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 - Love wants to dwell
When you love someone you want to be with them, in their presence and in relationship with them; God is no different and is actually our model for wanting to be with the one we love.
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. When the virgin birth happens.
Speaker 2:You do know what that was right. That is God who has taken to Himself a true humanity. This is not just a little thing. He is in this moment in time come into the world to dwell with man, to save man. It is a remarkable moment. And the liberal theologians say we don't really need that. Okay, I guess we don't need great things from god, do we? We just need the universal pathos or some kind of evolutionary process, and I bet that really turns you on, doesn't it? That really does it for you. When you die, you're just going to go into nothingness. How does that do it? For Does that make sense of these souls that you look around and see we're nothing but just molecules thrown together in a chance way, that you're nothing more than that, that you're basically dirt. That's all you ever have been and all you ever will be. That is the evolutionary eschatology. You're nothing, so they treat us like nothing. That's how they treat people. That's why the times of the Gentiles in the book of Daniel is characterized as a time of oppression and treatment of humanity like they are nothings. And that's how we're treated in this world. So that's a lesson on politics. The incarnation is the coming of God to dwell with man, emmanuel, god with us. Now I say this is how the Bible, this leave us without an expectation that what God intended originally will in fact come to pass. Revelation, chapter 21. If you're ever down, read these two chapters. If you ever get down, you can read these chapters. You can read Isaiah 40s, but these are great chapters. Then I saw a new heaven and new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth passed away. There is no longer any sea Interesting. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband, and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying Behold the tabernacle of God. Didn't we see the tabernacle a minute ago? The tabernacle of God is among men and he will dwell among them. It's the same exact theme that we saw in Genesis, that we saw in Exodus, that we saw in Kings, that we saw in the Emmanuel and what we saw in the virgin birth. And they shall be his people and God himself will be among them and he will wipe away every tear from their eyes and there will no longer be any death. There will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain for the first things have passed away. Amen to that. Amen to that. So that theme, the, the dwelling theme, is throughout the whole bible, from genesis to revelation. Now I'm going to take you to another theme. Go to genesis, chapter 32. These all converge and look to the Messiah, genesis 32.
Speaker 2:This is a story of Jacob fighting this figure. Remember this story and the hip and the socket. Genesis 32, verse 24. Then Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. Take note of the word man.
Speaker 2:A man wrestled with him. When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh. The man touched Jacob's thigh. So the socket of Jacob's thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said let me go, but the dawn is breaking. But he said I will not let you go unless you bless me. That's Jacob saying I'm not going to let you go unless you bless me. So he said to him what is your name? And he said Jacob. And he said your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel. This is the origin of the name Israel, which is assigned to the nation of Israel, composed of the 12 tribes. What does the name Israel mean. Well, he tells us next, for you have wrestled with God. It says striven. I would just translate it wrestle. You have wrestled with God and with men and you have prevailed. What in the world does that mean? I thought he was wrestling a man.
Speaker 1:Now you've wrestled with God.
Speaker 2:And what is this? People say, oh, it's good, pre-incarnate Christ. I like to say, I prefer to say these are this is the God, this is God as man, this is God as man. Is it pre-incarnate Christ? Yes, probably, but I like the idea of God as man because it helps you understand in the New Testament that when Jesus is born, he's God as man. It helps you understand that. So God as man. Now it keeps going. And, by the way, so Israel means what Wrestles with God?
Speaker 2:This is a nation that wrestles with God. They're still wrestling with God. They keep striving with God, wrestling with God. They won't give up and they're going to keep doing it until God finally breaks their will and then, okay, they'll accept him and he'll solve his plan for them.
Speaker 2:Verse where was I? Verse 30, no 27. So he said to him what's your name, jacob? He said your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel. You've striven with God and with men and have prevailed. Then Jacob asked him and said please tell me your name. But he said why is it that you ask my name? And he blessed him there. So Jacob named the place Peniel. There used to be a camp in Texas named Camp Peniel for Christians in the hill country near where we lived, where he said I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved. See, he saw God as man. He saw the pre-incarnate Christ. That's who he was wrestling with, this figure, this strange figure through the Old Testament we see multiple times. We even saw in the garden with Adam and Eve. Right it says. They heard the sound of the Lord, god walking in the garden. It's the same person, but we're given these what we call theophanies, okay.
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. 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.