NOTE:
This is a manuscript, and not a transcript of this message. The actual presentation of the message differed from the manuscript through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is possible, and even likely that there is material in this manuscript that was not included in the live presentation and that there was additional material in the live presentation that is not included in this manuscript.
ENGAGE
[Show clip from West Wing]
Perhaps you’ve run into some people who have confronted you with similar arguments. They want to know why you follow some of the “rules” we find in the Old Testament and yet ignore others. I’ve found that is an objection that many disciples of Jesus aren’t well equipped to answer. In fact, I would guess that there are a lot of you here this morning who are so uncomfortable that you’re praying no one ever raises the issue.
And you’re not alone. There is a well-known megachurch pastor who recently wrote a book based on the premise that “when it comes to stumbling blocks to faith, the Old Testament is right up there at the top of the list”. In that book, he makes this appeal to church leaders:
Would you consider unhitching your teaching of what it means to follow Jesus from all things old covenant?
TENSION
That is certainly one approach we could take to dealing with this apparent inconsistency in the way we handle the Old Testament laws. We could just say that the Old Testament is no longer relevant and ignore it altogether. But what I hope we’ll see this morning is the Old Testament is not a stumbling block to faith at all, but rather a crucial element in the development of our faith and that when it is handled appropriately, it is a tremendous source of hope. So rather than unhitch from the Old Testament, what I want us to see this morning is that we actually need to embrace it.
TRUTH
We’re in the section of Romans where Paul is writing about how to have genuine love for others, both those inside and those outside the church. My original plan was to preach one message on verses 1-7 of chapter 15 today and then another message on verses 8-13 of that chapter next week.
But as I was beginning to prepare those messages, I sensed that there is one verse in that section, the one we’ll look at this morning, that would profitable for us to dig into in some more detail. So I’ll cover that one verse this morning and then next week, I’ll come back and address the rest of those first thirteen verses in chapter 15. But in order to make sure that we don’t take that one verse out of context, I’ll begin by reading the entire passage.
[Read Romans 15:1-13]
By now, you’ve probably figured out that the one verse we’ll tackle this morning is verse 4:
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Here’s the main idea we’re going to develop from this passage today:
Hope is enhanced when I understand the back of the Book
in light of the front of the Book.
I think that most of us intuitively understand that is true. Although I know there are some of you who read the end of a book or watch the end of the movie before you go back and start at the beginning, most of us don’t do that for a couple reasons. First, it would spoil the rest of the book or the movie. But even more importantly, we need the rest of book or the movie to help us fully understand and appreciate the ending. And I would suggest to you that is the best reason that we should never even consider “unhitching” from the Old Testament. Without the front of the book, the back of the book is not nearly as meaningful and fulfilling and life changing as God intends for it to be.
That is the point Paul is making to his readers here. As we’ll talk about more next week, Jesus has just finished quoting Psalm 69 in verse 3 in order to reinforce the idea that Jesus did not live to please Himself, but rather to serve both Jews and Gentiles. He has already quoted the Old Testament Scriptures frequently in his letter, but he takes this opportunity to tell them exactly why he does that. He confirms for his readers, and for us, that the Old Testament Scriptures have immeasurable value because they provide insight we would not otherwise have. And that added insight results in hope. Or as I’ve worded this morning, hope is enhanced when I understand the back of the book in light of the front of the book.
This morning, I want to do two things that will help us to use the Old Testament to develop hope in our lives. First, I want to spend some time talking about why we need the Old Testament. And then we’ll conclude by developing some guidelines about how to apply the Old Testament in today’s culture.
APPLICATION
WHY I NEED THE OLD TESTAMENT
There are certainly a lot more than just five reasons that we need the Old Testament, but I’ll share the five that I think are the most important.
1. It is the Bible Jesus read, studied and quoted
Obviously, the only part of our bible that existed in Jesus’ day was the Hebrew Bible, also called the Tanakh, and which we call the Old Testament. We know that Jesus had a very high view of Scripture. He considered it to be God’s written word and we know that He had memorized good portions of it because He was able to quote it from memory, even in difficult times, like when he was attacked by Satan in the wilderness.
Jesus quoted the Old Testament nearly 80 times that we know of because those quotations are included in the gospels. And he quoted from all three divisions of the Old Testament – the law, the prophets and the writings. His favorite book to quote was Psalms, followed by Deuteronomy, Isaiah and Exodus.
So if the Old Testament was that important to Jesus, it should be for us, too.
2. It reveals God’s character
As we’ll talk about more shortly, one of the reasons that much of the Old Testament law is still applicable to us today is because it is consistent with God’s character, which has not changed.
Unfortunately, throughout the history of the church, there have been people who have declared that the God of the Old Testament is different from the God of the New Testament. They claim that the God of the Old Testament is a cruel tyrant who is full of wrath, while the God of the New Testament is a God of mercy, grace and love. But nothing could be further from the truth.
The very same God who extended His grace an mercy to us through Jesus is the God who clothed Adam and Eve after they had sinned and made a promise to them of a savior who would come from Eve’s descendants.
The attribute of God that is probably most prevalent in the Old Testament is His faithfulness. We see how he kept His promises to ordinary people like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and David, even when they did not remain faithful to Him. And the knowledge of God’s faithfulness we learn from the Old Testament is a crucial factor in helping us to persevere in trials and be encouraged so that we might have hope.
This is a good place to be reminded that the “hope” that Paul writes about here is not merely wishful thinking. Paul doesn’t use that word the way we often do, like when we say, “I hope it rains”, or “I hope I win the lottery”. Or “I hope the Cubs win the World Series again in my lifetime”. The hope that Paul writes about here is the confident expectation that comes from knowing that God will do what He said He will do because He has always done that in the past.
3. It provides examples for us to learn from and follow
Paul writes here that the Old Testament Scriptures are for our “instruction”. One of the ways that the Old Testament provides instruction for us is by giving us examples we can learn from and follow. As Paul points out in another of his letters, God caused these examples to be written down so that we could refer to them often:
Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
(1 Corinthians 10:11 ESV)
4. It lays the foundation for the New Testament
This is the very essence of today’s main idea:
Hope is enhanced when I understand the back of the Book
in light of the front of the Book.
In both Colossians and Hebrews, the Old Testament law is described as being merely a “shadow” of things to come.
These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
(Colossians 2:17 ESV)
For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.
(Hebrews 10:1 ESV)
One of the main purposes of the Old Testament is to lay a foundation for the New Testament. So it’s not surprising that only 12 chapters in the entire new Testament don’t have some kind of reference to the Old Testament. There are many concepts that we find in the New Testament that can only be understood fully in light of what we learn in the Old Testament.
5. It points to Jesus
As I pointed out earlier, Paul quotes from the Old Testament to make his point that we are to be like Jesus and not live for ourselves. This is not the only place that Paul and the other New Testament writers quote from the Old Testament to reveal something about Jesus.
And even Jesus used the Old Testament to reveal Himself more fully. Probably the best example of that is the way He used the Scriptures to reveal the reason for His death and resurrection as He walked on the road to Emmaus with two disciples after His resurrection.
So we need the Old Testament because it helps us to know Jesus more fully.
Hopefully you see now why we said earlier that…
Hope is enhanced when I understand the back of the Book
in light of the front of the Book.
So let’s use our remaining time to talk about…
HOW TO APPROPRIATELY APPLY THE OLD TESTAMENT LAW TODAY
This is an idea that I have addressed in the past, but this is such an important concept that we do need to review it periodically.
Before we get to the principles, I want to take a moment to address the nature of the Old Testament Law. Many commentators have divided that law into three categories:
Three types of laws in the Old Testament
• The moral law
This is the part of the law that deals with moral behavior and the penalties for violating those standards of conduct. This part of the law is summed up in the Ten Commandments and then further detailed in other related commandments. Because the foundation of the moral law is God’s character, this part of the law never changes, and it applies to all people.
• The civil law
This part of the law applied only to Israel and guided how they were to live as a people when they entered into the land that God was giving to them.
• The ceremonial law
This is the part of the law that applied to Israel’s worship. It includes the sacrificial system.
Since there was no “separation between church and state” in Old Testament Israel, all three types of laws often blended together. For instance, breaking a civil or ceremonial law was also a moral issue. Conversely, breaking a moral law also had civil, and often ceremonial consequences. So not all the law fits neatly into one of these three categories and there is often some overlap. But keeping this structure in mind will help us as we develop some practical principles.
Three guidelines:
1. If there is an Old Testament Law that is restated in the New Testament, then it is still binding and valid
Most of the moral law fits in this category. And because those laws are based on the nature of God and therefore do not change from culture to culture, they still apply today. With the exception of the command concerning the Sabbath, every one of the Ten Commandments is reaffirmed by Jesus and/or by the authors of the New Testament. And, as we’re going to see after the first of the year, even the principle of Sabbath rest is confirmed in the New Testament, although we are not bound to keep a specific day.
2. If there is an Old Testament Law that is set aside in the New Testament, it is no longer binding
Most of the ceremonial law fits into this category. That makes sense since Jesus completely fulfilled that aspect of the law through His sacrificial death on the cross. So there is no longer a need for the laws about offerings and sacrifices.
This principle is best demonstrated by the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. Some in the church were teaching that a person could not become a Christ follower unless they first became a Jew and observed the practice of circumcision. At the leading of Peter, Barnabas, Paul and James – all of them Jews – the decision that was reached is that it was not necessary to follow the Biblical command to be circumcised. However, the council did not completely dismiss the need to follow other Old Testament laws that dealt with idols, sexual immorality and eating the blood of animals.
Another area where this principle applies is most of the dietary laws that were set aside by both the words of Jesus as well as by the word of God in Acts and in other New Testament writings.
No one will really argue this principle at all. In fact, those who want to ignore the Old Testament really like this guideline. But that leaves us with the most difficult task of all – how do we deal with those parts of the Law that aren’t specifically mentioned in the New Testament. And there are obviously a lot of them.
3. If there is an Old Testament Law that is not specifically mentioned in the New Testament, then apply this process:
• Identify general principles
God gave the Old Testament Law to His people for their own good. For instance, the dietary laws were intended to prevent them from becoming sick from food-borne illnesses. Many of the social laws were designed to protect people’s dignity – especially women, the poor, slaves, widows and others who were often in positions where they were unable to protect themselves. The ceremonial laws were given as a way for the people to deal with their sin before God.
So as we look at those laws, we need to determine the underlying principle that gives rise to that command.
• See if the principle is confirmed in the New Testament
Once we’ve identified the principle behind the specific law, we can then go to the New Testament and see if that same principle is given to us there. Since the entire Bible is consistent from cover to cover, we’re going to find that in almost every case, even if the specific Old Testament Law is not addressed in the New Testament, the underlying principles behind the law will be confirmed in some way there.
• Apply the principle to the specific situation
Having identified the underlying principle, we can now take that principle, rather than the specific law itself, and apply it to whatever situation we might be dealing with in our lives.
Let’s work through an example. I’ll use one of the laws that was mentioned in the video we watched at the beginning of the message. Although the President, played by Martin Sheen, only referred to two of the three commands in this verse, we’ll look at all three:
“You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material.
(Leviticus 19:19 ESV)
The first thing we want to do is to see if these commands are addressed specifically in the New Testament – either to confirm them or to set them aside. I looked pretty hard and I couldn’t find any reference to these laws anywhere in the New Testament.
So we move on to the next step – to identify general principles. Here is where it might be helpful to read some commentaries to get the historical background. And in this case, I’ll just tell you that commentators aren’t all in agreement for the reason behind these commands. But I think if we take all three together and look at them in context, the big idea here is that God did not want His people to be joined together with the surrounding nations. They were to maintain their separation, especially from the religious practices of those pagan nations. So he basically gives His people an object lesson here to confirm that principle.
The next step is to then see if that principle is confirmed in the New Testament. And many of you could point me to this familiar verse where we find that same principle:
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
(2 Corinthians 6:14 ESV)
So now we are ready to make application to our specific situation. The moral aspect, if there is one here, has nothing to do with mixing fabrics or planting two different kinds of crops side-by-side. So there is no reason for us to be bound literally by these Old Testament laws.
The moral issue has to do with keeping ourselves separate and distinct from the world around us. And obviously that could apply to many areas of our lives – everything from who we marry to the friends that we choose to the TV shows and movies that we watch.
INSPIRATION
Hope is enhanced when I understand the back of the Book
in light of the front of the Book.
I am so grateful to Dane Miller, my professor for my Introduction to the Old Testament classes at seminary. Before taking those classes I was one of those people who really didn’t think that the Old Testament had a lot of relevance for my life. But he made the Old Testament come alive for me and helped me develop a great appreciation for its value for me personally and for the church.
That is why, as many of you know, here at TFC we are committed to teaching from the Old Testament on a regular basis. This year we did that with a series on worship in the Psalms. And in our Christmas series that begins in just a few weeks, we’ll be looking at several Old Testament passages that teach us about what it means for God to be with us. And next year we’re planning a series on the life of Samson, one on the book of Habakkuk, as well as several other sermons that will draw primarily from the Old Testament.
My prayer for you is that like me, you will not only come to view the Old Testament as an important and necessary element in your spiritual growth but that you will truly come to treasure the hope that it brings.
[Prayer]
ACTION
A few months ago we restructured our worship services to provide a time of response at the close of our worship gatherings. That is because it is our firm conviction that genuine worship requires us to respond in some way to the revelation that we receive as we meet together.
That revelation can take many forms. Many of the songs that we sing bear witness to who God is and what He has done and that is certainly revelation. Obviously, the main form of revelation is God’s Word as it is read and taught. And there are additional opportunities for you to do that even further at 11:00 with our Bible Roundtable and our family small group.
And your response might take many different forms as well.
• For some of you it might mean taking the next step of committing your life to Jesus for the first time or being baptized or joining our church. If that is the case, it is really important that you share that decision with me or with one of our Elders during the response time. We want to make sure that we do everything we can to help you understand the decision you are making and help you follow through.
• For some of you, it might mean taking a practical, concrete step to apply something you learned from the message today. If that is the case, we encourage you to write that decision down and then share that with someone else who can hold you accountable. And if you need some help with that any of our Elders would be glad to help you in any way that we can. You just have to let us know you’d like some help.
• For some of you, it might be appropriate for you to pray during this time, possible to confess some sin that God has brought to mind today, or to ask for guidance in your life or even to ask for God’s help in carrying out any decision you might have made today. You can certainly pray right where you are in your seat, but I want to encourage you this morning to get out of your seat and come to the front to pray. You certainly don’t need to do that to pray, but that simple act of walking to the front might encourage someone else to pray or respond this morning. And if you would like someone to pray with you we have people in both the front and back of the room who would love the opportunity to do that.
• Finally, one of the ways that we respond to God is by being good stewards and giving back to Him out of the material resources that He has entrusted to us.
So will you now respond as God leads you?
