Introduction: One Bible, Not Two

Weaver introduces the message by asserting the unity of Scripture, countering the idea that the Old Testament is irrelevant or abolished. He explains that Christ fulfilled the ceremonial law, but the moral law remains, and the covenant content is unchanged, only the method of writing has changed from stone to hearts.

Daniel, chapter nine. Daniel, chapter nine. We're going to read the first 15 verses. And I'm going to be enlarging just for a little while today on basically what Hobie just got through saying. I want you to notice Daniel, chapter nine, beginning verse one. In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans, in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. And I set my face unto the Lord God to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

Today I want to begin a message which I have entitled, "Old Testament Principles and New Testament Truths." I will finish the message, Lord willing, next Sunday. There is so much hatred, misunderstanding, and outright denial of the Old Testament scriptures that it needs to be demonstrated that we have one Bible and not two Bibles. The Old Testament is just as much the Word of God as is the New Testament. All of God's Word is authoritative and applicable. Now, what do I mean when I say that there is so much hatred and misunderstanding and outright denial of the Old Testament scriptures? Well, let me ask a simple question, very leading question. Has anyone ever heard in this day and time of an Old Testament Baptist church? No. Everybody calls it a New Testament Baptist church. Why? Well, you say, well, the answer to that is very obvious. We're under the new covenant. Well, let me just simply point out the fact that the emphasis is being placed upon the fact that, yes, we are under the new covenant. Now, I certainly understand the new covenant, and I know that Christ fulfilled all the ceremonial law. Jesus Christ fulfilled all of the Old Testament types, symbols, and emblems, and all these now have vanished away in the sense that we now have the reality and not the shadow. When we talk about new covenant, and Hobie just mentioned the fact, the covenant has not changed.

It has and it hasn't. It has not changed as to its content. The only thing that has changed has basically been the method of writing of the covenant. For instance, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 8 and let me show you something. Hebrews chapter 8, and notice if you would please begin reading there with verse 7. Because when we begin reading here, you think just momentarily, well boy, there's really something wrong with that Old Testament covenant. Look what it says, Hebrews chapter 8, and notice if you would verse 7, the Bible says, "For if that first covenant," we're talking about the Old Testament now, the Old Covenant, "for if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second." Oh, well, there must have been a fault with the first because there has to be a second. Well, let's read on. "For finding fault with"—what's the next word? Not "it." "Them." "For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah."

The fault was not with the covenant, but the fault was with the fallen sons of Adam. They could not keep that Old Testament covenant. By the way, it did absolutely no good to try to keep the covenant, or to only keep part of the covenant. How can I say that? Do you remember, let me just quote it, Galatians 3 and verse 10, God says, "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." How much of God's law were they required to keep? Someone tell me. All of it. Did they keep all of it? No. Could they keep all of it? No. What does James say? He that keepeth the law and yet offendeth in one point is guilty of how much? All. So the problem was not with the covenant, the problem was actually with the people.

Now let me show you. God's law demands three things from every individual. God's law demands a personal obedience, a perfect obedience, and a perpetual obedience. No fallen son of Adam could ever keep the law in that way. He could not keep it personally, he could not keep it perfectly, and he could not keep it perpetually. For instance, I don't care if we're talking about the Old Testament saint, or if we're talking about the New Testament saint. How many have sinned? Someone tell me. All. There is none righteous, no, not one: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Well, let's suppose here is someone in the Old Testament, here is someone in the New Testament, and let's suppose all of a sudden now they become absolutely perfect and from this day forward they keep God's law personally, perfectly, and perpetually. Would they have salvation? No. Why? What about all those sins they committed before they got perfect?

You see what I'm saying? The sin has to be dealt with. The sin has to be paid for. Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. God has not changed His law. God basically has not changed His covenant. What God has changed is the method of writing that covenant. As Hobie pointed out, and as 2 Corinthians 3 points out, the Old Testament covenant was written in stone. The New Testament covenant is written in our hearts.

Now, by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, because of the work of Jesus Christ, we're now empowered and enabled to keep God's law. Now I can hear someone say, "Ah, but Brother Weaver, although we're in the New Testament, although we're under the New Covenant, we still do not keep God's law personally, perfectly, and perpetually." And the answer is, yes, we do. We may not necessarily keep it that way personally, but we keep it that way through our substitute and through our surety, the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, Jesus Christ is the only individual who ever gave to the law that which it demanded. A personal obedience, a perfect obedience, and a perpetual obedience. That's why Jesus Christ said in John 8 and verse 29, "And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him." Always. Christ never displeased the Father at any time.

Now listen to this passage. Listen carefully. Galatians 4, verses 4 and 5. "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." Why did God send forth his Son, Jesus Christ, made of a woman, made under the law? In other words, when Jesus Christ came into this world, as the perfect man, as the perfect Adam, as the second man, Jesus Christ was obligated and responsible to keep God's law personally, perfectly, and perpetually, just like anyone else. And Jesus Christ is the only one who ever did that.

Now I want you to look in your Bibles. Hold down your line. We're coming back there. This is just introduction. Look in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. And notice verse 21, 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21. And look what the scripture says, 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21.

Now, let me read that the way we should understand it. "For he"—that is God the Father—"hath made him"—that is God the Son—"to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Now, I have in time past explained this to you, but let me just show you. Here is my tube of chapstick. OK, there it is. That represents our sins. Here is my little pocket knife. That represents the obedience of Jesus Christ under God's law. Jesus Christ worked out a perfect obedience and a perfect righteousness.

Now, what did God do differently in the New Covenant? Here's what God did differently. I told you it was a method of writing. God took our sins and imputed them, that is, charged them to the account of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was not a sinner. But he suffered and bled and died as a sinner, not because he sinned, but because our sins were charged to his account. And then that perfect righteousness that he earned and worked out, God took that and imputed it to us, charged it to us, so that now we not only have forgiveness of sins, we have a perfect righteousness in Jesus Christ. So when God sees us, God does not see us as sinners. God sees us in Jesus Christ.

So His obedience is our obedience. His righteousness is our righteousness. Now, when God writes the law in our heart, we understand that we're still sinners. But do we want to obey Him? Yes. Do we want to please Him? Yes. Do we want to keep His law? Yes. Are we capable in and of ourselves of keeping it perfectly? No. But in Christ and through Christ, we do keep it perfectly. Now, watch this. In the Old Testament, in the Old Covenant, if you wanted to worship God, you had to come to the tabernacle. You had to come to the altar, you had to bring a sacrifice. You had to come to the high priest, right? No one could get to God except through that tabernacle, that altar, and that sacrifice, and that high priest. Did you know it is exactly the same in the New Testament, in the New Covenant? You say, well, I don't go to a tabernacle, and I don't go to an altar, and I don't bring a sacrifice, and I don't have a high priest. Well, in that case, then you're not saved. Because the Bible tells us in Revelation 21 and verse 3 that Jesus Christ is our tabernacle or our temple.

The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 5 and verse 7 that Jesus Christ is our sacrifice. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 13 and verse 10 that Jesus Christ is our altar. The Bible tells us in Hebrews chapter 4 that Jesus Christ is our great high priest. And then Jesus said in John 14 and verse 6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." So unless you come to God's true tabernacle, Jesus Christ, unless you come to God's true sacrifice, Jesus Christ, unless you come to God's true altar, Jesus Christ, unless you come to God's true high priest, Jesus Christ, you're not saved. We do exactly the same that they did in the old covenant, except now we have reality. We don't have the types and the emblems and the shadows.

The Law and the New Covenant

Weaver clarifies that the fault with the Old Covenant was not the covenant itself but sinful humanity. He explains that Christ's perfect obedience is imputed to believers, and the law's three demands—personal, perfect, perpetual obedience—are met in Christ. Negative New Testament passages about the law are explained as referring to justification, the curse, or ceremonial fulfillment.

It has and it hasn't. It has not changed as to its content. The only thing that has changed has basically been the method of writing of the covenant. For instance, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 8 and let me show you something. Hebrews chapter 8, and notice if you would please begin reading there with verse 7. Because when we begin reading here, you think just momentarily, well boy, there's really something wrong with that Old Testament covenant. Look what it says, Hebrews chapter 8, and notice if you would verse 7, the Bible says, "For if that first covenant," we're talking about the Old Testament now, the Old Covenant, "for if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second." Oh, well, there must have been a fault with the first because there has to be a second. Well, let's read on. "For finding fault with"—what's the next word? Not "it." "Them." "For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah."

The fault was not with the covenant, but the fault was with the fallen sons of Adam. They could not keep that Old Testament covenant. By the way, it did absolutely no good to try to keep the covenant, or to only keep part of the covenant. How can I say that? Do you remember, let me just quote it, Galatians 3 and verse 10, God says, "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." How much of God's law were they required to keep? Someone tell me. All of it. Did they keep all of it? No. Could they keep all of it? No. What does James say? He that keepeth the law and yet offendeth in one point is guilty of how much? All. So the problem was not with the covenant, the problem was actually with the people.

Now let me show you. God's law demands three things from every individual. God's law demands a personal obedience, a perfect obedience, and a perpetual obedience. No fallen son of Adam could ever keep the law in that way. He could not keep it personally, he could not keep it perfectly, and he could not keep it perpetually. For instance, I don't care if we're talking about the Old Testament saint, or if we're talking about the New Testament saint. How many have sinned? Someone tell me. All. There is none righteous, no, not one: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Well, let's suppose here is someone in the Old Testament, here is someone in the New Testament, and let's suppose all of a sudden now they become absolutely perfect and from this day forward they keep God's law personally, perfectly, and perpetually. Would they have salvation? No. Why? What about all those sins they committed before they got perfect?

You see what I'm saying? The sin has to be dealt with. The sin has to be paid for. Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. God has not changed His law. God basically has not changed His covenant. What God has changed is the method of writing that covenant. As Hobie pointed out, and as 2 Corinthians 3 points out, the Old Testament covenant was written in stone. The New Testament covenant is written in our hearts.

Now, by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, because of the work of Jesus Christ, we're now empowered and enabled to keep God's law. Now I can hear someone say, "Ah, but Brother Weaver, although we're in the New Testament, although we're under the New Covenant, we still do not keep God's law personally, perfectly, and perpetually." And the answer is, yes, we do. We may not necessarily keep it that way personally, but we keep it that way through our substitute and through our surety, the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, Jesus Christ is the only individual who ever gave to the law that which it demanded. A personal obedience, a perfect obedience, and a perpetual obedience. That's why Jesus Christ said in John 8 and verse 29, "And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him." Always. Christ never displeased the Father at any time.

Now listen to this passage. Listen carefully. Galatians 4, verses 4 and 5. "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." Why did God send forth his Son, Jesus Christ, made of a woman, made under the law? In other words, when Jesus Christ came into this world, as the perfect man, as the perfect Adam, as the second man, Jesus Christ was obligated and responsible to keep God's law personally, perfectly, and perpetually, just like anyone else. And Jesus Christ is the only one who ever did that.

Now I want you to look in your Bibles. Hold down your line. We're coming back there. This is just introduction. Look in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. And notice verse 21, 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21. And look what the scripture says, 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21.

Now, let me read that the way we should understand it. "For he"—that is God the Father—"hath made him"—that is God the Son—"to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Now, I have in time past explained this to you, but let me just show you. Here is my tube of chapstick. OK, there it is. That represents our sins. Here is my little pocket knife. That represents the obedience of Jesus Christ under God's law. Jesus Christ worked out a perfect obedience and a perfect righteousness.

Now, what did God do differently in the New Covenant? Here's what God did differently. I told you it was a method of writing. God took our sins and imputed them, that is, charged them to the account of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was not a sinner. But he suffered and bled and died as a sinner, not because he sinned, but because our sins were charged to his account. And then that perfect righteousness that he earned and worked out, God took that and imputed it to us, charged it to us, so that now we not only have forgiveness of sins, we have a perfect righteousness in Jesus Christ. So when God sees us, God does not see us as sinners. God sees us in Jesus Christ.

So His obedience is our obedience. His righteousness is our righteousness. Now, when God writes the law in our heart, we understand that we're still sinners. But do we want to obey Him? Yes. Do we want to please Him? Yes. Do we want to keep His law? Yes. Are we capable in and of ourselves of keeping it perfectly? No. But in Christ and through Christ, we do keep it perfectly. Now, watch this. In the Old Testament, in the Old Covenant, if you wanted to worship God, you had to come to the tabernacle. You had to come to the altar, you had to bring a sacrifice. You had to come to the high priest, right? No one could get to God except through that tabernacle, that altar, and that sacrifice, and that high priest. Did you know it is exactly the same in the New Testament, in the New Covenant? You say, well, I don't go to a tabernacle, and I don't go to an altar, and I don't bring a sacrifice, and I don't have a high priest. Well, in that case, then you're not saved. Because the Bible tells us in Revelation 21 and verse 3 that Jesus Christ is our tabernacle or our temple.

The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 5 and verse 7 that Jesus Christ is our sacrifice. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 13 and verse 10 that Jesus Christ is our altar. The Bible tells us in Hebrews chapter 4 that Jesus Christ is our great high priest. And then Jesus said in John 14 and verse 6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." So unless you come to God's true tabernacle, Jesus Christ, unless you come to God's true sacrifice, Jesus Christ, unless you come to God's true altar, Jesus Christ, unless you come to God's true high priest, Jesus Christ, you're not saved. We do exactly the same that they did in the old covenant, except now we have reality. We don't have the types and the emblems and the shadows.

Now look in your Bibles very quickly to Matthew 5. Again, Hobie spoke on this passage several months ago, but look in Matthew 5 verse 17. Look at what Jesus Christ said. Matthew 5 verse 17. Our Lord said,

Now, let me tell you, when he says, "Think not," in verse 17, it literally means this: God forbid. Don't even let it enter into your mind. You remember the Apostle Paul uses that expression over and over in the Bible, "God forbid." In other words, don't even think about it. Don't even let it enter into your mind. So he says, "God forbid. Don't even begin to think that I've come to destroy the law or the prophets. I have not come to destroy, but to fulfil." And then he says in verse 18, "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."

What did Jesus Christ do? He fulfilled all of those Old Testament, especially the ceremonial types, emblems, and shadows. So the type and the emblem and the shadow is now done away with and we now have the reality in Jesus Christ. That's why the Bible says in Ephesians 2 and verse 15,

Now, Jesus Christ did not abolish the law. He abolished the ordinances that were revolving around those tabernacle and temple types and emblems and shadows. How did he abolish them? By fulfilling them. The only reason they're abolished is because he fulfilled them. Christ did not abolish the law. He did not abolish the moral law. He did not abolish the judicial law. The law still stands, in fact. In Romans 7 and verse 12, in the New Covenant, the Bible says concerning the law that it is holy, and just, and good. Now, if the law is holy, just, and good, why would God abolish it?

Why would God destroy it? You don't destroy that which is holy and just and good. You destroy that which is unholy, unjust, and wicked. Now, let me just show you something. I want you to turn in your Bibles very quickly to Romans 3 and look at verse 20. Romans 3 and verse 20. And I'm going to show you an easy way to explain in just a moment all the negative passages concerning the law in the New Testament. Notice, if you would, in Romans chapter 3 and verse 20. Romans 3 and verse 20. The Bible says, "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight." Stop right there. "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight." Now, was the law given for justification? What's the answer? No. Why?

Look in verse 20 again. "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." Have you ever stopped to think we would never know what sin is except for the law? How do we know adultery is wrong? God says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." How do we know stealing is wrong? God says, "Thou shalt not steal." You see, when people try to deny the law of God, they put it under a broad spectrum and push it aside and say the law is not good for anything just because you can't be saved by the law. No. God never gave the law for someone to be saved by the law. First of all, by the law is the knowledge of sin. You know what sin is? Let me explain it. It's very simple. Write down 1 John 3 and verse 4. Here's what sin is. Scripture says, "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."

Sin is the transgression of the law. In other words, I can't sin unless I violate God's law. Now, if I do something and you don't like it, and it's not a violation of God's law, have I sinned? No. If I do something and Congress has passed a law that says it is wrong, but it's still not a violation of God's law, have I sinned? No. If we have a ruling king and monarch and the king says, "Thou shalt not do such and such," can I do it? And it's still not a violation of God's law. Have I sinned? No. You can only sin by violating the law of God.

Now, every negative passage concerning the law in the New Testament can be explained in one of three ways. And if you look in the context, you will always find that one of these three answers will explain the passage. Either, number one, the passage is like Romans 3 or Romans 6 or Galatians 2. It is denying or stating that the law was never given for justification. "For by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified." That's very simple. The second way that you may explain a negative passage, and you'll have to look at the context, is there are some passages then that refer to the death-dealing nature of sin in relationship to the law. "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." "Cursed is he who continueth not in all the works of the law to do them." In other words, God pronounces a death penalty and when Paul says, in one instance, "We're not under the law," what he means there, especially in Galatians, what he's talking about is we're not under the curse and the penalty of the law. In other words, the penalty of the law has been exacted upon Jesus Christ. Therefore, it's not going to be exacted upon us. We're not under the law as a means of justification, and we're not under the law as a means or penalty of condemnation. And thirdly, of course, it'd be those passages that refer to the ceremonial laws where Christ has fulfilled all of those types and emblems and shadows.

Now, let me just say it very pointedly. The New Testament or the New Covenant has not destroyed, abrogated, or nullified the Old Testament or the Old Covenant. You remember, and we've quoted it several times recently, 2 Timothy 3:16, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." And when Paul wrote that, he had in mind particularly the Old Testament because the New Testament had not been completed at that time.

Principle 1: Consideration Precedes Enlightenment

Using Daniel 9:1-2, Weaver shows that Daniel gained understanding through studying Scripture (Jeremiah's prophecy of 70 years) and prayer. He emphasizes that enlightenment is a gift from God given to those who diligently study and seek Him, as seen in Proverbs 2 and 2 Timothy 2:7.

Hopefully, we will get three of them covered today, and I will cover the next two or the last two next week. So here are the principles that I want to cover today. I want you to see, first of all, that consideration precedes enlightenment. I will explain that. Secondly, confession precedes forgiveness. And thirdly, disobedience precedes judgment. Now, let's go back to Daniel chapter 9, and we're going to look at verses 1 and 2, and our first point is, consideration precedes enlightenment. He says, "In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; in the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem."

Now, let me just say that many have a faulty understanding when it comes to the subject of enlightenment. Many somehow think that God just moves mysteriously and reveals knowledge and enlightenment to a select few individuals. It is absolutely true that God is sovereign in His bestowment of enlightenment. But it is absolutely untrue that God bestows it willy-nilly upon certain individuals. Daniel was a man who was greatly beloved of the Lord, and yet Daniel did not have enlightenment just simply ducked into his head. Let me put it like this. Many tend to believe that they can go to sleep ignorant, apathetic, and empty-headed, and wake up smart, brilliant, and understanding all things. It does not work like that. Now, was Daniel a brilliant man? Yes. Did Daniel have understanding concerning his times and the last days of the nation? Yes, he did. How in the world did Daniel get that understanding? How did Daniel get that enlightenment?

How did he acquire all that knowledge? Hold on. Here's the answer. He studied. And he studied the scripture. Look what he said in verse two.

Now, let me point it out. "In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by"—what's that next word?—"books." "I understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem." Now, the books that he refers to are the scrolls that contained Jeremiah's writings. So he said, "I understood by books." In other words, I began to study the Scriptures, and as I read the prophet Jeremiah, when I read through those scrolls, I found out that God had determined that Judah and Jerusalem would be in captivity for 70 years. Let me show you. Hold down your line. Look in your Bibles to Jeremiah 25. Jeremiah 25, verses 11 and 12. Jeremiah 25, verse 11.

Note seventy years. Look in Jeremiah 29, verse 10. Jeremiah 29, verse 10. "For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place." Now, if you were studying the Bible, if you were alive in Daniel's time, you were studying the prophet Jeremiah, what conclusion would you come to? At the end of seventy years, God's going to cause you to return to the land. Not in the end of 69 years or 40 years or 50 years, but in the end of 70 years. In other words, their trial, their persecution was going to be for 70 years.

That's all there was to it. So he said, "I understood by books." So he learned by studying the word of God. Let me just tell you something. I don't know if you ever let this little truth sink down into your heart, but here it is. You will never progress in your Christian faith, you will never increase in knowledge, in enlightenment, and in understanding unless you study the Word of God. That's how Daniel learned. You know what the Bible says in Deuteronomy 29:29?

It's one of my favorite verses. Listen carefully. "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God." There are some things we don't know. There are some things we will never know. We will not know the answers to some things until we get to glory. But listen to what he said. "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." God has revealed to us that which he wants us to know. God has revealed to us that which he wants us to do, to obey. And we will never, ever know that until we learn to study the word of God.

Now, let me show you something else Daniel did. Look in verse 3. Daniel did not only study the word of God, in verse 3 he said, "And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: and I prayed unto the Lord my God." Now watch what Daniel did. Daniel has not only studied the scriptures, Daniel is also seeking the Lord. In other words, he sought wisdom, he sought knowledge, he sought enlightenment from God as he studied the word of God.

Now, let me put these two things together for you. Our studying alone is insufficient. Do you understand that? You can say, "I'm going to sit here until I understand the book of Daniel. I'm going to read it and reread it and reread it until I understand the book of Daniel." You could sit there until you die and never understand the book of Daniel if God doesn't turn the lights on for you. You follow me? You not only have to study, but God must give us enlightenment. I want you to hold Daniel 9, turn back in your Bibles, to Proverbs chapter 2, Proverbs 2, look if you would please at verse 6. I think this passage will really put these two things together for us. Proverbs 2 and verse 6, look what the Bible says.

"For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding." Now notice, "For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding." "For the Lord"—what's that next word?—"giveth." So we have to understand then that knowledge and understanding are God's gifts, right? You don't get those things unless God gives them to you. OK? Unless God gives them to you. Now watch this, Proverbs chapter 2 verse 6, he says, "For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding." We've come to the conclusion that God must give us wisdom, that God must give us understanding. But does God just dump wisdom and understanding upon us? We know that it's his gifts. Does God just come along and say, "Well, I'll give doctrine, I'll withhold doctrine, he won't have that knowledge. I'll give some to Hobie, but I won't give it to Ed." Is that what God does? No. Let's go back to Proverbs 2, verse 1. Watch this now. "My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly."

If thou seekest for her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of thy God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. Now, let me emphasize something. Go back to Proverbs 2 and verse 1, and I want to read through verse 5. Listen as I emphasize this. "My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;" watch, "then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of thy God. For the Lord giveth wisdom." Note his gifts are given to those who seek him, who study, who cry, who search, who want the truth more than anything else.

So let's put it like this. God normally bestows his gifts upon those who are using the means that he has ordained as they seek him to bestow those gifts. Now I want you to note that the New Testament confirms exactly this same principle. Go over in your Bibles to Second Timothy chapter 2. Second Timothy chapter 2. And look what the Apostle Paul writes Timothy. In verse 7. Second Timothy chapter two, verse seven. This truth. It's not verse five, it's verse seven. Verse seven, look what he says, "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things." What? "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things." Now, what did Paul just get out of his mouth? He said, "Timothy, understanding is God's gift. You must get understanding from God. Consider what I say and the Lord give thee understanding in all things." Well, let me ask you, is God going to give Timothy understanding apart from him considering the scriptures? No, Paul said, "Consider what I say." Paul was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He says, "You meditate, you study, you think about what I'm saying. What I've written is the Word of God. You consider what I say and the Lord gives you understanding in all things."

In other words, it's only as we consider God's truth and meditate upon God's truth and study God's truth and seek God for enlightenment that we actually have enlightenment. That's why in Daniel chapter 9, the text that we're using there, Daniel said, "I learned by books. I studied the scripture. I studied the prophet Jeremiah. And I prayed. And God opened my eyes."

Now, I want you to turn to the book of Mark. I'm still showing you this principle. Turn to Mark chapter 4. I want you to understand that you cannot study a little and learn a lot. You cannot study a little and learn a lot. Nor can you consider God's truth in a hit and miss fashion and expect to become a theologian and a scholar. Now, I want to tell you something. And I want to tell it to you just for your consideration.

I would say that our people here are probably far superior in their knowledge and their understanding of scripture than most congregations. Right. But I want you to think about this. Think about how little you actually study and how little you actually meditate and consider and seek truth. Now, there's no one in here that could not study more. You say, "I just don't have time." Yes, we do. It's priorities.

But you see what I'm saying? I want you to look at Mark, chapter four, look in verse twenty three. God says, "If any man have ears to hear, let him hear." I'm just showing you, you can't be a hit and miss student and expect to be a scholar and a theologian. Look at this, he says in verse 24, "And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear." You better make sure what you're hearing is the word of God. "Take heed what ye hear." Now, look at this principle. "With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you." Now, let me stop. Here's the principle. I'm going to read it like this. "With what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you." You can't study scripture for 15 minutes and get two hours worth of knowledge. You're going to get 15 minutes worth of knowledge. You can't study the scriptures for two hours and get 40 hours worth of knowledge. You're going to get two hours worth of knowledge. With what measure you mete, or what measure that you measure in studying the scripture, God says that's going to be measured right back to you. And by the way, there is a difference between studying and reading. Now, I know everybody in here reads the scripture. But very few of us really study the scripture. But don't really consider it. Don't really meditate. Now watch this. It's right here in the Bible.

If you want to really progress in the Christian faith, if you really want enlightenment, if you really want the truth, look in verse 24. "And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear"—help me out now—"shall" what? "More be given." Well, what if you don't hear? You're not going to get any more. Why in the world would God give you truth if you're not going to obey it? In other words, he says, look, once you study, you've got to understand this principle. I'm going to measure truth to you to the amount that you give in studying the truth. And once I reveal something to you, once I illuminate your mind, once I enlighten your mind, if you obey me, fine, says God, I'm going to give you more as you continue to study. But if you don't obey me, then you're not going to get any more. So it doesn't matter where you look in the Old Testament, New Testament.

Here's the principle. Consideration precedes enlightenment. God is not going to just dump into our minds what we need without study. We are living in perilous times. Economically. Politically. Socially. Every way you want to imagine. And I've made it a point in my life to seek the Lord for wisdom to know what to do, and I got news for you folks. You better be thinking and you better be meditating and you better be praying and you better search the scripture to find out what you need to do for your life and your family and your church.

And your friends and your neighbors. It's not that one day we're going to wake up and say, "I know exactly what to do." Without study, without consideration, without meditation, how can you? You've never thought about it. So how's it going to enter into your mind? I'm just saying in the Old Testament, in the New Testament, the principle is this, that consideration precedes enlightenment.

Now go back to Daniel 9. That's our text. I'm showing you a second principle. Look, if you would, please, beginning there with verse three. The second principle is confession precedes forgiveness. He says, "I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: and I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; we have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and to all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces."

That keep his commandments, we have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and to all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces.

Principle 2: Confession Precedes Forgiveness

From Daniel 9:3-20, Weaver illustrates that Daniel confessed both personal and national sins. He explains that true confession (homologeo) means agreeing with God about sin, leading to repentance. Forgiveness is conditioned upon such confession, as seen in Proverbs 28:13, Psalm 32:5, and 1 John 1:9.

Now go back to Daniel 9. That's our text. I'm showing you a second principle. Look, if you would, please, beginning there with verse three. The second principle is confession precedes forgiveness. He says, "I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: and I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; we have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and to all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces."

That keep his commandments, we have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and to all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces. Now, I hope you get the idea that Daniel is confessing. And if you'll skip down to verse 20, which we did not read earlier, Daniel says exactly that's what he's doing. "And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God." So Daniel then is confessing not only his sins but he says the sins of the nation as well. It is noteworthy that all the great intercessors in prayer not only confessed their sins, but the sins of their nation. You would read Ezra, you would read Nehemiah, you can read Daniel, all of them cried out to God because of the sins. I might ask you, when is the last time that you have confessed the sins of your country, of your people? When is the last time you confessed before God we're murdering our babies, we are a nation provoking sodomy and wickedness, we are a people who are thieves.

We have a fraudulent economic system. When do we confess these things as a people? You say, "I don't do those things." I understand that. But we live amongst a people who do those things. Daniel was confessing.

Now, it should be obvious that confession precedes forgiveness. Let me ask you a question. How can anyone be forgiven unless he confesses and asks forgiveness? Daniel explicitly says he was confessing sin. And by the way, confession is the same in the Old Testament as it is in the New Testament. Now, when we talk about confession, let me show you, just pointedly, how confession always precedes forgiveness. Look in your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 28 and verse 13. Proverbs 28, verse 13. Proverbs 28, verse 13. Look what he says, Proverbs 28, verse 13. "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy."

Now, what's going to happen if you try to cover your sins? You're not going to prosper. But whosoever confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy. In other words, your confession precedes forgiveness. In Psalm 32 and verse 5, you don't have to turn there, I'll quote it for you. David says, "I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin." Now what did David say? "I acknowledged my sin, my iniquity I have not hid, I said I will confess my transgression," and what did God do? God forgave. Confession precedes forgiveness.

Now the Hebrew word in both passages for confess is the word yada. It means to confess and to give praise and thanksgiving. And sometimes it has the impact of casting out or throwing out or shooting out. In other words, this confession, this acknowledgement comes spontaneously and forcefully, especially when we're convicted by the Holy Spirit of God. Have there ever been times in your life when you just can't, you can't hide your sin any longer and it bothers you and all of a sudden you just start blurting out everything that happens in your mind and in your life to God. That's exactly what this means.

Now, in James 5 and verse 16, just show you in the New Testament, he said this, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." He said, "Confess your faults one to another." The word confess there is exomologeo and I'm going to explain that word in just a moment, but it literally means to confess out or to withdraw, to get it outside. And when we confess our faults one to the other, we're asking each other for prayer and encouragement. That doesn't mean I have to come over and whisper all of my sins to Tom. But it does mean I can come over to him and say, "Look, I need your prayers. I need your prayers in this area. I'm having a very difficult time. Please pray with me. Please help me." But I want you to look in your Bibles to 1 John 1 and verse 9. This verse will kind of tie everything together for you. Look what he says. I'm going to show you now how confession precedes forgiveness. Look what he says. 1 John 1 and verse 9. "If we confess our sins."

"He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Now look, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to" what? "To forgive us." Confession precedes forgiveness. Same way in the Old Testament. Same way in the New Testament. Now, look at the word confess. The word confess in the Greek is homologeo. Let me break it down for you. It's made up of two words: homo, it means one or the same. Homogenized milk. Homosexual. One and the same. Lego is the Greek word "I say." Homologeo means "I say the same thing."

Now here's what real confession is. Confession is when you say the same thing about your sin that God does. It's when you take God's attitude toward your sin. Now, let me show you. Let's suppose I had stolen from Doc. And I just came to the Lord and said, "Oh, Lord, well, I stole 50 bucks from Doc. Oh, Lord, well, forgive me." And I go and steal another 50 bucks from Dr. Bowen. I've already got 50 more from him, and now I'm going after Roy. I'm going to steal 50. Am I confessing my sins? I'm verbally saying that I've stolen.

No, because I have not taken the same attitude that God takes about my sin. I have not said that my sin is wicked and vile and wrong and deserving of death and that I need to turn from it. If I confess my sins, I'm taking the same attitude that God has, which means, therefore, I repent of my sins. Confession and repentance are basically synonymous. No one really confesses his sins until he turns from his sins.

Now, you remember when David sinned against God in the matter of Bathsheba and Uriah? God sent Nathan to confront David. And when Nathan got through with David, you know what David said? "I have sinned against the Lord." When David said that, he was acknowledging everything that he had done was not only a violation of God's law and God's word, but he was saying, "I now agree with God." And Nathan understood that because Nathan said, "The Lord hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die." In other words, it took a special pardon from God so that David would not die. His sins were worthy of death. So if we truly confess and acknowledge our sins, we seek God's forgiveness in the sense that we are now turning from our sins. We freely acknowledge our sins, we confess them, we come to God upon his terms, we turn from our sins, and then we conform our lives to his word. In other words, we take God's thoughts, we take God's attitude toward our sins.

Now, this is true whether or not we're confessing vertically or horizontally. Let's suppose, let's suppose that I've stolen from Henry. And I come to God and I say, "Lord, I've stolen from Henry, it's wicked, it's wrong, it's foul, it's deserving of death, Lord, please forgive me." Now, I've confessed my sins. What is going to evidence that I've really repented when I go to Henry and confess to him and ask his forgiveness and restore that which I've stolen from him. Do you follow me?

So, the Bible says, "Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him." Now listen, "and if he repent, forgive him." If he repent, forgive him. If Hobie steals from me, maybe I don't even know it. He could be very sly. But if Hobie steals from me, am I obligated to forgive him if he doesn't repent? No. No. I'm to always be ready to forgive. I'm to be willing to forgive. But I'm not obligated to forgive unless he confesses and repents. And if he's stolen from me and I don't even know it, how can I forgive him until he confesses? I don't even know it. You see, the Bible says in Psalm 86 and verse 5, talking about God, "For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee." Now, here's the question. Is God ready to forgive? Yes. Is God willing to forgive? Yes. Will God forgive anyone who does not confess and repent? No. No. Confession precedes forgiveness. If we want forgiveness, we have to learn to confess our sins the way that God demands that we do.

Principle 3: Disobedience Precedes Judgment

Weaver points to Daniel 9:10-11 and other Scriptures to show that judgment follows disobedience. He warns that individuals, families, churches, and nations cannot escape God's judgment for sin, citing Ephesians 5:6 and Colossians 3:6 as New Testament confirmations.

And in confessing our sins, we take the same attitude that God takes. We turn from them and do whatever is necessary to bring our lives in conformity to the Word of God. So very quickly, we've seen that consideration precedes enlightenment and confession precedes forgiveness. Thirdly, very quickly, disobedience precedes judgment. If you'll go back to Daniel chapter 9, look if you would please beginning there with verse 10, Daniel 9 verse 10. "Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him." Disobedience precedes judgment. Listen carefully. Whenever the judgment of God is upon an individual, a family, a church, or a nation, mark it down. It's because of their rebellion, their disobedience, and their sins.

Just like night follows day, judgment follows disobedience. And it constantly amazes me, folks, that many professing Christians have not realized that their sins have consequences. Somehow people have gotten the idea that it is possible to sin against God and escape the penalties for their sins. Which is not true. They cannot figure out why everything's going wrong in their lives. Think about this. We're in turmoil. We're in trouble. We're plagued, defeated, judged. Why? The answer is because of the sins in our lives. If we were biblical, if we were scriptural, we would take the Word of God, like David in Psalm 32, when David said this, "For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me."

If we use biblical terminology, we would understand it's God's hand that is judging us. Have you ever asked this question? Why is God's hand heavy upon us? Why do things go wrong in our lives? Here's why, Numbers 32 and verse 23. God says, "But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out." You cannot escape God's judgment. If you are disobedient, if you're sinful, I am sure there have been many preachers, and still are many preachers, that have perverted the gospel and have turned the grace of God into disgrace by implying somehow that God will not judge and that God will not avenge Himself.

And many people have taken that pernicious doctrine hook, line, and sinker, and they've tried to say, "Well, God will let us get by." The truth is, God will not let us get by. It is true that God is love. It is true that God is merciful. It is true that God is gracious, but it is equally true that God is just. Listen to Exodus 34 verse 7. Listen. "Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty." Will by no means clear the guilty. If I had time today, I could ask you to turn to Deuteronomy 28. Verses 15 through 25, particularly, God says, "But if thou wilt not obey the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee." They will chase you down and throw you down, and there's not one thing you can do about it. Read all the prophets. Read Amos. Read Hosea. I don't care who you read.

You're going to find that God's judgment always follows disobedience. It's a principle of Scripture. Old Testament and New Testament. Read Leviticus 26. Same thing. And if you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 5. Look, if you would please, at verse 6. Ephesians 5 verse 6. Watch carefully. Ephesians 5 verse 6. Just showing you that disobedience precedes judgment. In fact, let's go back to verse 5.

"For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience." What follows disobedience? Judgment. Look in the book of Colossians chapter 3 verse 6. Colossians 3 verse 6. In fact, again, we can go back to verse 5. Colossians 3 verse 5.

"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: for which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience." What follows disobedience? Judgment. It doesn't matter if you're an individual, a family, a church, or nation. It's a principle in the Old Testament and the New Testament that judgment follows disobedience or that disobedience precedes judgment. I have heard people say, "Well, I'm afraid America is in for some judgment." Folks, we're not only in for some judgment, we are already under judgment, have been under judgment, and I've got news for you. Unless we repent, you ain't seen nothing yet. That may not be good English. But based upon the good word of God, it is truth. It is truth. Disobedience precedes judgment.

Conclusion: The Unity and Authority of Scripture

Weaver concludes by reiterating that the Old and New Testaments are one Bible, with God's law still in effect. He calls for respect and trust in all of God's Word, warning that judgment comes upon those who violate it.

Now, let me just make one application today. I want you to think with me. We've looked in the Old Testament and in the New Testament on every one of these points. We're going to do the same thing next week. Please understand this. We have one Bible. Not two. The Old Testament is just as much the Word of God as the New Testament. The New Testament has not abrogated or nullified or outlawed the Old Testament.

God's law has not been repudiated. If you believe it has been repudiated, if you believe that God's law has been done away with, I would invite you to jump off the Empire State Building. The law of gravity is not Newton's law, that is God's law. God's law is still in effect. And He will judge those who violate His word. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for your blessing, for your help. We pray that you'll give us understanding, give us a greater admiration, respect for the word of God. And greater discernment in understanding, Lord, that your word does not contradict itself. That your word is truth and that we can lean upon, depend upon, trust in, and trust in thy word. For forever, O Lord, is thy word settled in the heavens. We give thee praise in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.