Seeing Beyond Scriptures
An all-creatures Bible Message

Seeing Beyond Scriptures
 
A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church
 
3 March 2019
 
Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

Exodus 34:25-35
Luke 9:37-45
2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2

We should all be seeing beyond scriptures to the creation and heavenly intent of God, and not just accepting everything we read as being in the heavenly will of God.
 
Sometimes Bible verses mean exactly what they say, but we in good conscience shouldn’t just accept it and move on; we need to look at ways to apply it’s meaning to our own lives so that we become living examples of God’s word, not just in word, but in our lives so that others see and understand God’s message without us ever having to say a word.
 
And sometimes Bible verses are just examples of some truth, such as with parables, in which they are primarily intended for us to learn to live by such examples.
 
And other times Bible verses are just history about this corrupt world, which we are not to follow, for they are only there so that we would learn from history and not repeat the same mistakes.
 
Exodus 34:25-35 contains a perfect example of seeing beyond scriptures, which we will look at together…

25. "You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread, nor is the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover to be left over until morning.

First of all we need to remember that God created this as a vegan world; all we were to eat were plant foods.
 
Animal by-products were never to be a part of any humans diet, because they are the product of pain, suffering, and death.
 
Note the mixed message in the following verse.

26. You shall bring the very first of the first fruits of your soil into the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk."

We first told to bring the first fruits of the soil to offer to God, and then seemingly out of the blue we are told not to cook a baby goat in his or her mother’s milk.
 
The first part of the verse pertains to God’s creation intent, but the second part is definitely not in the heavenly will of God; it reflects the corrupt and evil ways of the world.

27. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel."

We need to remember that if something is God’s word it is His word for all time, so God’s creation and heavenly intent is the real truth that we should be following.
 
The passages that are added because of the corrupt and evil ways of this world are addressing the lessening of evil, only, and not necessarily living in the heavenly will of God.

28. So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

The Ten Commandments were given to Moses as a way of controlling and hopefully eliminating the corrupt ways that the people were living upon this earth; it was a way of trying to lead the people back into the heavenly will of God.
 
We need to remember that Jesus told us that perfect love fulfills the whole Law and the Prophets (The Bible).
 
So, if perfect love does that then, it also fulfills all of these Ten Commandments.
 
Common sense tells us that if we tried to go without food and water for 40 days and 40 nights we’d be dead, so what are we being told?
 
The most obvious answer is that Moses did this in the power of God, for no human body could do what Moses did, so this is not something we should try on our own.
 
Perhaps when Moses went up on the mountain he was transformed into a spiritual being; we just don’t know.

29. And it came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses' hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him.
 
30. So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.

This is the result of being in the spiritual realm in the presence of the Lord, but every person who is truly living in the heavenly will of God is filled with overflowing love and peace which others can see.
 
This is something that we all should have, that is, if we are truly peacemaking children of God.

31. Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers in the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them.
 
32. And afterward all the sons of Israel came near, and he commanded them to do everything that the LORD had spoken to him on Mount Sinai.
 
33. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.

We certainly shouldn’t put a veil over our faces if we are filled with love and peace, for we want others to have it to, and it is our witness to the world around us that God wants everyone to be like that.

34. But whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would take off the veil until he came out; and whenever he came out and spoke to the sons of Israel what he had been commanded,
 
35. the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone. So Moses would replace the veil over his face until he went in to speak with Him.
NASB

Our faces may not glow like Moses’ did, but we should all have a type of glow about us that separates us from the other people of the world who do not follow the heavenly will of God.
 
Let’s now apply what we have been talking about to the following verses from Luke 9:37-45…

37. And it came about on the next day, that when they had come down from the mountain, a great multitude met Him.

When we are Christian vegan animal rights activists, we often meet other people; they may not be in a great multitude like Jesus encountered, but how do we react to them?
 
Do we just try to blend in and not say anything about our commitments to compassionate living, or do we actively speak to them about what we believe as Jesus did?

38. And behold, a man from the multitude shouted out, saying, "Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only boy,
 
39. and behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams, and it throws him into a convulsion with foaming at the mouth, and as it mauls him, it scarcely leaves him.

We may not be able to do the kinds of healings that Jesus did, but would we at least stop and try to help in situations like this?
 
We sure hope so, because this is what having true love compassion and empathy does, because it has no limits.

40. "And I begged Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not."

But from what we are told, at least the disciples tried to help even if they couldn’t, which is exactly what we should do, and who knows if we are the ones what do contribute to the healing.
 
If we do nothing, we are part of the problem, but if we at least try, we are part of the solution, just like becoming vegan helps end some of the exploitation and killing of animals.

41. And Jesus answered and said, "O unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you, and put up with you? Bring your son here." 

Jesus seems frustrated because He had obviously taught His disciples how to cast out these kinds of demons, and they were leaving the problem for Jesus to solve.
 
We need to be bold in our convictions about the things of God so we can counter the corrupt ways of this world.

42. And while he was still approaching, the demon dashed him to the ground, and threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.

Like the disciples, we may not have the confidence to cast out a demon like this, but we can do a lot of things to counter the corrupt ways of this world and show people the truth, but we have to be willing to do it; this is what it means to be seeing beyond scriptures.

43. And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. But while everyone was marveling at all that He was doing, He said to His disciples,
 
44. "Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men."

Jesus is plainly telling them that they needed to mature in their faith to be able to do the things He did, because He was not going to be with them much longer; however, today we have the Holy Spirit with us, or should, and He gives us the power to be true peacemaking children of God.

45. But they did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they might not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement.
NASB

They may have been afraid then, but today we know the whole story, which means that we have no excuse; we can and should be helping to free creation from its present corruption.
 
Let’s conclude today’s journey through the Bible by looking at 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2…

12. Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech,
 
13. and are not as Moses, who used to put a veil over his face that the sons of Israel might not look intently at the end of what was fading away.
 
14. But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ.

In other words, because the people ignoring the creation intent and heavenly will of God, and only looking at the old covenant that was written in and about this corrupted world, they don’t open their hearts and minds to the truths of God and the unction of the Holy Spirit, who we believe speaks to everyone in the world, but only a small percentage of the people listen, including most Christians.

15. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart;
 
16. but whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

If we are truly seeing beyond scriptures, we will help people to truly turn to the Lord without any preconceived idea in mind and ask Him to reveal the truth to them.

17. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
 
18. But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
 
4:1. Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart,
 
2. but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
NASB

Every single one of us needs to gather up the courage to at least do this in the power of the Holy Spirit.
 
We need to be living examples of God’s heavenly will and His word here on earth as it is in heaven.
 
It isn’t what we say that is going to really make a difference, it’s the way we apply God’s word to the way we live.
 
This is seeing beyond scriptures.
 
This is being peacemaking children of God.
 
Amen?
 
Amen.

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