The Same Gospel From The Beginning – Introduction

 

A Seven-Week Study Through Leviticus

Is God’s Plan of Redemption
A) in Response to the Fall of Man
Or
B)  in Anticipation of the Fall of Man?

By Grace We Have Been Chosen

            Example: The Exodus of Israel from the Bondage of Slavery in Egypt

            Chosen to:

                        Obey Christ

                        Be Sprinkled by His Blood (Be Redeemed)

Our Inheritance is Eternal

            Example: Laws of Redemption vs. Pension Plans

The Outcome of Our Faith is Salvation

            Example: Israel Really Suffered in the Wilderness

            Faith in Suffering

                        In Suffering You Love Whom you Have Never Seen

                        In Suffering You believe in Whom you do not presently See

The Apostles and The Prophets Proclaimed the Same Gospel

            The Prophets were looking for the Christ

            The Prophets were looking for sufferings AND Glories

            The Prophets were serving us

“Be Holy” – It’s the Holy Spirits Sanctifying work NOT Legalism

Grace, Redemption & Faith Has Always Been Through Jesus

            Respond in a Healthy Fear

            Put your Faith and Hope in God

God’s Word NEVER Changes

            Example : Immutability

1 Peter 1 – (NASB)

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen ² according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, ⁷ so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ⁸ and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, ⁹ obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

¹⁰ As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, ¹¹ seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. ¹² It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.

¹³ Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, ¹⁵ but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; ¹⁶ because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

¹⁷ If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; ¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, ¹⁹ but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. ²⁰ For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you ²¹ who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

²² Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, ²³ for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴ For,

“All flesh is like grass,
And all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
And the flower falls off,
                ²⁵ But the word of the Lord endures forever.”

And this is the word which was preached to you.

By Grace We Have Been Chosen

            Example: The Exodus of Israel from the Bondage of Slavery in Egypt

            Chosen to:

                        Obey Christ

                        Be Sprinkled by His Blood (Be Redeemed)

Exodus 2:23-25

²³ Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God. ²⁴ So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ²⁵ God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.

Genesis 50:24

24 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.”

Genesis 15:12-16

¹² Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. ¹³ God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. ¹⁴ But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. ¹⁵ As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. ¹⁶ Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”

Exodus 3-14 (The Exodus)

1 Peter 1:1-2

¹ Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen ² according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

Our Inheritance is Eternal

            Example: Laws of Redemption vs. Pension Plans

Leviticus 25:23-24

²³ ‘The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are but aliens and sojourners with Me. ²⁴ Thus for every piece of your property, you are to provide for the redemption of the land.

Leviticus 25: 55

⁵⁵ For the sons of Israel are My servants; they are My servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

1 Peter 1:3-5

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

The Outcome of Our Faith is Salvation

            Example: Israel Really Suffered in the Wilderness

            Faith in Suffering

                        In Suffering You Love Whom you Have Never Seen

                        In Suffering You believe in Whom you do not presently See

Exodus 15-Joshua 2 (The Wilderness)

2 Timothy 2:11-13

¹¹ It is a trustworthy statement:

            For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
                        ¹² If we endure, we will also reign with Him;
If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
                        ¹³ If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

1 Peter 1:6-9

⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, ⁷ so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ⁸ and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, ⁹ obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

The Apostles and The Prophets Proclaimed the Same Gospel

            The Prophets were looking for the Christ

            The Prophets were looking for sufferings AND Glories

            The Prophets were serving us

Amos 3:7

⁷ Surely the Lord God does nothing
Unless He reveals His secret counsel
To His servants the prophets.

1 Peter 1:10-12

¹⁰ As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, ¹¹ seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. ¹² It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.

“Be Holy” – It’s the Holy Spirits Sanctifying work NOT Legalism

            Example: The Law came after Israel’s Exodus

            Prepare your minds for Action

Keep Sober in Spirit

Fix your hope Completely on the Grace to be brought to you

Do not be conformed to your former lusts

1 Peter 1:13-16

¹³ Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, ¹⁵ but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; ¹⁶ because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

 

 

Grace, Redemption & Faith Has Always Been Through Jesus

            Respond in a Healthy Fear

            Put your Faith and Hope in God

John 14:6

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Hosea 13:4

⁴ Yet I have been the Lord your God Since the land of Egypt;
And you were not to know any god except Me,
For there is no savior besides Me.

1 Peter 1:17-21

¹⁷ If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; ¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, ¹⁹ but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. ²⁰ For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you ²¹ who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

 

 

 

God’s Word NEVER Changes -Therefore God Never Changes

Example: Immutability 

John 1:1-5

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Malachi 3:6

⁶ “For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.

Hebrews 6:17-18

¹⁷ In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, ¹⁸ so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.

Thomas Wienandy

“God is unchangeable not because he inert or static like a rock, but for just the opposite reason. He is so dynamic, so active that no change can make him more active. He is act pure and simple.”

1 Peter 1:22-25

²² Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, ²³ for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴ For,

            “All flesh is like grass,
And all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
And the flower falls off,
                        ²⁵ But the word of the Lord endures forever.”

And this is the word which was preached to you.

 

Is God’s Plan of Redemption

A) in Response to the Fall of Man

Or

B)  in Anticipation of the Fall of Man?