Ezekiel 44 23 And they shall teach My

Ezekiel 44: 23 "And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

Teach My People the Difference Ezekiel 44: 23

Teach My People the Difference 1. Between the Covenants

The Bible Talks About Two Covenants • There Was An Old and A New Covenant – Hebrews 8: 8 – Hebrews 9: 15 • There Was A First Covenant and A Second Covenant – Hebrews 8: 7, 13 • There Was a Faulty Covenant and a Better Covenant – Hebrews 8: 7 – Hebrews 7: 22; 8: 6

The Old Covenant • It Was Faulty – Hebrews 8: 7 – v. 8 – “finding fault with them” • It Was Weak and Unprofitable (Useless) – Hebrews 7: 18 – Useless for the purpose of making things perfect (v. 19) • It is Obsolete – Hebrews 8: 13 • It Has Served Its Purpose – Galatians 3: 19 -25 • It Has Been Taken Away – Colossians 2: 14; Eph. 2: 14 -15

The New Covenant For All Man – Ephesians 2: 14 -16 Not Like the First Covenant – Hebrews 8: 9 Christ Is Its Mediator – Hebrews 9: 15 It Is An Everlasting or Eternal Covenant – Hebrews 13: 20 • Disobedience Carries a Severe Penalty – Hebrews 10: 28 -29 • Offers Forgiveness of Sins – Hebrews 9: 27 -28 • •

Understanding the Difference • We Can Learn from the Old Covenant – Romans 15: 4; 1 Cor. 10: 11 • We Do Not Live Under the Old Covenant – Acts 15: 1, 5, 21 • If We Take Part of the Old Law We Must Take the Whole Law – Galatians 5: 3

Teach My People the Difference 1. Between the Covenants 2. Between Churches of Christ

Not All Churches of Christ Are the Same • Some People Think That if “Church of Christ” on A Sign That It is An Acceptable Church • I Wonder Why This Principle Does Not Apply to Other Scriptural Names for the Church: – Church of God – 1 Corinthians 1: 2 – Church of the Firstborn – Hebrews 12: 23

Not All Churches of Christ Are the Same • It Takes More Than Putting the Right Thing On a Sign to Make a Church Acceptable – Acts 19: 11 -20 – Seven Sons of Sceva • There are Churches of Christ That Are Involved in Unscriptural Work – We Must Have Authority For All That We Do – Col. 3: 17 – There is no more authority for a church supporting human institutions than for instrumental music

Not All Churches of Christ Are the Same • Not All “Non-Institutional” Churches of Christ Are the Same – Some Tolerate False Doctrine – Rev. 2: 14 -16 – Some Fellowship False Teachers – 2 John 9 -11 – Some Tolerate Worldliness (immodesty, dancing, etc) – Romans 12: 1 -2 – Some Do Not Like Sound Preaching – 2 Tim. 4: 3 -5

Teach My People the Difference 1. Between the Covenants 2. Between Churches of Christ 3. Between Edification and Excitement

Real Edification and Spirituality • We Are Edified by the Word – Acts 20: 32 – Romans 10: 17 • Spiritual Gifts – 1 Corinthians 14 – Tongues without Interpretation Do Not Edify – Prophecy (Reveals the Word) - It Edifies (vv. 3 -4)

Real Edification and Spirituality • Sometimes We Think We Have Been Edified – We Have Only Been Excited – Think if we hear a dynamic speaker – stirs emotions and excitement – we been edified – Think if a class was fun, lot of discussion, arguments, excitement – really edified – If we feel good about our self after sermon – it was great – Think if we have a social event (eating, playing, games, laughing) – “That was edifying”

Teach My People the Difference 1. 2. 3. 4. Between the Covenants Between Churches of Christ Between Edification and Excitement Between Modesty and Immodesty

God Cares What We Wear • He Cared How Adam and Eve Dressed in the Garden – Gen. 3: 7, 10, 21 • Godly Woman Are to Adorn Themselves in Modest Apparel – 1 Tim. 2: 8 -10 • Our Clothing Reflects Our Character – Prov. 7: 10 – “attire of a harlot” – 1 Tim. 2: 8 – “respectable apparel” (ESV)

Some Struggle to Tell the Difference Between Modesty and Immodesty • Is This Clothing Respectable or Modest? What Does It Say About Me? • Could This Cause Someone to Lust After Me? – Matthew 5: 27 -28 – Romans 13: 14 • Does It Expose Parts of the Body That God Says Should Be Covered?

We Are Naked When: 1 Corinthians 12: 23 -24 • Our Breasts Are Exposed – Ezekiel 16: 7 -8 • Our Buttocks Are Exposed – Isaiah 20: 3 -4 • Our Thigh Is Exposed – Genesis 3: 7, 10 -11 – Exodus 28: 42 – Isaiah 47: 2 -3

Teach My People the Difference Ezekiel 44: 23