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Old Testament, What’s The Big Deal? – by Pastor Tony

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Before you read this pondering, please adjust your reading voice (out loud or in your mind) to match the inflection of my voice. This article is not meant to be understood as a nasty rebuttal to the attitudes considered below. I am writing this merely as a matter of fact. Imagine these things said in a casual conversation and a heart-felt careful selection of words. Let your voice smile – if it will. This is for our information and in order to bless all those who agree and to help those who may disagree, see another perspective.

It is not unusual for me to hear something negative about what the pastors (don’t think Chandler) are doing at New Life. One of the more normal critiques I hear seems to revolve around the selection of texts that we study on most Sundays (these complaints don’t consider our Thursday morning Men’s Bible study, the Immerse Adult Bible study, the Thursday morning Women’s Bible Study or any of our Sunday Morning studies in the book of Colossians).

If you are wondering, ‘why are we always studying the Old Testament?’ let me give you a few answers (by the way, it is alright to wonder that!).

When we started our study in the book of Genesis on May 26, 2012, I hadn’t sat down and decided, ‘we are going to only study the Old Testament.’ Instead, I sat down and prayed about what we needed to study in order to better understand what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

The very same thought occurred to me as we selected and began down the road of Exodus and Joshua.

Each of these three Old Testament studies were precluded by a yearlong study of all Scripture. The last 22 weeks we went through the New Testament at a very high altitude. It was a wonderful study.

Secondly, it would be helpful to bear this truth in mind – we preach Christ and Him crucified on a daily basis. Every sermon, study, and teaching ought to always (without exception) lead us to the ministry of Jesus Christ. He, not the New Testament, is our focus and aim.

The apostle Paul (like Peter, and the rest of the early church) – only preached Christ through the use of the Old Testament. Their messages and Bible studies were strictly Old Testament studies. Our answer to someone wondering about our use of the Old Testament can lovingly be, “actually, we simply preach Christ and Him Crucified.” Wherever we are – we proclaim the message of the cross – the gospel.

Thirdly, 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Fourthly, the Old Testament is as relevant today as it was the day it was written. This is where things can get confusing. Since God condescended to our sinful world, the application of the Old Testament has changed. The way we apply the Old Testament has gone through an important shift. Though it was written to a different audience – it was, nevertheless, written for our benefit.

For example, while studying the 7th chapter of Jeremiah we are introduced to a section in which God almighty warns His people to “reform” their ways. Jeremiah relays this heavy message with great fire and power . 7:3b-7 says,

“Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!” If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly,if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever.”

If we merely “preach the Old Testament” – then our conclusion and application from this Old Testament passage would be – “REFORM YOUR WAYS!” If we stop stealing, murdering, committing adultery and perjury, burning incense to other gods (see verse 9), then God will let us “live in this place.”

Though this is a convicting message and one many of us need to hear – it is not the total truth regarding this passage (though sadly in many churches passages like this are nothing more than just that – which is nothing better than what we might have heard on Oprah – moralism – change your behavior messages).

However, if our aim is to preach Christ and Him crucified, then this passage becomes a window into what life is like without Jesus Christ. We are desperate sort – a hopeless scrum. We cannot (and all of Scripture buttresses this point) reform our ways.

However, if our aim is to preach Christ and Him crucified, then this passage becomes a window into what life is like without Jesus Christ.

We need God to reform us. Thus, this passage serves to remind the follower of Christ that we are unable to fulfill the demands that God has placed upon us. The only one who was able to fulfill the demands of God Almighty was God Almighty.

Now, He has invited us into Him. We are invited to with Him on the cross – that we may rise to new life “in Him” (see Paul’s writings). And when we are “in Him” then we realize that the temple that was destroyed and rebuilt in three days (John 2:19) was and is the body of Christ – and we are now invited to live “in Him.” The reformation that was needed was and is the destruction of our temple and the rebuilding into His Temple.

He has done it!

Therefore, a good study of Jeremiah 7 finds worship as its proper application. Will you read the Old Testament with me and worship our great and awesome God all the more?

With every jot and tittle, let us be filled with awe and wonder for our great and awesome God.

Blessings, Pastor Tony Minell

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