Sunday, May 25, 2014 pm
BACK TO BASICS 2014
(Authority - supplement)
Is the Old Testament a Source of Authority Today?
As we conclude our
brief study of the subject of Authority, tonight we want to address a
supplemental subject – the relevance of the Old Testament today.
There are many that
appeal to the Old Testament for authority in what they do.
Some argue that because David used instruments of music in
worship so can we. Others
establish a priesthood and priestly garments (preachers wearing the
robes) from the Old Testament.
Others appeal to the 10 commandments as law today. Sabbatarians
appeal to the Old Testament for their day of worship.
But are these consistent with the
teachings of the New Testament?
ONE might ask, “Are
we under the Old Law today?
The simple answer to that is NO! If that were all we were discussing we
would be done, BUT the question we want to address is WHY?
Why are we not under the Old Law today?
AND if we are not under the Old Law anymore, is there any benefit
to the Old Testament for us today?
Do we need the Old Testament as Christians? Should we study it?
Tonight, we want to address this subject.
a.
To whom was it written?
The Jews (AKA – the children of
Israel) – the chosen descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Consider Exodus 19:3-6 where Moses is at Mt. Sinai and about to go up on
the mountain. “And Moses
went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying,
“Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of
Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore
you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you
will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a
special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And
you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are
the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.””
The Ten Commandments was included in this Covenant with them –
Deuteronomy 4:13 records Moses recalling Mt. Sinai saying, “So He
declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, the Ten
Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone.”
As Moses reviewed the Ten Commandments he said, “The Lord our God
made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord did not make this covenant
with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who
are alive.” (Deuteronomy 5:2–3) Clearly,
the Old Law was for Israel and not all mankind.
That is the first thing we need to understand.
b.
But it DID have a purpose!
The Old Law predicted its own conclusion - Jer. 31:31-34, ““Behold,
the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—not according
to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took
them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant
which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But
this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write
it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My
people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his
brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the
least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive
their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.””
c.
Interestingly the New Testament
emphasizes its conclusion continually.
Jesus brought the Old Law to its end:
i.
Rom 10:4,
“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who
believes.”
ii.
Galatians
3:19, 23–25 “What purpose then does the law serve? It was added
because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise
was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.”…“But
before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the
faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor
to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after
faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.”
iii.
Ephesians
2:14–15, “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has
broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh
the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so
as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,”
iv.
Heb. 1:1-2
says that He has in these last days spoken to us through His Son
v.
Col.
2:13-14, “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him,
having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of
requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has
taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”
d.
Jesus brought about a new covenant
– A study of the book of Hebrews emphasizes how Christ fulfilled the Law
and more so, how through Him there HAD TO BE a change!
Heb. 10:8-9, speaking of the sacrifices of the Old Law (and their
ineffectiveness – Heb. 10:1-4) we read that Christ “takes away the first
that He may establish a second.”
A study of the context shows this is about the covenant.
Earlier in Heb. 8:7-13 the writer speaks of the need for a new
covenant because Christ was not a Levite (and thus could not be High
Priest under the Old Law).
He then quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34, and concludes, “In that He says, “A
new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming
obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” (Hebrews 8:13)
e.
When we stand before God we will
answer for whether or not we have obeyed the gospel
– that which is taught in the New Testament. Let this be clearly
understood.
Acts 4:12 tells us that salvation is in Christ Jesus.
In Galatians 5:4, Paul warned that if one seeks to be justified by the
Law (of Moses) they have fallen from grace.
f.
And that is WHY we do not accept the
Old Testament as the law we are under today
g.
BUT, the Old Testament IS the word of
God! That is taught in a
number of ways in the New Testament as well.
We are told in 2 Tim. 3:16, 17 that as scripture it is profitable “that
the man of God may be complete.”
The OT is both important and useful - HOWEVER, it MUST be used
within its proper boundaries.
2 Tim. 2:15
a.
Yes.
Many passages appeal to us to consider the Old Testament –
i.
Rom. 15:4,
“For whatever things were written before were written for our
learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures
might have hope.”
ii.
1 Cor. 10:6,
“Now these things became our examples,
to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also
lusted.”
6:11, “Now all these things happened
to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom
the ends of the ages have come.”
2 Peter 2:6 speaks pf the example of
Sodom and Gomorrah to those who afterward would live ungodly.
b.
Continually, both Jesus and His apostles appealed to the Old Law.
One might argue that Jesus lived under the Old Law, and He did, but much
of His teaching was directed toward the New Covenant He intended to
establish (for example:
Matt. 5:21-22, 27-28, etc.). He often appealed to the Old Law to prove
He was Whom He claimed to be (cf. John 5:39-40).
c.
How is it
useful today?
i.
It can
bring to light passages in the New Testament
– there are so many Biblical characters mentioned in the New Testament
that we would not understand without the Old Testament – Adam, Moses,
Abraham, David, Lot, Rahab, Joseph, etc.
We learn about FAITH from the examples of Hebrews 11
We learn about fervent prayer from Elijah in James 5:17-18
We learn about patience from Job in James 5:10-11
How do we explain the priesthood of Jesus, the New Covenant, the
importance of sacrifice without the Old Law?
ii.
It
confirms both Jesus and the church through prophecies -
In Luke 24:44 Jesus said, ““Then He said to them, “These are the
words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things
must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the
Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.”” WE can have confidence in
Jesus because of some very remarkable scriptures about Him – found
throughout the Old Testament.
On the day of Pentecost, Peter quotes
from Joel 2:28-32 (Acts 2:17-21)
iii.
IT can
strengthen our faith in Christ –
God exists and is omnipotent
– again I appeal to prophecies, and miracles.
The quality of the Bible as the word of God – again prophecies show He
is behind it.
- The unity of its message
from Genesis to Revelation.
If all we had was the New Testament, even though it was written
by several men – they were all of the same generation.
Some could charge corroboration – but how do you do that when
Moses lived 1500 years prior to Christ coming and Isaiah with his exact
prophecies about the suffering of Jesus some 700 years BC in Isaiah 53,
and Psalm 22 of David about 1000 BC.
- Add to this the scientific and natural accuracy of scriptures
noting things ahead of its time.
We have every reason to trust in the Bible.
iv.
There are
principle therein that always ring true –
1.
The
character of God we read in Hebrews 13:8 that Jesus is the same –
yesterday, today and forever.
While God’s laws may change, He does not!
But then again, what happened was His plan from the beginning.
We learn of God’s longsuffering, forgiveness and mercy and His love as
we study His relationship with His chosen nation.
We learn of His power by His dealings with them and other nations.
2.
The nature
of man doesn’t change – times change but the nature of man is the same.
We see that throughout the Old Testament.
Corrupt nations back then are no different that corrupt nations
today.
Romans 3:23 says “All have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God.”
This comes on the heels of a number of Old Testament passages
about how both Jews and Gentiles are sinners (Rom. 3:10-18).
3.
Proverbs
is filled with insights written around 900 BC that describe the nature
of man as being the same today as then.
v.
Much of
the Law of Moses was a type of the New Law in Christ.
1.
The Old
Testament begins with the fall of man in Genesis 3.
The rest of it is about God’s plan to redeem man of his sins.
We would NOT understand God’s plan without the aid of the Old
Testament – all of it!
2.
Furthermore, much of the New Law is based upon God’s instructions in the
Old Law. The book of
Hebrews (along with Romans & Galatians) explains how God’s pattern for
Israel was actually looking toward something better.
3.
The
tabernacle was a type of heaven
4.
The
priesthood of Levi was a type of the better priesthood of Christ.
5.
The
sacrifices of the Old Law were a type of the sacrifice Christ offered
once for our sins.
We have discussed in this series how Moses was instructed to follow the
pattern God gave – Heb. 8:4-6.
6.
Finally,
in the New Testament we have continual contrasts between the physical
aspects of the Old Law and the spiritual aspect of the New Law.
The type-anti-types just mentioned are examples of this.
In Romans 6:14 we read, “For sin shall not have dominion over you,
for you are not under law but under grace.” While there is much to
explain, this passage is one of many that contrasts the Old Law with the
grace (and faith) of the New Law. We
understand the grace of God and our faith by contrasting it with the Old
Testament.
And thus we can see
that while we are not under the Old Law, it is still very beneficial to
us. We would not be able to
fully appreciate God and Jesus if it were not for the Old Testament.
As with all of God’s word, let us give it the respect it deserves
and keep it within its appointed boundaries.
Think about it.