LutheranLectionary.org

Reflections on Scripture with Dr. Leins

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:00	[Music]
0:11	hello today let’s talk about God’s
0:16	Amnesia yes God has
0:19	Amnesia now you may be
0:23	wondering how can God have amnesia God
0:27	is all knowing of course he is so how
0:30	how can God who knows all things not
0:33	know something by definition God can’t
0:36	forget something can he I mean that’s
0:38	not even possible for the all knowing
0:42	god to
0:43	forget that’s not possible is it well
0:47	today we’re going to see how God does
0:49	the
0:51	impossible God has Amnesia and he does
0:55	so in order to save
0:58	you the IDE idea that God does something
1:01	impossible in order to save us really is
1:03	not a New
1:04	Concept God has done a number of
1:07	impossible things in order to save us do
1:11	you remember when the angel Gabriel
1:12	visited the Virgin Mary the angel told
1:15	Mary that she was going to give birth to
1:17	the son of the most
1:19	high he would Reign Over The House of
1:22	Jacob forever and his kingdom would have
1:24	no end Mary asked how can this be how
1:28	could she give birth to the Son of God
1:32	she had never even been with a man the
1:34	angel explained that the Holy Spirit
1:37	would come upon her and the power of the
1:40	most high would overshadow her and the
1:43	child would be the Son of God because
1:47	said the angel nothing will be
1:51	impossible with
1:54	God Mary was going to participate in the
1:56	impossible a Divine birth for it was
2:00	necessary for our
2:03	Salvation so Jesus was born God in flesh
2:10	the Eternal one with no beginning and no
2:13	ending was born God was born and after
2:18	33 years of life God died on a cross
2:21	this too was impossible because the
2:24	Eternal Word of the Eternal God cannot
2:27	possibly be born and cannot possibly die
2:30	can he and yet God did The
2:34	Impossible and this too was necessary
2:37	for our
2:39	Salvation today we learn that God has
2:42	done the impossible once again to put it
2:45	succinctly God has given himself
2:50	Amnesia this is impossible and yet God
2:52	has done it for our
2:55	Salvation let’s talk about why God has
2:59	amnesia
3:00	and what that means for you and me point
3:04	one an old Covenant the text before us
3:09	today is from the Old Testament the book
3:12	of Jeremiah the 31st chapter we’re going
3:15	to begin with verse
3:19	31 behold days are coming declares the
3:23	Lord when I will make a New Covenant
3:25	with the house of Israel and with the
3:27	house of Judah not like the Covenant
3:30	which I made with their fathers in the
3:33	day I took them by the hand and led them
3:36	out of the land of Egypt my Covenant
3:39	which they broke although I was a
3:42	husband to them declares the
3:45	Lord God made a covenant with Moses and
3:49	the People
3:50	Israel God gave them the Ten
3:53	Commandments and he made them a promise
3:56	he would be their God he had brought
3:59	brought them out of Egypt and had given
4:00	them Freedom From Slavery God would
4:03	continue to give them Divine deliverance
4:06	and freedom he would provide for them
4:07	food and water regardless of where they
4:09	were or how difficult the situation he
4:12	would be their God their part of the old
4:16	Covenant was to be faithful to God they
4:18	were to keep his Commandments and
4:20	worship only
4:23	him it took virtually no time at all
4:29	before the people of God broke their
4:32	vows not only did they satisfy their
4:35	passions but they worshiped other gods
4:38	too in short they broke the Commandments
4:41	of God and they broke the Covenant of
4:45	God you can hear the sorrow in God’s
4:49	voice my Covenant which they broke
4:53	though I was a husband to
4:56	them I was a husband to them God God
4:59	took their sin very
5:02	personally God was faithful and loving
5:04	to his people but his people were
5:07	despicably selfish and continually
5:10	sinful in
5:12	response through their continued sin
5:16	they broke the old
5:19	Covenant what was God going to do of
5:23	course he had to pronounce judgment he
5:25	is Holy he could not ignore sin but even
5:29	when he did punish them that did not
5:32	correct who they were it did not change
5:35	their hearts or heal their relationship
5:38	with God no God needed a new
5:42	tactic how could he establish an
5:45	intimate and personal relationship with
5:48	people of such
5:49	sin God determined that he would make a
5:52	completely new covenant that’s what
5:54	we’re hearing about in this Old
5:56	Testament passage from Jeremiah 31 now
6:00	point two a New
6:03	Covenant it seemed that the problem with
6:05	the old Covenant the Mosaic Covenant was
6:08	that though God kept his side of the
6:10	Covenant Humanity did not keep their
6:12	side of the Covenant that was going to
6:14	have to
6:15	change for that God had a plan he would
6:19	place his holy word in the hearts of his
6:22	people so God told
6:24	Jeremiah but this is the Covenant which
6:28	I will make with the house of Israel
6:30	after those days declares the Lord I
6:33	will put my law within them and on their
6:37	hearts I will write it and I will be
6:40	their God and they shall be my
6:43	people God would change his people from
6:46	the inside out starting with their
6:50	hearts but as you might expect that new
6:53	strategy was not enough God knew that
6:56	even with his law placed in their hearts
6:59	they would still be tempted with
7:01	selfishness with their selfish desires
7:04	fleshly impulses evil Temptations call
7:07	it what you will they would still be
7:09	Sinners God needed to do more in this
7:13	new
7:14	covenant how God
7:16	decided he would keep the Divine side of
7:19	course he was God but God would also
7:22	need to keep the human side of the
7:24	Covenant too God would have to become a
7:27	human himself in order to keep that side
7:30	of the
7:31	Covenant the infinite would have to
7:34	become finite the Divine would have to
7:37	become human well that seemed impossible
7:40	but God would do it for our
7:44	Salvation nothing would be impossible
7:47	with God so the word of God became flesh
7:53	and dwelt Among Us Jesus God in flesh
7:57	came to be the representative of sinful
8:01	Humanity this singular holy human this
8:06	God man would keep all of God’s
8:08	Commandments unlike us and he would be
8:11	the substitute for every fallen and
8:14	sinful human being yes the substitute
8:17	even for you and for me in this way God
8:21	not only gave a covenant he
8:25	also now as a human being was able to
8:28	keep the Covenant the New Covenant
8:31	between God and Humanity was unbreakable
8:33	why was it unbreakable because with both
8:38	sides God gave his perfect
8:42	representation on the God’s side and now
8:44	on The Human Side the New Covenant would
8:47	be kept by God it would never fail it
8:51	was
8:53	unbreakable point three a New Covenant
8:56	in his
8:57	blood but you might might have guessed
8:59	there was still more for God to do in
9:02	order to make his New Covenant even
9:05	though God put his law in the hearts of
9:07	his people God could still see their
9:10	hearts and in every one of them he still
9:13	saw
9:14	sin how could the holy God have an
9:17	intimate and personal relationship and
9:19	Covenant with these sinful
9:22	people
9:25	ah here was his idea the answer Jeremiah
9:31	31:34 I will forgive their iniquity and
9:35	their sin I will remember no
9:39	more once again God would do the
9:41	impossible he would give himself Amnesia
9:44	he would look at his sinful children and
9:47	he would give himself Amnesia and he
9:49	would remember their sin no
9:52	more thank God it seems impossible to us
9:56	that God would give himself amnesia
9:59	but God did it it was necessary for our
10:03	salvation for the Salvation of the
10:06	world and doesn’t it seem simple God
10:09	gives himself Amnesia but it was not so
10:12	simple because the wages of sin is death
10:16	and there can be no forgiveness of sins
10:19	without the shedding of blood the word
10:21	of God says so it’s God’s will so God
10:24	would have to provide a perfect
10:26	sacrifice not like the sinful offerings
10:29	that we give and God would have to
10:31	provide an all-sufficient sacrifice one
10:34	that was so abundant that it could cover
10:37	all the sins of all the people of all
10:39	time of all the world what sacrifice
10:43	could possibly be that potent and that
10:47	pure and that
10:49	perfect of course God himself must
10:54	provide the lamb the New Covenant
10:57	required that God’s own son the holy
10:59	human the God man must be
11:03	sacrificed Jesus alone could offer the
11:05	alls sufficient sacrifice for the New
11:07	Covenant Jesus must die and in his dying
11:11	all of our sins would be imputed to him
11:14	and all of his righteousness would be
11:17	imputed to us all of our punishment
11:20	would be imputed to him and all of his
11:22	forgiveness would be imputed to us all
11:25	of our death would be imputed to him
11:29	and all of his eternal life would be
11:31	imputed to us all of this was included
11:36	in the New
11:38	Covenant in the New Covenant God forgave
11:42	and
11:43	forgot all of our sins because we were
11:47	joined to Jesus by grace through faith
11:50	yes the New
11:52	Covenant by grace through faith joined
11:56	us to Jesus Christ all who believe
11:58	Believe In Christ are identified with
12:01	him joined to him so that when God looks
12:04	at us he does not see us in our sin
12:08	instead God sees Jesus Christ and his
12:13	Holiness
12:15	conclusion well that left the heavenly
12:17	father with only one more difficulty how
12:20	could he communicate this New Covenant
12:22	to his children God needed a delivery
12:26	system if you
12:27	will you might call it a means of giving
12:30	his grace to his children a means of
12:33	Grace so what did God do well first
12:36	Jesus explained the New Covenant to his
12:38	disciples he did so at the Last Supper
12:42	one of the things that he did to
12:43	demonstrate this was to take bread and
12:46	bless it and give it to his disciples
12:48	saying take eat this is my body which is
12:51	given for you and after of supper he
12:53	took the cup and blessed it and gave it
12:55	to his disciples saying drink of it all
12:57	of you this cup is the new Covenant New
13:00	Covenant in my blood for the Forgiveness
13:03	of sins now some translators have called
13:05	the New Covenant a new testament in his
13:07	blood because it went into Force as a
13:10	result of Christ’s death it was our
13:13	inheritance a testament that Jesus left
13:16	for us by his death and Resurrection his
13:19	disciples were ecstatic they went out
13:21	and told everyone about this New
13:23	Covenant how Jesus made a great exchange
13:26	he took our sins and gave us his
13:28	righteousness took our death and gave us
13:29	his eternal life they explained that all
13:32	of their sins were forgiven and that God
13:35	would remember their sins no more
13:38	because they were joined to Jesus by
13:41	grace through faith and God provided
13:45	other ways to share this new unbreakable
13:47	Covenant in addition to the Lord’s
13:50	Supper God established another means of
13:53	Grace holy baptism what a perfect way to
13:56	communicate God’s grace and his new
13:58	covenant
13:59	through baptism God gave complete
14:02	forgiveness of sins he gave the gift of
14:04	the Holy Spirit and a perfect joining to
14:07	Jesus Christ in a death like his and a
14:10	resurrection like his the Bible says
14:13	quite literally baptism now saves you 1
14:17	Peter 3:
14:20	21 plus God gave even more means of
14:24	Grace to communicate his New Covenant
14:27	God In Spite the writings of the Old
14:30	Testament the writers of the Old
14:32	Testament to include prophecies and
14:35	preparations for the coming of the New
14:37	Covenant in Jesus Christ and in the New
14:41	Testament God gave the Holy writers
14:44	inspiration to write down the words and
14:47	the works of Jesus that demonstrated the
14:50	New
14:51	Covenant through the Holy Bible God gave
14:55	every single believer the great Comm
14:58	commission to share the New
15:00	Covenant Jesus Christ is God in flesh by
15:03	whose death God has taken away our sin
15:06	and death by whose Resurrection God has
15:08	opened the Kingdom of Heaven to all who
15:10	believe now some Believers are called as
15:14	pastors and Shepherds to speak his word
15:16	publicly but every single believer all
15:19	Christians are given the responsibility
15:22	and the great blessing to share with
15:24	others the saving message of God’s New
15:28	Covenant
15:30	God has made a New Covenant it cannot be
15:34	broken by our sin
15:36	glorious God himself became a human to
15:40	keep both sides of the New Covenant and
15:43	he sealed this Covenant in his own blood
15:47	God wrote his law on our hearts but even
15:50	when we sin the New Covenant forgives
15:52	the sins of every single one who
15:55	believes in Jesus Christ and for that
15:57	reason God almighty for whom nothing is
16:01	impossible has given
16:03	himself
16:06	amnesia for all who believe in Jesus God
16:10	can remember their sins no
16:14	more
16:16	hallelujah
16:27	amen
16:35	[Music]