THE RELEVANCE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT AS IT POINTS TO CHRIST

I always find it exciting to embrace a New Year as it allows me to gaze ahead and see new goals, and new things to try and experience. Perhaps it is the freshness of a new start on something, or a new relationship. More than anything else it is the hope and idea that something new and refreshing is just ahead for me. Truth is, as we start a new year, we are often leaving something behind; something we want to move on from, or perhaps away from. Life has a tendency to become stagnant or frustrating at times, and the desire and thought of moving forward and ahead can’t come fast enough ! For a long time in my Christian experience I found myself way more focused on New Testament writings and specifically the Gospel from the perspectives of the four authors who penned them. I wanted to know more about Jesus and the disciples who spent time with Him. I wanted to spend time with the Apostle Paul, and soak in all the things he had to say to the many Church Communities that he touched in his travels. The Old Testament was a great historical perspective of God the Creator and the many foundational men and women of Judaism, but how would that be as relevant to me as seeing and hearing the story of My Savior ? It portrayed a long drawn out road that seemed at times full of the same main point : God’s Chosen People continually failing Him, Rejecting His Authority and Commandments, and all the signs of a Broken Relationship that never quite gets things right. Genesis, OK. Exodus, Sure. Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy ? Biblical history about Jewish people, practices, rules, travels, struggles ? Good stuff, but Would It Be As Relevant In My Growth To Relationship With God compared to Parables, Miracles, and Sermons ? ONE THING has become crystal clear in my mind as I have grown in my faith. ALL OF GOD”S WORD IS IMPORTANT FOR OUR JOURNEY TO HIS KINGDOM. Jesus had no New Testament. HE had only what Moses had written…THE TORAH, and the writings of Kings, Prophets, and such. As a Man, Teacher, and Rabbi, Jesus had immersed Himself in these books. It was these books that Directed All Of His Teaching. His Father’s Words. Out of these Words and their meaning came EVERYTHING that Jesus Himself Taught and Lived Out.

THE LAW OF THE LORD IS PERFECT, REVIVING THE SOUL; THE TESTIMONY OF THE LORD IS SURE, MAKING WISE THE SIMPLE; THE PRECEPTS OF THE LORD ARE RIGHT, REJOICING THE HEART; THE COMMANDMENT OF THE LORD IS PURE, ENLIGHTENING THE EYES; THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS CLEAN, ENDURING FOREVER; THE RULES OF THE LORD ARE TRUE, AND RIGHTEOUS ALTOGETHER. MORE TO BE DESIRED ARE THEY THAN GOLD, EVEN MUCH FINE GOLD; SWEETER ALSO THAN HONEY AND DRIPPINGS OF THE HONEYCOMB. MOREOVER, BY THEM IS YOUR SERVANT WARNED; IN KEEPING THEM THERE IS GREAT REWARD. Psalm 19: 7-11

DO NOT THINK THAT I HAVE COME TO ABOLISH THE LAW OR THE PROPHETS; I HAVE NOT COME TO ABOLISH THEM BUT TO FULFILL THEM. Matthew 5:17

IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD, AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD, AND THE WORD WAS GOD. John 1:1

“VERY TRULY I TELL YOU”, JESUS ANSWERED, “BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS BORN, I AM.” John 8:58

Living out our Faith today requires us to be Maturing and Growing ! Christians need to see and seek Deeper Understanding. On the surface, it may seem like the Old Testament is more about historical events and old ways and traditions, but it is much more than that ! The Old Testament is really ALL ABOUT JESUS for those with eyes to see and ears to hear. Jesus was the Creator. Jesus breathed Life into mankind. Jesus was the Passover Lamb. Moses knew that Jesus was coming and had amazing hope despite not entering the promised land….because HE KNEW THE MESSIAH WAS COMING ! Jesus came from the line of King David. Open up the book of Isaiah, and you will be amazed at the foreshadowing of Jesus Himself :) It encourages me to know that God has had a plan for each of us from the very beginning. It also shows us that GOD IS A GOD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS ! God never intended for us to be out of relationship with him. Sadly that was OUR CHOICE. God doesn’t take sin lightly. He wants us to get our focus off of our flesh and pleasure toward walking in His Ways and Commandments. The very structure for society that He Planned is exactly what we need today and always has been. Just like the Israelites of old, we worship our Golden Calf, sacrifice our babies, and rebel against God’s ways….BUT WE HAVE SALVATION EVERLASTING BECAUSE JESUS DIED FOR US ! How Grateful must we be that we have a God of Mercy and Forgiveness. A God of ETERNAL LOVE, not temporary and that our place is with Him Eternally in His Kingdom :)

THEN HE SAID TO THEM, “THESE ARE MY WORDS THAT I HAVE SPOKE TO YOU WHILE I WAS STILL WITH YOU, THAT EVERYTHING WRITTEN ABOUT ME IN THE LAW OF MOSES AND THE PROPHETS AND THE PSALMS MUST BE FULFILLED.” Luke 24:44

IN ORDER THAT THE RIGHTEOUS REQUIREMENT OF THE LAW MIGHT BE FULFILLED IN US, WHO WALK NOT ACCORDING TO THE FLESH BUT ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT. Romans 8:4

FOR CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES. Romans 10;4

For a long time I struggled with the battle of Law versus Grace. Old Testament is Law. New Testament is Grace. The funny thing is that in both the Old and the New, they are really both there. The Law showed mankind sin, sin is sadly death….but by fulfilling the laws and ways of God, we have a path to Righteousness. God the Father hates sin, and only wants Righteous citizens to be in His Kingdom ! What do we do ? We cannot overcome sin on our own, so we are in essence Dead and Separated from God. Take Heart, for God sent His Son Jesus to overcome the results of disobeying His Ways, sinning and being dead. Jesus as a man was able to LIVE AND FULFILL THE COMMANDMENTS PERFECTLY ! Jesus tore the veil to the inner Holy Of Holies that we might be Reborn Into Relationship With God The Father. JESUS HAS FULFILLED THE LAW FOR US AND OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS HIM BEING IN US AND US IN HIM ! He has set us FREE. He is our ATONEMENT. You can try as hard as you want to follow the law, live a good life, and seek knowledge and wisdom, but you will never enter the Kingdom of God. But wait, I Do Good Things….But do you have FAITH AND BELIEF THAT JESUS IS YOUR LORD, SAVIOR AND KING ? Start each day with the Word Of God. Old and New Testaments. Pay attention to how they reference each other. A people waiting on a Messiah to come. A God who frees them and shows them a way to live. A passover lamb. Atonement by sacrifice, but seemingly never ending. A baby born in Bethlehem of a virgin. A star. A life lived in righteousness to God’s laws and ways. Teaching TRUTH. Rejected by the very people who received God’s Word and Law. Crucified, Buried, such sorrow. Then, RESURRECTION ! HE IS ALIVE ! All our sin covered by THE BLOOD OF JESUS on the cross. Death overcome. Ascension to the Father, and a spiritual guide left to indwell all who would give their life and heart to Christ. BORN AGAIN. WITH HIM FOREVER !!! Do you want to be FREE ? BORN AGAIN ? I can simply leave you with what JESUS HAS SAID TO MY HEART. “ Jim, ALL YOU NEED IS ME “ SO THANKFUL/JAA

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. John 3:16