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Why Study the OT – The OT lays the foundation for biblical prophecy-student

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1. The Old Testament helps us to understand the New Testament.
   1. It helps us understand the life and work of Jesus and his purpose.
      1. “For without the OT, Jesus quickly loses reality and either becomes a stained-glass window figure – colorful but static and undemanding, or a tailor’s dummy that can be twisted and dressed to suit the current fashion.”
      2. Some preliminary questions. How do you understand Jesus’ nature? How do you understand God’s nature?

• Why is Jesus’ life important?
  1. Jesus had a human birth and genealogy (Gal. 4:4-5)
  2. Jesus had a human body that experienced growth (Luke 2:40, 52) as well as physical susceptibilities like hunger (Matt. 4:2), thirst (John 19:28), tiredness (John 4:6), and death (Luke 23:46) (1 John 1:1-3)
  3. Jesus had a human mind that, according to the will of the Father, had limitations in knowledge (Mark 13:32). His human mind grew and increased in wisdom (Luke 2:52), and he even learned obedience (Heb. 5:8-9)
  4. Jesus experienced human temptation (Heb. 4:15; cf. Luke 4:1-2), yet never succumbed to sin (John 8:29, 46; 15:10; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:5)
  5. Jesus practiced spiritual disciplines. He regularly prayed with passion (Mark 14:36; Luke 10:21; Heb. 5:7), worshiped at services in the synagogue (Luke 4:16), read and memorized Scripture (Matt. 4:4-10), practiced the discipline of solitude (Mark 1:35; 6:46), observed the Sabbath (Luke 4:16), obeyed OT ceremonial laws (John 8:29, 46; 15:10; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15), and received the fullness of the Spirit (Luke 3:22; 4:1). These religious activities were done earnestly (Heb. 5:7) and habitually (Luke 4:16) as the means of a truly human spiritual growth process. Given Jesus’ divine nature, the normality of most of his earthly life is staggering. (Matt. 13:54-57)

1. What was the work of Jesus?
   1. To fulfil the promises of the OT
   2. To show us how to live
   3. The Atonement
2. What is his purpose?
   1. Luke 19:10
   2. 20:28
   3. 1 Tim. 1:15

The Old Testament reveals the true nature of God and man.
a. We learn who God is.
i. Who is God?
ii. He is Creator
1. Gen. 1-2, esp. 1:26-27; cf. Psalm 139:13-16
2. Psalm 19:1-6
3. Neh. 9:6
4. Ps. 95:3-7
iii. The Savior of his people
1. Ex. 13-14; saving his people out of Egypt.
2. Hosea 13:4
iv. The Holy One
1. Lev. 19:2
2. Habakkuk 1:13
v. He is the Righteous One
1. Psalm 11:7
2. Psalm 89:14; 97:2
3. Psalm 33:5
vi. The God of wrath
1. Numbers 14
2. Deut. 7:4
vii. The God of Love
1. Deut. 7:9, 12
b. God establishes our identity, origins, purpose, and destiny.
i. Who are we?
ii. We are the created (origins)
1. Gen. 1:26-27
2. Psalm 139:13-16
iii. We are sinners (identity in Adam)
1. Gen. 3
2. Romans 3:10, 23
3. Ephesians 2:1
4. We sin because we are sinners by nature.
iv. We were created with a purpose
1. Isaiah 43:7; cf. Eph. 1:11-12
2. 1 Cor. 10:31
v. We have an eternal destiny
1. It is either heaven or hell
2. Dan. 12:2
3. Matt. 25:31-46
4. Rev. 20:11-15
c. The Good News
i. Jesus came and lived the life we cannot live (perfect obedience) and paid the          punishment we should have paid by dying for our sins in order to reconcile us to God.
ii. Jesus is God and he took on flesh (became a man)
1. John 1:1, 14, 18
2. Col. 2:9
iii. Jesus is King
1. Isa. 9:6-7
2. Luke 1:32-33
iv. Jesus is the Savior
1. Matt. 1:21
2. Mark 10:45
3. Gal. 3:13-14
4. 1 Cor. 5:21
5. 1 Peter 3:18; 2:24
v. Jesus is risen
1. Luke 24:5-6
2. 1 Cor. 15
d. What do we do with this information?
i. We respond in faith and repentance
ii. Faith is turning to God and believing all that he has done and said.
iii. Repentance is turning from your sins

Why Study the Old Testament?

11/05/17

1. The Old Testament is true history.

Shakespeare said that history is “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” The Christian view of history is quite a contrast; we believe God ordained it, organizes it, and moves it towards a meaningful, definite, and certain purpose.

However, many Christian entertain a negative view of Old Testament History, of its usefulness and even its accuracy. It is often regarded as “far away” and “distant” chronologically, geographically, socially, and theologically. “What can it do for me?” and “Why study it?” are common questions.

Let’s examine those objections for a moment.

First, I would like to examine the big question. Is Genesis 1 and 2 true history? Did God create everything and if he did, did he do in the way described in the first two chapters in the Bible? Turn to Genesis 1.

We see in the first verse that God created time (In the beginning) and space (the heavens) and matter/energy (and the earth). Everything that is created consists of these three things. Exodus 20:11

1. We learn of the history of the Israelites.
   1. The history of the Israelites is true history, critics try to manipulate dating in order to show that the Bible is wrong, i.e. dating of the Exodus, the reign of David, authorship of Isaiah and Daniel, among others.
2. We learn why the OT authors included certain events and not others.
   1. OT history is selective history.
   2. OT history is not all inclusive, we don’t know everything that went on in David’s life, or Abraham’s, or anyone else’s for that matter.
3. The history it records is both purposeful and relevant because it is redemptive.
   1. OT history is purposeful because it answers the “why” question. Most history books answer the what, when, where, and how questions, in contrast, biblical history has a clear purpose: it is a progressive revelation of the mind and heart of God for the benefit of needy sinners. God is the subject and the hero of the Bible. Therefore, when we read an OT narrative, we ask three questions:
      1. What does this story reveal about God?
      2. How is this intended to help needy sinners?
      3. What role does this story play in the larger and longer biblical story?
   2. This last question will help prevent us reading the chapters as disconnected dots and unrelated events.

• OT history is relevant because a right understanding of Old Testament history enables us to understand the original message to the original audience at the original time and place; and having done this, the bridge to the present message is far easier and safer to construct.

1. OT history is Redemptive history. God actively directs human history for the purpose of redeeming sinners to himself. The Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the OT to record what would graciously reveal that redemptive purpose, even the redeemer himself (Luke 24:27). The biblical history, then, is not just facts to teach us theology. These historical facts serve to bring in God’s elect. What greater motive do we need to study it than that these Scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation (2 Tim. 3:15).

“In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth”

Genesis 1:1

Time

Space

Matter/Energy

Creator must be outside of time – timeless – Infinite/eternal

Creator must be outside of space/not bound by it – omnipresent, etc.

Creator must transcend matter – Incorporeal/Spirit

In order to be the Creator, God cannot be bound by the box – something cannot create itself.

Why Study the Old Testament?

10/29/17

1. The Old Testament provides historical setting out of which Christianity and the New Testament emerge.
   1. The story line of God’s redemption begins in the OT and continues its flow through the NT.

1. Adam and Noah – Gen. 3:14-21; cf. 5:28-31
2. Abram (Abraham) – Gen. 12:1-3, 7; 15:1-21 (cutting the covenant); 17:1-10 (the changing of Abram’s name and the sign of the covenant)
   1. Notice the hidden nature of the sign in contrast to the worship practices of the Canaanites (Lev. 19:27-28)

• Jacob – the blessing received from Isaac (Gen. 27:28-29); Jacob’s dream with God restating Abraham’s blessing and promise to Jacob (Gen. 28:10-22); God changes Jacob’s name (Gen. 35:10-15); Jacob’s blessings in Gen. 48-49.

1. Joseph – the deliverance of Israel from the famine; Gen. 50:20 can be interpreted as a type and foreshadow of the crucifixion (Acts 3:13-26; Rom. 8:28; cf. Ezra 8:22)
2. Moses, Samuel, David, and the Prophets

1. 1. Stephen (Acts 7) and Paul (Acts 13:16-41) use the OT to declare God’s plan for salvation.
   2. What conclusions do we arrive at from the Scriptures being handled in this way?

1. The OT offers essential and terminological background to the NT.
2. The OT offers the essential promises of a savior.

• Therefore, Christianity did not emerge in a vacuum.

Why Study the Old Testament?

10/15/17

3. The Old Testament is the Bible that Jesus and the Apostles used.

1. 1. Jesus used it, not only to show who he was, but to teach people.

1. The temptation in the Wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11) – compare to the 40 years of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness.
   1. Request (v. 3): “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
   2. Response (v. 4): Deut. 8:3 – “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
   3. Context: Moses is recounting to the Israelites how God has provided for them throughout the 40 years of wandering before they cross over the Jordan.
   4. Request (vv. 5-6): “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down” (from the pinnacle of the Temple). He even uses Scripture (Psalm 91:11-12) – “He will command his angels concerning you and on their hands, they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.”
   5. Response (v. 7): Deut.6:16 – “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”
   6. Context: The fuller explanation of the Greatest Commandment
   7. Request (vv. 8-9): “All these I will give you, if you fall down and worship me.”
   8. Response (v. 10): Deut. 6:13 – “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.”
   9. Context: The Greatest Commandment
2. The Sermon on the Mount
   1. Verse 3 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Isaiah 66:2 – “All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”
   2. Verse 4 – “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” – Isaiah 61:2-3 – “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.”
   3. Verse 5 – “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” – Psalm 37:11 – “But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.”
   4. Verse 8 – “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” – “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.”
   5. Verse 9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” – Psalm 34:7 – “Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”
   6. Verses 10-11 – “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” – Isaiah 51:7-8 – “Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear not the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings. For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool, but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations.”
   7. Verse 12 – “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” – 2 Chronicles 36:16 – “But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.”
   8. The “You have heard that it was said to those of old… But I say to you” statements are mostly drawn from the Ten Commandments.

• Other Teachings throughout Matthew.
  1. Matthew 12:1-8; cf. 1 Sam. 21:3-9; Hos. 6:6
  2. Matthew 12: 15-21; cf. Isaiah 42:1-3
  3. Matthew 12:38-42; cf. Jonah; 1 Kings 10:1-13
  4. Matthew 15:1-9; cf. Exodus 20:12; 21:17; Isaiah 29:13
  5. Matthew 21:12-16; cf. Isaiah 56:7; Psalm 8:2
  6. Matthew 22:41-46; cf. Psalm 110:1 (the most quoted verse in the NT)

1. A difficult passage from John
   1. John 10:31-38 – ³¹ The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. ³² Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” ³³ The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” ³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? ³⁵ If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— ³⁶ do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? ³⁷ If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me;     ³⁸ but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

1. 1. The disciples quoted from the OT (John 1:45; 2:19-22; 12:16; 19:24, 28, 36)
   2. Paul used it quite extensively (In Romans 9-12, he quotes the OT 36 times from Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, 1 Kings, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah [10 times], Jeremiah, Hosea, Joel, and Malachi.

Why Study the Old Testament?

10/22/17

1. Jesus used it, not only to show who he was, but to teach people.
2. The disciples quoted from the OT
   1. John
      1. John 1:45 – ⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
      2. John 2:19-22 – ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ²⁰ The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” ²¹ But he was speaking about the temple of his body. ²² When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. (John 14:26)
      3. John 12:16 – ¹⁶ His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.
      4. John 19:24, 28, 36 – ²⁴ so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” (Ps. 22:18) So the soldiers did these things, ²⁸ After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” (Ps. 69:21) ³⁶ For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” (Ex. 12:46; Num. 9:12)
   2. Peter
      1. 1 Peter 1:10-12
      2. 1 Peter 1:17-21
      3. 1 Peter 1:23-25
      4. 1 Peter 2:4-10
      5. 1 Peter 3:8-17
      6. 1 Peter 3:18-20
      7. 1 Peter 4:17-18
      8. 2 Peter 1:16-21
      9. 2 Peter 2:4-9
   3. Paul used it quite extensively
      1. Romans 9-12

Chapter 9 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. (Ex. 32:30-34) 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, (Ex. 4:22) the glory, (Ex. 40:34) the covenants, (Gen. 17:2; Deut. 29:14) the giving of the law, (Deut. 4:14; Ps. 147:19) the worship, (Heb. 9:1) and the promises. (Eph. 2:12) 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” (Gen. 21:12) 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” (Gen. 18:10) 10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, (Gen. 25:21) 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” (Gen. 25:23) 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” (Mal. 1:2-3)

14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? (Deut. 32:4; 2 Chr. 19:7; Job 8:3; 34:10; Ps. 92:15) By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” (Ex. 33:19) 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” (Ex. 9:16) 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” (2 Chr. 20:6; Job 9:12; Dan. 4:35) 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? (Job 33:13) Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” (Isa. 29:16; 45:9) 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump (Isa. 64:8; Jer.18:6) one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, (Pro 16:4) 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory (Rom. 11:2; Ps. 94:14)— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea,

“Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’”(Hos. 2:23) 26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’” (Hos. 1:10)

27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, (Isa. 10:22) 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted,

“If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.” (Isa. 1:9)

30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness[d] did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written,

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;    and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” (Isa. 28:16; 8:4; 49:23; Joel 2:26-27)

10 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.[f]

5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. (Lev. 18:5) 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). (Deut. 30:12-13) 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (Deut. 30:14) (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Joel 2:32)

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Isa. 52:7; Nahum 1:15) 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” (Isa. 53:1)17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for

“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,    and their words to the ends of the world.” (Ps. 19:4)

• But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,

“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;

with a foolish nation I will make you angry.” (Deut. 32:21)

• Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

“I have been found by those who did not seek me;

I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” (Isa. 65:1)

21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” (Isa. 65:2)

Chapter 11 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. (Ps. 94:14; 1 Sam. 12:22) Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” (1 Kings 19:10) 4 But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” (1 Kings 19:18) 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, (Zech. 13:8-9) chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, (Deut. 9:4-5) it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written,

“God gave them a spirit of stupor, (Isa. 29:10) eyes that would not see  and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” (Deut. 29:4; Isa. 43:8; Jer. 5:21; Ezek. 12:2)

9 And David says,

“Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them;

10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.” (Ps. 69:22-23)

11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!

13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. (Num. 15:18-21; Neh. 10:37; Ezek. 44:30)

17 But if some of the branches were broken off, (Jer. 11:16; Ps. 52:8) and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. (Pro. 28:14; Isa. 66:2, 5; Jer. 44:10) 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

“The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; (Isa. 59:20-21) 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” (Isa. 27:9; Jer. 31:33-34)

28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! (Ps. 139:6) How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

• For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” (Isa. 40:13) 35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” (Job 35:7; 41:11)

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Chapter 12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads,[r] with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit,[s] serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. (Ps. 131:1; Jer. 45:5) Never be wise in your own sight. (Pro. 3:7) 17 Repay no one evil for evil, (Pro. 20:22) but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, (Pro. 20:22) but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Deut. 32:35) 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” (Pro. 25:21-22; Ex. 23:4-5; 2 Kings 6:22) 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

The Old Testament reveals Christ.

1. It points to Christ.
   1. The Genealogies of Matthew 1 and Luke 3 firmly plant Jesus in the Old Testament and as the Promised Messiah. He has the correct lineage.
   2. The Christophanies (or Theophanies) in the Old Testament reveal that God comes down to be with his people at crucial points in human history. Who walked with Adam (Gen. 3:8)? Who appeared to Abraham after he rescued Lot? Melchizedek, but who is Melchizedek? (Gen. 14:17-24) Who appeared to Abraham before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 17-18)? Who did Jacob wrestle with (Gen. 32:22-32)? Who appeared to Moses in the burning bush (Ex. 3)? Who did Moses meet with on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 24:9-11)? In the Tabernacle (Ex. 33:7-11)? Who appeared before Joshua (Jos. 5:14-15; cf. Rev. 19:10)? Who appeared before Samson’s parents (Jud. 13:17-22)? There are more, but I think you get the point.
2. It instructs believers concerning the person and work of Jesus, the promised Messiah.
   1. Luke 24:13-48
   2. John 5:39, 46-47; cf. Num. 21:9; Deut. 18:15

• Messianic passages in the Old Testament
  1. 2 Sam. 7
  2. Isaiah 9:6-7
  3. Psalm 2:2; 16:8-11; 18:5-7, 16-17; 21:1-5; 22:6-18; 49:15; 69:20-21, 25-26; 109:3-7; 118:22; 138:7-8; Isa. 26:19; 50:6; 53:3-5, 7-8; Hosea 6:1-2; Micah 5:1-4; Zechariah 9:9-10; 12:10; 13:6-7
  4. The concept of the Messiah as an intermediary – Gen. 22 – Moses – Christ – Job 9

1. The “I AM” Statements – Jesus uses Old Testament truths to reveal who he is.
   1. Absolute Statements
      1. John 6:20; cf. Matt. 8:23-27; Ps. 107:29
      2. John 8:24, 28, 58
      3. John 18:5; cf. Ezek. 1:28; 44:4; Dan. 2:46; 8:18
   2. Metaphorical Statements
      1. John 6:35, 51; cf. 6:30-34
      2. John 8:12, 9:5
      3. John 10:11, 14; cf. 1 Sam. 17:34-37; 2 Sam. 5:2; Ps. 78:70-72; 37:24; Micah 5:4
      4. John 10:7, 9
         1. Go in and out – Deut. 28:6; Num. 27:16-17; cf. Joshua in Heb. 4:8
         2. Find pasture – Ps. 23:2; 118:19-20; Isa. 49:9-10
      5. John 11:25
      6. John 14:6
      7. John 15:1
   3. It provides the context of what it means to say that Jesus kept all the Law.
      1. The fulfillment of Holy Days and the Law
         1. Passover and The Day of Atonement (Col. 2:16-17)
         2. The Law (Rom. 10:4; Gal. 3:6-29; cf. Gen. 15:1-6
      2. Jesus’ testimony in Luke 24.

Week 2 – Why Study the Old Testament – The Bible is incomplete Without It

• 1. The Bible is incomplete without it.
  a.  The New Testament is given to complete the story, not replace it.
  i. The Complete Jewish Bible by David H. Stern. Read introductory statement.
  ii. Martin Luther – understand the context of the setting in which he lived. Read highlighted text. These statement are horrific on this side of the Holocaust, but what is Luther’s context? What do we do with Hitler using Luther for justification of his treatment of the Jews? Does Westboro Baptist Church accurately represent Christianity as you understand it? Why not? What about the Roman Catholic understanding that salvation is only found within the Church? What about infant baptism?
  iii. How does this relate to the Scriptures being incomplete without the Old                                 Testament?
  iv. If we toss out the Old Testament because we have the New, how are we to  properly understand the redemptive storyline that does not find its origins in the New Testament but the Old.
  v. I want you to put on your philosophical hats for a moment. Without the OT, we have no place to start. This is similar to the concept of the impossibility of an eternal universe. The idea that the universe has always existed. If the universe has no beginning, we would never get to this current moment. This is the idea of an infinite regress. If there are infinite moments in time going backwards,                        we would never get to right now because there is no place to start. This is like trying to jump out of a bottomless pit. No place to start. If Jesus just shows up without any previous revelation of why he needs to come, how are people to understand their need for him to die for their sins? What are sins? Every false religion present the nature of man as not so bad, as being able to, in some way, obtain salvation, nirvana, or paradise.
  b. The curse comes upon humanity in Gen. 3:14-19. The curse is removed in Rev. 22:3. Completing God’s redemptive work.
  i. So why did Jesus come? Gen. 3:15. In fact, all of Genesis 3 is a profound example of God’s mercy. Jesus begins his public ministry in a rather profound way. In Luke 4:16-30, Jesus quotes Isaiah 61:1-2 and then states that this Scripture has         been fulfilled in your hearing, then in his rebuke of the doubters provides them         with two references of mercy being poured out to Gentiles in the OT. The widow       at Zerephath and Naaman the Syrian.
  ii. The OT is able to make one wise for salvation. 2 Tim. 3:14-17.
  iii. The OT initiates what the NT continues.
  1. Matt. 22:36-40; cf. Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18 – commandments
  2. Lev. 19:18; cf. Rom. 13:8-10 – loving your neighbor
  3. Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:26-27; cf. 2 Cor. 3:1-18; Heb. 8:7-12 – a new heart
  4. Rom. 12:20; cf. Deut. 32:35; Prov. 25:21-22 – treatment of your enemies
  5. 1 Peter 2:9-10; cf. Exod. 19:5-6; Hosea 1:8-9 – chosen race, God’s people
  iv. The OT is re-actualized in the NT in order to complete it
  1. Typology – Jesus “tabernacled” with us (John 1:14); His body is the Temple                             (John 2:19-22); He was lifted up as the serpent in the wilderness (John 3:14-15) focusing on God’s common call to faith
  v. The NT authors do not bring some new fantastic teaching, but they more fully explain the true meaning of the OT.
  c. God’s character is the same throughout.
  i. In the OT, we learn of God’s abounding love, compassion, and grace towards a stubborn people.
  ii. We see him pursue, plead, forgive, punish, get angry, and forgive again a stiff-necked people.
  d. It instructs us in godly living.
  i. According to Steven Cole, “The historical sections of the OT show us how people succeeded through faith and obedience or failed through unbelief and          disobedience. The wisdom books (Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes) show us how to          think and live rightly. The Psalms teach us to worship God and cry out to him in        prayer in all our trials. The prophets warn us of the devastating consequences        sin and the threat of God’s judgment if we do not repent. They also encourage us      with the truth that God will judge those who persist in evil and he will reward the    righteous.”
  ii. “written for our instruction”
  1. Rom. 15:4
  2. 2 Tim. 3:16-17
  3. 1 Cor. 10:11
  4. Heb. 11:13, 39-40; 12:1-2