What Does the Old Testament Teach About Grace

Well, thank you again, and once again, happy Sabbath to all of you. Great to have you with us this day on this very beautiful Sabbath day. Well, I started out my last sermon mentioning that the topic of grace is very controversial in this world. It's a controversial subject for many people. A great number of Bible students are taught to believe that grace and the law or works are in conflict with each other, and I spoke about that a little bit last time. Some even go so far as to teaching that there are two different gods revealed in the Bible.

They say the God of the Old Testament, whom they believe is God the Father, was a God of law, and that the God of the New Testament, who is Jesus Christ, is the God of grace. So is that really true? Is the God of the Old Testament the God of law? And the God of the New Testament the God of grace?

Well, let's see if that's really true today. That's what I would like to discuss. I'd like to, first of all, begin by reminding ourselves of the definition of the very rich meaning of what grace is. We covered this last time, but I will repeat it. Grace is the undeserved acceptance and loved received from another. And this is especially true when we think of God's gift of providing salvation for those of us who are sinners. For those of us who have been called and converted, grace is God's gift of unmerited and unearned salvation in Jesus Christ by our faith in Him. It is God's free gift.

It is not something that we possibly can earn. There's no single Hebrew word in the Old Testament equivalent to the one that we covered last time. We talked about a very powerful word in the New Testament. You may remember that the word was charis, and we, in detail, looked at the various shades of meaning of that Greek word charis, and there is no single word in the Hebrew Old Testament equal to that word.

The primary Hebrew word that is often translated grace, especially in the New King James Version, is one that we'll look at right now. If you'll turn to Genesis chapter 32, beginning in verse 3, we'll take a look at its example. There are about 70 occurrences of this Hebrew word. It's used as a noun, this particular word in the Old Testament, and it is pronounced kane.

Now it's spelled C-H-E-N, the C pronounced obviously like a K, and again it's pronounced kane. 43 of these 70 occurrences are used with an expression that you may recall is repeated often in the Old Testament. It is to find favor or grace in the eyes of another. That's kind of a Hebrew idiom or something that's very natural to the Hebrew expression, to find grace or favor in the eyes of another. Let's take a look here now at this word, how it's used in Genesis chapter 32, beginning at verse 3.

We actually read this a few weeks back when we were talking about Jacob leaving his uncle Laban's control, where he had been held on almost a virtual servitude for many, many years. He finally left and decided to return home. Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother. When he had left home, he and Esau were not on very good terms. Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, and he commanded them, this is his messenger, saying, speak thus to my brother or my Lord Esau. Thus your servant Jacob says, I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now.

I have oxen and donkeys and flocks and male and female servants, and I have sent to tell the Lord that I may find, and the Hebrew word here is cane. Now if you have the new King James Version, it says favor. The original King James Version says that I may find grace in your sight. So this is an example where this Hebrew word is used and is often translated into English as the word grace, or oftentimes obviously favor as well.

Verse 6, then the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, we came to your brother Esau, and he is also coming to meet you, and 400 men are with him. So this word here, this word cane, means to receive or give kindness or favor. It means something that is pleasant, it means something that's precious or to be very well favored. And in this case, he was coming to see his brother, whom he had left in not very good terms, and he was saying that I'm coming back, I have lots of gifts to give, I've become wealthy, I have many possessions, and I've come to make a peace with you.

So that's basically the message that his messengers were giving to his brother. Let's take a look at another example.

Genesis chapter 6, beginning in verse 7, if you'll turn back a few chapters, here Genesis chapter 6 and verse 7. We'll see that Noah was given or found cane in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis chapter 6 and verse 7. So the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I've created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air. I am sorry that I have made them, but Noah found cane, that is grace, in the eyes of the Lord.

This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations, meaning he came from a godly family. If you went back many generations, they were also people who sought God, who walked with God, who wanted to have a relationship with God. This is Noah walked with God. So here again, we see this same Hebrew word cane referring to a person receiving favor from God, rather than one person offering it to another. In this case, we see someone receiving favor from God. Noah was being well favored by God and receiving God's kindness.

God would spare his life and that of his immediate family from the coming flood that would engulf the earth. Now this word is also used as a verb rather than a noun, and as a verb it's spelled C-H-A-N-A-N, again that's C-H-A-N-A-N, and is pronounced K'anan, and it appears 72 times in the Old Testament.

Let's see an example of how it's used here in Exodus chapter 33 and verse 17. At this point, Moses is under a lot of pressure and he's saying, you know, God, you're asking me to do a lot here with these people whom you've given me to shepherd and to guide, and I need to know you better. I want to see you.

God, I want to have a relationship with you. I need that with all the things that I'm facing, the decisions that I have to make with these people. Please allow me to see you and know you. So we're going to pick that up here in Exodus chapter 33 and verse 17. It says, so the Lord said to Moses, I will also do this thing that you have spoken, for you have found grace, that is Cain, that's the word used as a noun, you have found grace in my sight, and I know you by name, verse 18.

And he said, this is Moses saying, please show me your glory. Then he said, capital H, this is God's reply to that, I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you.

I will be, here's the verb, Canaan, to whom I will be Canaan. In other words, I'll be gracious to whom I choose to be. It's my choice when I give grace, and I will give grace to anyone I want to give grace to, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. Now this word as a verb, it means to bend or stoop for kindness, as if you would stoop showing kindness or an act of grace towards someone by your body language. It means to favor, to grant, to entreat, to show mercy. Sometimes it's even translated in a way to have pity upon another human being.

The same Hebrew word is translated in other places in the new King James Version as gracious. It's sometimes translated into the English as supplication, or to pray for someone, or to beseech someone. Depending on the context, it's translated into English with different shades of meaning. So it's these Hebrew words and others that are sometimes even combined in the Old Testament to refer to our Creator as one who is merciful and loving and gracious. And putting these words together comes closest to the rich meaning of that one Greek word we talked about last time that was so powerful, that word carous, as it's defined and delineated in the New Testament.

And again, we examined that a couple of weeks ago, so I'm not going to go into the detail here. These Hebrew words, depending on the context, are translated into English interchangeably as words like grace, or mercy, or compassion, or favored, or other English words used. None of them alone has the clarity and the meaning of grace like that Greek word did that we discussed last time in the New Testament. So rather than continue to do a word study, and there are people who could do a word study far better than I can, you can also do that on your own, what I would like to do today is rather than look at the meaning of Hebrew words, I think it's more important to look at God's example of grace in the Old Testament.

Right? So rather than talk about theory, rather than talk about how Paul expanded upon a secular Greek word called charis and then brought spiritual meaning into it, I'd like to, in contrast, talk about God's example of grace in the Old Testament. So let's begin in the beginning, Genesis chapter 1 and verse 26. Genesis chapter 1, verse 26.

Genesis chapter 1 and verse 26. Then God said, let us make man in our image. Those two very awesome beings known later on as the father and the son communicating with each other. Let us make man in our image according to our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps in the earth. So God created man in his own image. In the image of God, he created him male and female. He created them. Brethren, the creation of the world and humanity is an example of God's grace. Physical life is God's free gift. We don't deserve it. We're not entitled to it. We didn't earn it. It was given to us as a gift. There was a time when we were in non-existence, and then suddenly there was a time when we existed. We were propelled out of our mother's womb, screaming and complaining. Some have been screaming and complaining ever since. But we entered this world and went from the realm of non-existence into a world of existence. That, my friends, is God's grace. Let's have a living example of God's grace. I want to encourage all of you to breathe in very deeply. Let's do that together. Now exhale. You just experienced God's grace. We don't deserve the next breath. We're not entitled to the next breath. We didn't earn it. We have it not by merit. It's simply God's free gift. Millions of people went to sleep last night and never woke up. Either they died in their sleep or some died in hospital beds, but their existence ceased. We are not promised 10,000 tomorrows. The next moment is due to God's grace. And I think that's very important for us to understand and appreciate. The world, creation, the flowers, our lives, our physical being is all due to God's grace. Genesis chapter 2 and verse 15. Let's see also again how graceful this God is. Genesis chapter 2 and verse 15.

It says, Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden, detent and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. And the Lord God said, It is not good that man should be alone. I will make a helper comparable to him. And eventually he created Eve to be Adam's helper. Now the Hebrew text uses an idiomatic construction, which means the natural mode of expression for a Hebrew speaker. And what we read in English, it says, For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. It literally is translated dying you shall die. And actually this phrase, dying you shall die, occurs 49 times in the Old Testament. Not only here, but 48 other places in the Old Testament. The phrase, dying you shall die, here in Genesis chapter 2 and verse 17, did not mean God was warning Adam that on the very same day that he ate from the tree, that exact same day he would die physically. That isn't what God is saying. The Hebrew wording here allows for a time lapse between what was a death sentence and the sad day of disobedience until the time when they would actually cease to exist. So what God is saying in this expression, For in the day to eat of it you shall surely die. The day you eat of it you will have this sentence of death. It'll be hanging over your head. It'll be guaranteed. That's what that scripture means. Now, Genesis chapter 5 and verse 1, if you'll just turn a few chapters forward.

It says, This is the book of the genealogy of Adam in the day that God created man. He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them and called them mankind in the day that they were created. And Adam lived 130 years and begot his son in his own likeness after his image and named him Seth. And after he got Seth, the dates of Adam were 800 years and he had sons and daughters. Verse 5, So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years and then he died. Notice that God had clearly told Adam that the day that he ate the forbidden fruit he would have that death sentence hanging over his head. Yet Adam lived almost a thousand years, 70 years shy of a millennium. Why did God allow Adam to live so long after he had sinned? Because he had grace on Adam. He granted him mercy. He granted him compassion. He had a stay of the death sentence. Adam had disobeyed God and deserved death immediately, right then, right there. But his long life was unearned. It was unmerited. It was God's gift to him to spare him from immediate death. And his extended life was a free gift. Let's take a look at another example. God's relationship with a man named Abram. We'll begin by going to Joshua chapter 24 and verse 1. Joshua chapter 24 and verse 1. God's relationship with a man named Abram, who later became known for us as Abraham. Here's what Joshua says about Abram and his father and his immediate family. Joshua chapter 24, beginning in verse 1, The Scriptures say, then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel and for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers, and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the river in old times, and they served other gods. God's calling of Abram was because of God's grace. Abram was a flawed human being like every other human being who has ever lived. As a matter of fact, when God called Abram, he was a pagan nomad. It was through God's grace he revealed himself to this descendant of Noah's son Shem, and Abram responded. But it was all due, not to some righteousness inherent in his works, in Abram's works, it was due, his very calling to God's grace. Genesis chapter 15 and verse 1. Let's turn there and see a statement made about Abraham. Still called Abram at this point. Genesis chapter 15 beginning in verse 1.

Genesis chapter 15 and verse 1. After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, to not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward. But Abram said, Lord God, what will you give me, saying I go childless? And the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus. Eliezer was just simply his oldest, most loyal servant, and he had no children, and according to the custom of that day, if you died childless, everything you had would go to your longest-serving, most faithful servant. Verse 3. Then Abram said, Look, you have given me no offspring. Indeed, one born in my house is my heir. Again speaking of Eliezer. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir. Then he brought him outside and said, Look now towards heaven and count the stars if you were able to number them. And he said to him, So shall your descendants be. And he believed in the Lord, and he accounted it to him for righteousness. You see, his belief in God, in what God's, in God's promises and his response, his obedience to God's promises, that faith, that belief, was credited to him to be righteous in God's eyes. Verse 7, Then he said to him, I am the Lord who brought you out of the Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to inheritance. So Abraham's belief, his faith in God, confirmed by his obedience, was regarded as righteousness. God's calling and his promises to Abraham are due to God's grace. As Paul wrote himself in Romans chapter 3 and verse 23, he said, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. So God gave to Abraham his grace, which was unearned and undeserved, just like there was a time in human history when God called you and said, I want you, and I want to open your mind and your heart to my way of life. And I'm not doing this because you're special. I'm not doing it because you're superior. I'm not doing it because you earned it, because you're better than the person next door. I'm doing it out of my grace. I choose. I am gracious to whom I am gracious, as he said to Moses, and I am choosing you and calling you at this time in history. Well, God, of course, worked with Abraham, and eventually he allowed the descendants of Abraham to become slaves in Egypt. A descendant of Abraham was Israel. Israel had sons, and eventually the tribe settled in Egypt. So when it came time for God to free Israel from ancient Egypt, had they earned that?

Was that something that occurred because they were righteous? Because they were superior? No, not at all. It was due to God's grace. Let's take a look at Exodus chapter 12 and verse 21. Exodus chapter 12 and verse 21. God's grace is demonstrated by the deliverance of Israel from ancient Egypt. They had been in captivity for hundreds of years. So let's read about this. Exodus chapter 12 and verse 21.

The Scriptures say, then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lentil in the two-door post, with the blood that is in the basin.

And none of you shall go to the door of his house until morning, for the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lentil and on the two-door post, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. So what's God saying? He's saying, if you do what I tell you to do here, you will receive grace.

You otherwise will die just like the first born of the Egyptians. That's actually what you deserve. But if you take the blood of this lamb and you strike your lentils, you will be protected. Continuing here, verse 24, and you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and for your sons forever. And it shall come to pass when you come into the land, which the Lord will give you, just as he promised, that you shall keep this service.

Verse 26, and it shall be when your children say to you, what do you mean by this service? Why do we keep the Passover? Why do we continue to observe it? That you shall say it is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord who passed over the houses of the children of Israel and Egypt when he struck the Egyptians and delivered our households. So the people bowed their heads and worshipped, and then the children of Israel went away and did so just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron.

So they did. So you see, brethren, this is another example of God's grace. During this tenth plague, God's wrath was poured out on Egypt through the death of every firstborn son. Their firstborn children died, and Israel too was deserving of God's wrath, but he gave them a means of escape. He promised to pass over every house that brushed the blood of the Passover lamb on its doorposts, and so the Israelites were spared.

And of course, the Passover lamb pictured what Jesus Christ would later do for the entire world through his shed blood. It's the very one who later would become known as Jesus Christ who was giving this instruction and saying that this is something that I'll someday do for the world. If you do it now, you will receive grace and protection from the death angel as he goes through Egypt that very night.

As Paul said in Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 7, in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. And that's what they received. Let's see another example of God's tremendous grace to the chagrin of a prophet named Jonah. So go to Jonah chapter 3 and verse 4. Jonah chapter 3, beginning in verse 4. As we'll see, the decision that God makes, Jonah knew this would happen or he felt it would happen.

He didn't want to go and prophesy to Nineveh and tell the people of this large city to repent or else they would be punished. He didn't particularly care for these peoples. They were godless. He resisted. He tried to flee in another direction and I think we know the story of Jonah. So we're picking up here chapter 3 verse 4. He finally gets down to work. After trying to avoid God and run away from his calling, he finally gets down to work and let's read the story. And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk. Then he cried out and said, yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

So the people of Nineveh believed God. Isn't that interesting? That's the same phrase that was used for Abram, wasn't it? And the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. Then the word came to the king of Nineveh and he rose from his throne and he laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, sat in ashes, and he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles saying, let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock taste anything, do not let them eat nor drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and cry mightily to God.

Yes, let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn in relent and turn away from his fierce anger so that we may not perish? The King's proclamation, verse 10. Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way, and God relented from the disaster that he had said he would bring upon them, and he did not do it, but it displeased Jonah exceedingly and he became angry. So he prayed to the Lord and said, Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my own country when you originally called me?

Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish, for I know that you are gracious and a merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness, one who relents from doing harm. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live. We see here some of the very Hebrew words that we mentioned earlier, the words that are translated here in English as gracious and merciful, because of their faith, because it says in verse 5 that they believed the message and they believed God that he gave them grace.

They were sinners. They deserved only death, and what God gave them was unearned, unmerited. He gave the city the undeserved favor of his gift of grace, and in this case it delayed the destruction for about a hundred and fifty years. And Jonah, God said to him basically, Jonah, get a grip.

You have more concern and pity for a tropical plant than you do for the human beings that live in the city of A'ninavah. But Jonah said he knew that God is a gracious and a merciful God who gives grace. Let's go to Jeremiah chapter 30 in verse 17. Let's read about God's prophetic grace upon Israel in the future. Prophecies that we're aware of because we understand the kingdom of God, the world tomorrow, we understand God's plan for the descendants of Israel in the future.

God's prophetic grace upon Israel in the future. Jeremiah chapter 30, and we will pick it up here in verse 17. Here's the encouraging words from the prophet Jeremiah, for I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds, says the Lord, because they called you an outcast saying, this is Zion, no one seeks her. The people said, Israel who?

We don't care about Jews, we don't care about Israel, we don't care about these peoples. Verse 18, thus says the Lord, behold I will bring back the captivity of Jacob's tents and have mercy on his dwelling places. The city shall be built upon its own mound and the palace shall remain according to its own plan. God says, I have plans for the descendants of Israel in the future after Jesus Christ returns to this earth. Verse 19, then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving in the voice of those who make Mary. I will multiply them and they shall not diminish.

I will also glorify them and they shall not be small. Their children also shall be as before and their congregation shall be established before me and I will punish all who oppress them. Their nobles shall be from among them. They'll be true Israelites and their governor shall come from their midst.

Again, someone who is the descendant of Israel. Then I will cause him to draw near and he shall approach me, for who is this who pledged his heart to approach me? Who is this who dared to come before the great God? And he says it's okay. It's a governor from my people. It's all right. Verse 22, you shall be my people and I will be your God.

Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goes forth with fury. A continuing whirlwind, it will fall violently on the head of the wicked. You see, sin still has to be paid for. Now, you and I are very fortunate because when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, he paid the punishment for our sins.

But for those in the Old Covenant, the punishment has to be given and has to be received because that was part of the Old Covenant. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you most certainly will be punished. It will fall violently in the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the Lord will not return until he has done it, until he has performed the intents of his heart in the latter days you will consider it. In other words, punishment will continue upon the physical descendants of Israel until this very time because they have broken God's law and they have violated the covenant that they made with God. The prophet envisions a future when the descendants of Israel will be collected from the nations and restored to their own glory in their own land and they'll have health and thanksgiving and rejoicing, but these events occur after a time of strong punishment for their sins and until God says, okay, it's been punishment enough, it stops now.

Let's take a look now in chapter 31 verse 1. At the same time says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel and they shall be my people. Thus says the Lord, the people who survived the sword found grace, that's the Hebrew word Cain, that we talked about earlier, by the way, found grace in the wilderness Israel and I went to give him rest.

That's actually God's statement about what he did to Israel after they left Egypt in the Exodus. Verse 3, the Lord has appeared of old to me saying, yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness, I have drawn you. Again, I will build you and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel. You shall again be adorned with your tambourines. You shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice. So what we see here in this prophecy, that even after breaking their covenant with God, even though Israel sinned greatly, even though they went into captivity, even though they are strongly punished, God does something wonderful for Israel, that he has planned for his people in the future.

He grants them his grace. As a nation, they were sinners and they deserved only death and national destruction. But God says, I have other plans. What God gives and what he will provide for Israel in the kingdom of God is unearned on Israel's behalf. Unmerited, he decides to give the descendants of Israel the undeserved favor of his grace. What we've seen today is that the grace of God is abundantly clear in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament.

The God of the Old Testament is not a God of law, while the God of the New Testament is the God of grace. The same God of both Testaments who later walked in the earth as Jesus Christ is the God of law and the God of grace. Both Testaments focus on the grace of God toward humankind. If anything, the Old Testament doesn't simply talk about grace and define it. The Old Testament shows God's grace in action by his example. Here are some examples of grace that we touched upon today in the Old Testament.

The creation itself in physical life is due simply to God's grace. It's a gift, a free gift. Enjoy that next breath. We don't deserve it. We didn't earn it. It's simply God's gift. The calling of individuals like Noah and Abraham and Moses and you and I are simply due to God's grace. We aren't better than anyone else.

It's not that we deserve it. It's not that we're superior. Smarter. Better looking. It's simply because God is gracious to whom he will be gracious and he's given us the free gift of his calling. He's dropped the blinders from our eyes and helped us to understand him more clearly and his way of life. God-granting is real freedom from slavery and by the way ourselves, freedom from the death penalty, is due solely to God's grace to no other reason.

He took Israel out of slavery because he had pity on them and he decided to give them his grace. God establishing the kingdom of God and making Israel a nation is due to God's grace. Originally he gave them a nation in the promised land. That was God's grace and in the future he will give his people and his very kingdom a prominent role and that too is according to God's grace. Now there are some examples of grace found in the New Testament. I touched upon some of these last time and I'll just mention a few of them again today as we close this sermon. Here are some examples of grace found in the New Testament. God expanding his spiritual family to include those who are human and carnal is due to God's grace. God wants to expand his family and call us and give us the opportunity to be part of his family because of his grace. It's a free gift. It's unearned, unmerited, simply something a goodness given to us from God. Jesus Christ volunteering to come to earth and sacrifice himself as a perfect sacrifice to atone for sin. That's God's grace! It's not because we deserve it. It's a free gift that God gives to us because he loves his children. He's got a plan and that plan includes you. God calling each individual who has ever lived, each in their own order, some during their first physical lifetime, some with a great white throne judgment after the kingdom of God has been established by earth for a thousand years. Every human being who has ever lived in their own order and offering each person the opportunity for salvation is God's free gift. That too is God's grace. The establishment of the Church of God and the Day of Pentecost in 31 AD, the gift of the Holy Spirit, that's due to God's grace. That didn't happen because as a people we are entitled or we deserve it or we're better than anyone else. It happened because God is a loving God, a merciful, a compassionate God who wants to give good things to his Church, give good things to his children, and it's due to God's grace. In the future, Jesus Christ returning to earth just before the earth destroys itself. It says in Matthew chapter 24 and verse 22 that if it were not for the elect, no flesh would be saved. What is that? That's God's grace. The earth deserves to destroy itself.

People are carnal. We're in a world of sin. We're in a world that has forgotten our God. But because of God's grace, he will intervene just at the last moment to spare humanity from destroying itself off of this world. What is that? Does humanity deserve it? Are we entitled to it? Absolutely not. That is due simply to God's grace. The very establishment of the kingdom of God on this earth isn't because mankind is righteous, isn't because we have a track record of 6,000 years of goodness. I'm afraid not. The establishment of the kingdom of God and God restoring his garden paradise on this earth is due to one thing. That is God's incredible grace, a gift to an undeserving world. That too is from the grace of God. Our final scripture today, Numbers chapter 6 and verse 22. Numbers chapter 6 and verse 22. A statement that came from the Lord to Moses I would like to share with you today as God's people. Numbers chapter 6 and verse 22. Our final scripture says, and the Lord spoke to Moses saying, speak to Aaron and his son saying, this is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them, and I say to you this very day, the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. So they shall put my name on the children of Israel and I will bless them. So today in this sermon we've seen that while there certainly are differences between the Old Testament covenant and the New Testament covenant, God's character is consistent throughout eternity. That consistency that God has being a God of grace should give us encouragement. It should bring us hope. We don't serve a God who became gracious, who became the God of the New Testament, the God of grace. We serve a God who has been, who is, and will always be gracious. The whole Bible tells the story of this God, the God of grace. It tells it throughout the pages from Genesis to Revelation. That amazing grace doesn't end there. It's extended to us as well because God loves you very much and through His grace He's going to see you into His very family. I have a wonderful Sabbath day.