemiah chapter one, which is the one I told you aught to read. This is what it says about Neemiah. This is Ai ne Amiah praise for the restoration of Jerusalem. Appealing to God's covenant with Moses. He acknowledged Israel's sin, but also reminds God of his promise together as people if they repent so he could, they could remind God of a promise. Hey, God, you promise this. Do this. And even if they didn't have to remind God, they could say it in a very dogmatic assertion. Because God would have to keep his they could be very bold in their prayer. I can't be that bold they could?

58:50 Does that make sense? Prayers often included appeals to God's faithfulness to his covenant promises. This was based on the understanding that God's eternal decrees included his covenant commitments. Do you see how Ai brought an eternal decrees? I was like the better than any seminary because it under and guess what example it gave Exodus thirty two, which I told you to read. The exact example I want to write, invoking historical acts. The Israelites frequently evoked God's past acts of deliverance and provision, which we're seen as manifestations of this covenant faithfulness, this strength, and their belief that God would continue to act in the present as he did in the past based on his covenant promise. If he was acting in the past in accordance with his covenant promise now that he would act in the present according to that promise. And that's exactly what we see in Psalm eighty three right confidence God's response. The Jews prayed with the assurance that God would hear and respond. Because their request were based on explicit promises, they literally have this alignment with God's eternal decrees. Praying based on the covenants means that their petitions were aligned with God's eternal plan.

1:00:22 The expectation of divine intervention. The Israelites expected God to intervene. Why, because he had intervened based on the Covenant. All right. So then I asked, well, what does this mean for me? Because I'm not Jewish, I'm a gentile, right, And Ai said, well, I'm sorry for you. No, I did not, So I said, so what does this mean? This is what it said as a gentile New Testament believer, the focus of your prayer would be on spiritual promises and guarantees found in the New Covenant, as we've been engrafted in. Now, did you hear what kind of promises spiritual? How can AI draw this distinction? But Christians can't? You know why? Because AI is basing it off philological understanding, not our own personal feelings. We almost have a superstitious view of God. Well, we just believe God has to do certain things, but he doesn't. And we've been raised in churches to destroy our ability to think. So they go on to say, so some of the key promises AI decided that goes on.

1:01:37 It says a lot here, it says New Testament believers can ensure their prayers are consistent with God's eternal decrees and providence if we basically do the following. Here's how we can do so that are in our prayer. This is what we can focus on, salvation and eternal life, eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. John three sixteen Romans ten to nine, thankfulness for salvation, intercession for other salvation. So we can just pray. Our prayers would be focused on what I have in Christ. I have eternal life. I have the guarantee of eternity. Now, because I know I have a guarantee of eternity, I can thankful for that and then pray that no matter what I'm facing, I know I have eternal salvation, and there will come a time that there will be no more pain, no more tears, no more death, and no more suffering and no more sin. Now, we don't like that because I don't sometimes guess what I want. I hate to say it.

1:02:35 You know, Sometimes I to think God's spiritual promises are absolutely useless at my present crises when I need it, when I need money. I don't care that I have eternal life. I don't care that I have all riches in Christ Jesus. I don't care that I have all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. I just need my house paid off. When I'm laying in the pool of my own urine and spit because I've had a seizure and I wake up, I don't really care that I have all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. I would like my seizures to go away, because that's a humiliating experience. Amen come on I'm not. Don't look like I'm so unspiritual.

1:03:26 We've all been there, right. I need hey, God, I need you to do what you did for Israel, and I need you to do it for me. And God's like, well, You're not Israel, but someone told me I am all right. So in other words, I those are things now? Are their prayers? Are their situations in the New Testament? All end with this, which does create a little bit of problem. There are some that create a little bit of problem. All right, there are a couple of passages. May God, let's just look at Matthew six. Now this is where extreme dispensationalism may get into play here, and we can have an argument. We'll end with this. And I know we're almost fifteen after but we don't have Sunday night.

1:04:17 We don't have Wednesday, so we can go a little long on Sunday. Okay, all right, Matthew six twenty five through thirty four. I mean this is famous section, is it not? And I've told you I've struggled with this section my whole life. What does this say, Hey, don't don't worry about anything pretending to your life? And what seems to be the end indication he's going to provide, Hey, provide for the birds prayer. Now the issue is who is he speaking to here? Now, this is where? Now now that. But now just so that you know, now we're entering into a realm that's very This would almost be called hyper dispensationalism, and it's condemned by almost everyone.

1:05:10 So I don't want to go into hyperdispensationalism, but we do have to, because don't you struggle with this passage? Remember I got he naked about you. That's I got problems, right. Remember I got in big trouble. I got in big trouble way back many years ago because there was a church that had they were doing their VBS and they had had a picture of birds and it said, like, you know, God will provide and he feeds even the birds, so you don't need to worry about what you're gonna eat. Something along this in their VBS curriculum, and so underneath it I posted a picture the famous picture of the kid and I think Ethiopia, who's like curled up, his bones are showing he's starting. He's minutes, probably hours, maybe days away from death. And there's a buzzard just standing there looking over at the little kid, and I'm like, oh, he'll feed the birds. The people did not like that, but I'm like, if the idea is, if God provides that way, clearly they wouldn't you know how many people starve to death every single day in this world. I've talked about it many times. I've looked up the numbers.

1:06:22 Thousands of people every twenty four hours die from starvation. And then we add the number of how many people die from the lack of clean drinking water. Now those numbers are staggering. Well, clearly that promise can't be for everybody, right, So then who is the promise for? We typically want to make it for whom us? Now this is found where? And the Sermon on the mound, Now, the Sermon on the Mount is Jesus basically doing what what is Jesus doing?

1:07:04 And Sermmon on the Mount, He's basically regiving the law. Now this sounds like a law promise right now, this kind of law promise was given to Israel. And what was required for God to provide that kind of food for them? Obedience? Now I know that I'm not Look, I don't have a good answer. I don't have a good answer because I would like to believe I don't need to worry about what I wear. I don't need to worry about my food because God will provide for me. Now, the way we always get around, well, God will provide. But I mean, you're gonna go out and work and you're gotta go out and do something to get it. That doesn't sound like God providing because antheists work and get food. Well, now that's common grace. We try to come up with every explanation in the world. Well, if someone starts to death, well they obviously wasn't a Christian.

1:07:54 Well that's disturbing, right, How do you know that? You just assume like that's kind of messed up, Right, So I don't know, because there's been people starved to death and died. I read about some of the early colonies in the United States of America with James Town. Didn't they freeze to death and starved to death? Right? Most of them would have been Puritans or pilgrims, which would have been very much believers in God because they came here fleeing religious persecution. A right, So don't tell me that people who didn't come here didn't starve to death while they were praying to God. So don't just stop that. That's just a lie. So clearly we have to do something with this. I don't have a good answer. I don't have a good answer there, right, I don't Does it next it now? And you could argue Jesus primary message at this point as to whom to Jews? So does he give this promise to gentiles. I'm gonna have a hard time saying it's promised to gentiles. However, there's one other passage where people will always go to. Everybody knows where it is, right, It's in the New Testament.

1:09:06 Paul's writing to a church Philippians. Remember he makes some big promises in Philippians right now. Typically there may be I think, if there's another one in Philippians, you can you can correct me. But oh, maybe there's there are two. Hang on, wait, oh yeah, okay, good, all right. Look at Philippians four six through seven. That's the first one. Everyone knows this one, Philippians four six through seven. Okay, he says, some I don't know how your translations read.

1:09:55 I think some say be anxious for nothing, some say give no thought to or something. Along those lines, right, And what does it say Philippians four six to seven be careful for nothing, or get or take no thought of, or don't be anxious about anything? Everything by prayer and thanksgiving. Request. Let your request be made known to God. Okay, Now that doesn't guarantee anything other than peace, and that peace comes with obviously, if we're going to look at it from ur the way we look it by submitting to God's will. Now you can give a request, but you ultimately say your will. All right, But so that one doesn't really cause me a problem. I don't. I don't need to do much. The next one in Philippians causes the problem. And it's in verse nineteen. And this one is quoted constantly everybody see it. What does it say? Now?

1:11:05 What needs? Is that referencing? Though I know it's according to his riches in glory, that sounds like spiritual needs, does it not? I mean, I'm not saying that that's perfect because think now we always play games. Well, if God's the one providing for everyone's needs, then why does anybody need anything? Right? And I said, well, he provides the needs through you, So I come to you and tell you my need and then you provide for me. Well that's well, they say, well, God's doing it through you. Well, does that mean God won't do anything unless other people are around to do it for him? They seem like, I don't know. To me, that sounds like spiritual needs.

1:11:58 But I could be dramatically wrong there. Those are some passages that would create a couple of problems with my theory. Right now, My theory is rock solid when it comes to the prayers of the Old Testament, because that has nothing to do with us, all right. Come on, there's no way to get around that. We know those Covenant promises are not for us. If you think they're for you, you're insane, all right, because we already know when we start looking at Psaalm eighty three, when we look at how God intervenes on the enemies of the past, we know that God's not doing that in the present. He's not telling us to put down all of our guns and grab a torch and a picture and a trumpet and go out against an army of thousands and smash the trump blow the trump and to smashed the pot and boom all your enemies flee. Come on, we know that's not happening. We know God is not doing those miraculous things because it would be everywhere, right, So we know why did God do miraculous things for them, because he promised we don't have those. Now. God does promise to do miraculous things for us, but those miraculous things are imputed righteousness and our glorification and eternity. We don't necessarily have those promises in everyday life. We try to grab some of these passages, but I think in some of those cases we got to be really careful who's that's being spoken to, because we cannot forget that in many cases. Now I don't have time to look this up, but at least in many cases we have to know.

1:13:28 Especially in the Gospels, those messages that Jesus are preaching are almost primarily for whom Jews. They don't really start going towards the gentiles to win acts, right then they start moving towards the gentiles, and then those gentiles are not being handed the same promises in any way, shape or form. Now that Philippians passage is the one that's the most difficult to kind of get around the first part is not hey, pray and you get peace. It doesn't say you're going to get your problem takes care of, right, all right? So that's good, right, because Paul didn't get his problems taking care of. I mean he got beheaded for crying out loud, all right. So I mean he was at times starving and beaten. I mean we know all the problems he had. God. Now, sometimes God divinely intervened, but that's because those are for the apostles, right, So then we even have that once the further you get away, when when Timothy is having stomach problems, what does Paul tell him to do drink wine? Well, wait a minute, why wouldn't God just step in and fix it. That's very different than the way it sounds earlier on, does it not? And then we know what happens to all the disciples. They're all martyred. God didn't step in and save any of them. Yeah, the Jews required to sign and and and well and then and the Apostolic miracles were as a sign to prove their apostolic authority, which we don't believe that apostolic authority was passed on, right, So I just will argue that the praying of the

1:15:01 Old Testament reflects Covenant relationship. Our involvement in the New Covenant points to spirit. We have what kind of blessings in Christ Jesus spiritual blessings right we have? All of our praying is focused on God's eternal decree, which do we know. We don't know God's eternal decree. So what we pray is God, I don't understand your decree because it's not outlined to me like it did for Israel. I pray that this would be your will or this would be your will, and this will be your will, but ultimately your will will be done. My job is to submit and find peace and your will even if I absolutely hate it. And I do know you will provide all my needs according to your riches in heaven.

1:15:49 You will meet all my spiritual needs. I don't know if you're going to meet all my physical needs. He met all the he can meet the physical needs for Israel. Doesn't no guarantee he's going to meet all my physical needs. I think to try to bring that to the New Testament is detrimental, very detrimental. Even in the Book of Acts, how did the people get fed? Remember that they had the whole pull out. Basically, what was called deacons to take care of the widows to make sure that they were fed. They didn't. God wasn't doing it supernaturally. He was doing it through normal means. And every church do we simply say, hey, guys, we need this much money to stay open. Let's just pray and I'll wait for a delivery at the door for the money. No, we say God will provide through the giving of his people.

1:16:46 In that a convenient way to say, if you don't give, then God doesn't provide. See, that kind of removes God from the picture because every organization sounds the same way. When NPR is raising money, they need the listeners to call in in give, that'll say that's God. But when a Christian ministry says I need God's people to call in and give somehow, we immediately say that's God, that's you giving money. They say, well, God's the one that does it. That's just a rounded way. That's just playing semantics, right, It's not the God divinely intervened in very very dramatic ways in the Old Testament. It doesn't work that way in the New Testament obviously, right, So can we claim that, I think the reason the way we can understand prayer at least in the Old Testament, and how it can be consistent with theology is because their way was different.

1:17:46 How that works in the New Testament is completely different than the old is. All we can do is say, God, your sovereign, if we believe in His sovereignty and your eternal decrees, I'm going to submit to that eternal decree, even though this is the way I would like it to work. But ultimately your will be done. And I do know, and I have complete confidence that you have met all my spiritual needs in Christ Jesus, and that I have all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus, and that I am perfect, holy and like I can pray with confidence those things. I can pray with confidence that they'll come a time there'll be no more pay no more suffering, and no more death. I can pray in confidence that they'll come a time that I truly will be a new creature and practice, because my old nature will be gone.

1:18:30 I can pray with confidence anything pertaining to what eternity. I can pray with confidence that God hears me, and I can pray with confidence that God's will will be done. Saw mayty three sounds very different than the way we pray. But they can pray because they knew what God's will was, which is to do what preserve Israel? Why did he have to preserve Israel? Well, because they made a covenant whom the Messiah would come. And then even now with when Israel didn't exist, they could still be praying confidently that Israel would one day come back. And then they can pray confidently that one day there will be they will get all the promises, all those promises of the New Covenant will happen it and they can pray it dogmatically. Right, Does that make sense a little bit? Right now? There may be other passages in the New Testament that we didn't get to. I went to the most problematic ones, and I look, it's perfectly okay when we create hypothesis to acknowledge word there's weakness in ours. Some of those passages in the New Testament. I don't have good answers for some of them. It's not that difficult. Clearly that's a reference to the Jews. And people say, well, you can't say that, Yeah you can, when clearly the first all the first believers were wide Jews. I mean there's no way to get around that. The early Church was Jewish until they started moving towards the Judge. And then once the the Gentiles came in, what did the Jews do?

1:20:02 We didn't know what to do. They didn't know what to do. They had to have an entire council because they didn't know what to do. They didn't know what to do. Wait, we're confused here, right, because showing that up to that point everything was understood from Ajor they were even meeting where in the synagogue on the Sabbath in many cases, right, there was still a lot of confusion right now they started Obviously there was why because there was still a Jewish aspect. Slowly but surely that goes away. And you know why, it goes away because Israel no longer exists. Ok It's easy for it to go away. It's easy to go away when you're like, well, there's no more high priest, there's no more temple, there's no more there's no more any there's not even genealogical records to know which tribe were a part of that.

1:20:59 Judaism is easy to go away when there's no more Israel. Okay, Then the Church took on a gentile and then that's when the gentile church stole from all the promises of Israel. And you can see where that's been nothing but a hermeneutical nightmare since then until nineteen forty eight. Well, let's be fair, some of the early dispensational started making their claims before nineteen forty eight, which is amazing when you think about it. Yeah, amazing. They were like, wait a minute, Israel's gonna have to come back. And they were like, you're out of your mind. Okay, well, that's why we trust the scriptures and not what we see. Right, let's probably look, got we coming for you this afternoon. Lord.

1:21:46 I have no easy answers for any of this. Lord, I just know that we have to draw a distinction between us and your chosen people, Israel. Forgive us when we've claimed promises. Forgive us for sometimes true reading you as if you have to do for us what you did for them. Help us understand prayer better, and help us, Lord, act in a way that's in accordance to your will and be submissive to it. And we asked this in Jesus name, and God's people said