How do we read the Old Testament 1

How do we read the Old Testament?

How do I read the Old Testament?
Luke 24:13-35 (v. 27)

John 5:39 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.”

1. All Scripture Predicts (prophecies, Messianic Psalms, etc.) Christ’s person and/or work.
A. Zechariah 13:1
1. Zechariah 3:8-9 Here the “Branch” is said to be how their sin is removed
2. By the “piercing” of the “Branch” a fountain is opened to clean them from sin
3. John 4:14 Jesus tells the woman that he would be a well of water springing up to
eternal life
B. Exodus 12:21-32 The sacrifice of the lamb, the blood, the Passover, the death of the firstborn
the Exodus

2. All Scripture Prepares for (dead ends and bridges) Christ’s person and work.
A. Prophets failed Jeremiah 23:30-32
B. Priests failed Jeremiah 2:8
C. Kings failed 2 Kings 17
1. Israel: “…followed the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin…”
2. Judah: “…he did not tear down the high places…”
a. Israel was always looking for a leader
D. Jesus is Prophet, Priest and King
1. Prophet: Jesus reveals God to us and speaks God’s word to us (John 17)
2. Priest: Jesus both offers a sacrifice to God on our behalf and is himself the sacrifice
that is offered (Hebrews)
3. King: Jesus rules over the church and the universe well (Ephesians)

3. All Scripture Reflects Christ’s person and work.
A. The indicative comes before the imperative; the imperative is based on the indicative and
the order cannot be reversed.
1. Exodus 20:2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out
of the house of slavery.”
a. This truth destroys legalism
b. This truth builds the framework for grace and holiness
1. Holiness is because we are not in order to become









4. All Scripture Results from (boldness, access, justification) Christ’s person and work.
A. Matthew 12:1-8 Jesus defends against his disciples picking grain and eating on the
Sabbath
1. 1 Samuel 21:1-6 David and his men eat the bread of the presence
a. Hosea 6:1-6 Jesus quotes this passage to interpret what David was allowed to
do
1. David was allowed access because of Jesus work already
2. God was operating by grace through faith already
3. Jesus’ hermeneutic:
a. Use Scripture to interpret Scripture
b. Interpret Scripture in light of Jesus person and work

B. 2 Chronicles 30:13-27 Hezekiah’s prayer to heal the people who were not prepared according
to the law’s standard

Conclusion
1. Read the Old Testament to know Jesus more

“Read it and meditate on it as those who are dead to it as the ground of your justification and the power of your sanctification. Read it and meditate on it as those for whom Christ is your righteousness and Christ is your sanctification. Which means read and mediate on it to know Christ better and to treasure him more. Christ and the Father are one (John 10:30; 14:9). So to know the God of the Old Testament is to know Christ. The more you see his glory and treasure his worth, the more you will be changed into his likeness (2 Corinthians 3:17-18), and love the way he loved - which is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:10). I say it again. What shall you do with the law - you who are justified by faith alone apart from works of the law? Read it and meditate on it to know more deeply than you have ever known the justice and mercy of God in Christ, your righteousness and your life.”

2. Read the Old Testament to taste God’s grace in kindness to us

3. Read the Old Testament to be humbled
A. We act just like the unfaithful did

4. Read the Old Testament to be more Christ-like
A. 2 Corinthians 3:12-18
1. Just
2. Gracious
3. Kind
4. Holy
5. Angry

Spiritual Conflict 12 Review and Points of Practice

Spiritual Conflict 12
Some review and points of practice

1. Refuse to focus on demons, focus on Jesus and fight Jesus’ battles
Hebrews 12:1-2
2. Beware of extremes and misuse of the biblical text by some
2 Corinthians 10 & 11
A. Demons are not “hiding behind every tree”
B. “Strongholds” are not bad habits they are doctrinal heresies
2. Draw near to God
James 4:7
A. Be a student of the word and not a student of the latest Christian celebrity
B. Develop sensitivity to the work of the Holy Spirit
1. Get a good systematic theology and study
2. Pray
3. Listen
4. Respond when appropriate
5. Don’t be afraid of the gifts of the Holy Spirit
3. Make no opportunity for the flesh
World, Flesh, Devil: These three in concert fight against us used by the enemy
Romans 13:13, 14
A. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from every form of evil
B. Proverbs 6:27-28 Be wise contextually and personally for each person’s sake and
the sake of the Gospel
4. Know who you are in Christ
Ephesians 1:3-14
A. Blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places
B. Chosen in him before the foundation of the world
C. Predestined for adoption
D. Redeemed by his blood, forgiveness of our trespasses
E. The riches of his grace are lavished on us
F. Know the mystery of his will according to Christ (unite all things in him)
G. We have obtained an inheritance
H. Sealed with the Holy Spirit
5. Deal with Satan and his demons ground of attack
A. Repent of ungodly involvement
B. Recognize and repent of habitual activity learned from your family, work or social
environment
1. The refrain of 1 Kings: “…he walked in the ways of his father…”
a. Lust
b. Un-biblical role of women (demanding and domineering)
c. Un-biblical role of men (weak, foolish, domineering instead of leading)




6. If necessary deal directly and forcefully with the demonic spirit
A. Train your Spirit given discernment to know when a problem is demonic or something
else.
1. Hebrews 5:14 Prayer, Study of Scripture, Fellowship, Discipleship
2. Jesus assumes we, by his Spirit and word, can discern evil from good
B. Know that we have been given authority over Satan and his demons
1. Luke 10:20
7. Beware of Satan’s use of Scripture
A. Matthew 4:1-11 (4:5,6); Psalm 91 (91:11,12)
1. How does one deal with how Satan uses Psalm 91?
a. “The person who wrote the psalm, those who included in the Psalter
and the canon just got it wrong.
b. The person who does die in battle or get a disease or does not live
long did not make the Lord their refuge or walk by faith.
c. The writer means that God does in fact rule the flight of the arrow,
the spread of disease and length of life. God can and does in fact give
safety and health and life to whom he pleases so that it is always a free
gift of God. But he does not mean for us to presume upon the promises
as guarantees that God will not permit us to fall by an arrow, succumb
to disease, or die at an early age. In other words, the promises have
exceptions or qualifications.
1. "What the psalmist means for us to understand is the unspoken
qualification that these difficulties will not approach without God’s
permission or design.” (quoted from John Piper "A Godward Life"

Spiritual Conflict 11 Prayer

Spiritual Conflict 11
Prayer

“through all things prayer and supplication praying in every appointed time in the Spirit, and into that (to that end) be alert, in all things steadfast and (making) supplication for all the saints.”

What is Prayer in the Spirit? (Ephesians 6:18; Romans 8:26; Jude 1:20)

Thoughtful
- Much thought given to the request or praise stemming from the study of God and
observation of life and the times (1 Chronicles 12:32 men who understood the times and
knew what Israel ought to do)
Under the Influence
- Ephesians 5:15-21
- Knowing the Lord’s will (the purpose of the Holy Spirit)
- Addressing each other with the encouragement of Scripture
- Giving thanks always
- Submitting to one another
Kingdom Focused (Luke 11; Matthew 6)
- Praying for the rule / reign of Jesus on the earth to come
- Great Commission
- Evengelism

Prayer and Supplication (1 Timothy 2:1, 5:5; Hebrews 5:7; Philippians 4:6; Ephesians 6:18)

Paul is asking that when they speak with Father that they converse with Father about him.


What is Paul Asking For?

He is Asking that they Petition Father on Behalf of All the Saints
- That they/we would stand firm against the evil one
- That they/we would guard sound doctrine
- That they/we would not fear the evil one.
- That they/we would be holy and imitate God
- That they/we would be one body united in Christ
- That they/we would be bold with the Gospel

He is Asking to Make a Bold Proclamation of the Gospel
- To fight the temptation to not be bold
- To fight the temptation to say nothing for the sake of “strategy”
- To fight the temptation to preach legalism for the Gospel
- To fight the temptation to “can” the gospel and not contextualize


Keep Alert with Perseverance
- To fight the temptation to be dull in our Holy Spirit discernment
- To fight the temptation to give up when it seems our prayers are not answered
- To fight the temptation to not pray at all

Why do we not pray?
1. We don’t pray because we have been deceived by the enemy
- Reformed doctrine is our idol (we perhaps believe we don’t have to preach the
Gospel)
- Apathy is our idol
- Learning in the faith is our idol
- Family is our idol
- Sleep is our idol
- Fellowship is our idol (codependent – using people to get my relationship fix)
- Fill in the blank ________________

2. We don’t pray because we have not been converted by the Gospel
- When a heart is converted by the Gospel, it is a new heart.
- New hearts love Jesus
- New hearts learn to hate sin
- New hearts ache when they act foolishly
- New hearts repent when they sin and are convicted by Holy Spirit
- New hearts long to talk to Father and tell him our needs, our friend’s needs
and express to him our love for him.

Needs:
1. Prayer teams that pray for our team in our UPG and the salvation of our UPG
2. Prayer teams that pray for our local community development (young moms, yfc, and other ministries our people are involved in
3. Prayer teams that pray for the salvation of the lost in Floyd County
4. Prayer teams that pray for our local officials
5. Prayer teams that pray for our people (connect groups, the sick, those in need)
6. Prayer teams that pray for pastors
7. Prayer teams that pray for other local churches

Spiritual Conflict 10 Sword of the Spirit

Spiritual Conflict 10

Sword of the Spirit

Ephesians 6:17

1. The Word of God is the Sword belonging to and used by the Holy Spirit Ephesians 6:17
- Holy Spirit does his work of revealing along with the preached word of God
- People are not being saved because the Gospel is not being preached
- We must recapture the doctrine of the Holy Spirit

2. The Word of God is the only instrument that can pierce a dark heart Hebrews 4:12
- The Word of God is Jesus
- The Word of God is Jesus recorded in the totality of Scripture
- The Word of God is the Gospel

3. Jesus word is effective and accomplishing its redemptive intention Revelation 1:9-16
- Jesus is the risen and reigning King
- Jesus word is going forward
- Jesus word is effective at correcting his people
- Jesus word is effective at pushing the Roman Empire into oblivion
- Jesus word is effective at defeating Satan and his minions

4. Jesus word is effective at correcting error Revelation 2:12-17
- False teaching has its source in Satan
- Jesus offensive is directed at those who hold false teaching

5. Jesus word will triumph over the nation Revelation 19:11-16
- Jesus is coming
- Jesus will conquer all nations and rule them Matthew 24:29-31

Conclusion
- Satan has blinded the unbelieving and wars against the faith
- Our primary weapon is the Word of God which is the Gospel

What do we do?
- Marinate your mind with the Gospel daily
- Preach the Gospel to the lost daily
- Invite the lost to your connect groups to taste Holy Spirit, Gospel saturated community
- Invite the lost follow after Jesus by repentance and faith
- Teach new Christians how to read the bible and pray
- Unleash fresh Christians on the lost world
- Enjoy the advance of the Gospel