Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas
Jeremy approaches Bible teaching with a passion for getting the basic doctrines explained so that the individual can understand them and then apply them to circumstances in their life. These basic and important lessons are nestled in a framework of history and progression of revelation from the Bible so the whole of Scripture can be applied to your physical and spiritual life.
Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas
NT Framework - Enemies and Hope
In the midst of enemies, there is despair and hope. However the hope is not always obvious. But God, two words that do bring hope to us as we face our enemies both external and internal.
More information about Beyond the Walls, including additional resources can be found at www.beyondthewalls-ministry.com
This series included graphics to illustrate what is being taught, if you would like to watch the teachings you can do so on Rumble (https://rumble.com/user/SpokaneBibleChurch) or on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtV_KhFVZ_waBcnuywiRKIyEcDkiujRqP).
Jeremy Thomas is the pastor at Spokane Bible Church in Spokane, Washington and a professor at Chafer Theological Seminary. He has been teaching the Bible for over 20 years, always seeking to present its truths in a clear and understandable manner.
Welcome to Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas and our series on the New Testament Framework. Today a smaller, bite-sized piece from the larger lesson. We hope you enjoy it.
Speaker 2:And of course, there were enemies during this time, as there are for us enemies to sanctification. I want to stop your sanctification. There's the world, the world around you, that can corrupt you. I mean, all the nations around Israel at that time were idolatrous. Isn't that how Israel became idolatrous? They looked at all the other nations. They started to import everything from those nations, just like Solomon did. You know, solomon imported wives.
Speaker 2:But you don't just get wives, you get the belief systems of the wives too, by the way, that's why it's really important to marry another believer. If you're a believer, you don't marry an unbeliever. Because you're a believer, you don't marry an unbeliever because you're not just marrying an unbeliever, you're also bringing in everything from her worldview, her system of thoughts, whatever it is. So the Bible is very important. You know, if you marry someone, marry someone in the Lord, you know, marry someone who shares the same set of beliefs, belief system. So Israel was just intermarrying with anybody and taking in all of their idolatry. And God even used these nations like Assyria and Babylon, to finally discipline and judge them right as he sends them into exile. Of course, they all had the flesh. Which the flesh? We also have it. It's our sinful nature, that we still have that wars against us. And then finally, the devil and the devil was the one in the old testament.
Speaker 2:Who's behind the foreign nations, stirring them up against israel for disciplinary measure and by corollary, you might look at a passage like first corinthians 5 5. This is one of those strange passages where, honestly, a lot of expositors are like I don don't know what this means, or aren't sure what this means, or don't give much explanation of what it means. But it's the passage where Paul is talking about a believer at Corinth who is having relations with his father's wife and in that passage he says you guys are worse than the Gentiles. You're living lives that are more horrible than people who aren't even Christian, which shows you that Christians can live lives that are worse than non-Christian. 1 Corinthians 5.
Speaker 2:But in that passage Paul says I turn such and such person over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh. And people say what does this mean? Turn him over to Satan for destruction of his flesh? Well, it's turning him out to the world where Satan rules, to undergo Satan's wrath and discipline upon the believer, just like Israel. What did God do? God turned them over to nations that were controlled by Satan. Okay, so Paul is using Old Testament imagery, the ideas that Satan is behind these nations like Assyria and Babylon, to go in and influence Israel and also to discipline Israel, and he takes that over to the New Testament. He says a believer who's so far out of it? Paul says I just turn him over to Satan. It doesn't mean he lose salvation or something like that, any more than it means that Israel is suddenly not Israel and lost all God's promises or something. That's silly. But what it is is talking about turning them out to the world for extreme divine discipline under satanic influence. So that's what's going on there.
Speaker 2:So we get a good review here at the kingdoms in decline of all five aspects of sanctification the phases, the aim, the means, the dimensions and the enemies. But the main thing that we have to walk away from is realizing that in this period it becomes very evident that Israel is not going to keep the Mosaic Law. But there's a bright glimmer of hope because God says that there's going to be a new covenant and that new covenant will provide a new heart and a spirit who will be placed within you, that will obey, and all that sets up what is necessary for Israel to enjoy the land eternally that God has promised them, enjoy the seed and be a blessing to the world. And so when will the new covenant be fulfilled to Israel? When will they have this new heart and this new spirit? Well, at the second coming, when they believe in Jesus as their Messiah and he takes them into his kingdom that he establishes on earth. So all the New Covenant looks to that point in time.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining us on Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas. If you would like to see the visuals that went along with today's sermon, you can find those on Rumble and on YouTube under Spokane Bible Church. That is where Jeremy is the pastor and teacher church. That is where Jeremy is the pastor and teacher. We hope you found today's lesson productive and useful in growing closer to God and walking more obediently with Him. If you found this podcast to be useful and helpful, then please consider rating us in your favorite podcast app and until next time, we hope you have a blessed and wonderful day.