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. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas and
our series on the New TestamentFramework.
Today a smaller, bite-sizedpiece from the larger lesson.
We hope you enjoy it.
When the virgin birth happens.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
You do know what that was right.
That is God who has taken toHimself a true humanity.
This is not just a little thing.
He is in this moment in timecome into the world to dwell
with man, to save man.

(00:35):
It is a remarkable moment.
And the liberal theologians saywe don't really need that.
Okay, I guess we don't needgreat things from god, do we?
We just need the universalpathos or some kind of
evolutionary process, and I betthat really turns you on,
doesn't it?
That really does it for you.

(00:56):
When you die, you're just goingto go into nothingness.
How does that do it?
For Does that make sense ofthese souls that you look around
and see we're nothing but justmolecules thrown together in a
chance way, that you're nothingmore than that, that you're
basically dirt.
That's all you ever have beenand all you ever will be.

(01:20):
That is the evolutionaryeschatology.
You're nothing, so they treatus like nothing.
That's how they treat people.
That's why the times of theGentiles in the book of Daniel
is characterized as a time ofoppression and treatment of

(01:40):
humanity like they are nothings.
And that's how we're treated inthis world.
So that's a lesson on politics.
The incarnation is the comingof God to dwell with man,
emmanuel, god with us.
Now I say this is how the Bible, this leave us without an

(02:06):
expectation that what Godintended originally will in fact
come to pass.
Revelation, chapter 21.
If you're ever down, read thesetwo chapters.
If you ever get down, you canread these chapters.
You can read Isaiah 40s, butthese are great chapters.
Then I saw a new heaven and newearth, for the first heaven and

(02:27):
the first earth passed away.
There is no longer any seaInteresting.
And I saw the holy city, thenew Jerusalem, coming down out
of heaven from God, made readyas a bride adorned for her
husband, and I heard a loudvoice from the throne saying
Behold the tabernacle of God.
Didn't we see the tabernacle aminute ago?

(02:48):
The tabernacle of God is amongmen and he will dwell among them
.
It's the same exact theme thatwe 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 peopleand God himself will be among

(03:09):
them and he will wipe away everytear from their eyes and there
will no longer be any death.
There will no longer be anymourning or crying or pain for
the first things have passedaway.
Amen to that.
Amen to that.

(03:31):
So that theme, the, thedwelling theme, is throughout
the whole bible, from genesis torevelation.
Now I'm going to take you toanother theme.
Go to genesis, chapter 32.
These all converge and look tothe Messiah, genesis 32.
This is a story of Jacobfighting this figure.

(03:58):
Remember this story and the hipand the socket.
Genesis 32, verse 24.
Then Jacob was left alone and aman wrestled with him until
daybreak.
Take note of the word man.
A man wrestled with him.
When he saw that he had notprevailed against him, he

(04:18):
touched the socket of his thigh.
The man touched Jacob's thigh.
So the socket of Jacob's thighwas dislocated while he wrestled
with him.
Then he said let me go, but thedawn is breaking.
But he said I will not let yougo unless you bless me.
That's Jacob saying I'm notgoing to let you go unless you
bless me.
So he said to him what is yourname?
And he said Jacob.
And he said your name shall nolonger be Jacob, but Israel.

(04:41):
This is the origin of the nameIsrael, which is assigned to the
nation of Israel, composed ofthe 12 tribes.
What does the name Israel mean.
Well, he tells us next, for youhave wrestled with God.
It says striven.
I would just translate itwrestle.
You have wrestled with God andwith men and you have prevailed.

(05:01):
What in the world does thatmean?
I thought he was wrestling aman.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
Now you've wrestled with God.

Speaker 2 (05:12):
And what is this?
People say, oh, it's good,pre-incarnate Christ.
I like to say, I prefer to saythese are this is the God, this
is God as man, this is God asman.
Is it pre-incarnate Christ?
Yes, probably, but I like theidea of God as man because it

(05:35):
helps you understand in the NewTestament 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 Israelmeans what Wrestles with God?
This is a nation that wrestleswith God.
They're still wrestling withGod.
They keep striving with God,wrestling with God.
They won't give up and they'regoing to keep doing it until God

(05:57):
finally breaks their will andthen, okay, they'll accept him
and he'll solve his plan forthem.
Verse where was I?
Verse 30, no 27.
So he said to him what's yourname, jacob?
He said your name shall nolonger be Jacob, but Israel.

(06:17):
You've striven with God andwith men and have prevailed.
Then Jacob asked him and saidplease tell me your name.
But he said why is it that youask my name?
And he blessed him there.
So Jacob named the place Peniel.
There used to be a camp inTexas named Camp Peniel for
Christians in the hill countrynear where we lived, where he
said I have seen God face toface, yet my life has been

(06:39):
preserved.
See, he saw God as man.
He saw the pre-incarnate Christ.
That's who he was wrestlingwith, this figure, this strange
figure through the Old Testamentwe see multiple times.
We even saw in the garden withAdam and Eve.
Right it says.
They heard the sound of theLord, god walking in the garden.
It's the same person, but we'regiven these what we call

(07:03):
theophanies, okay.

Speaker 1 (07:05):
Thank you for joining us on Beyond the Walls with
Jeremy Thomas.
If you would like to see thevisuals that went along with
today's sermon, you can findthose on Rumble and on YouTube
under Spokane Bible Church.
That is where Jeremy is thepastor and teacher.
We hope you found today'slesson productive and useful in

(07:25):
growing closer to God andwalking more obediently with Him
.
If you found this podcast to beuseful and helpful, then please
consider rating us in yourfavorite podcast app, and until
next time, we hope you have ablessed and wonderful day.