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“Stuff Christians like, Does the OT still count?”

2 Tim 3:14-17

Intro:   I love the OT.  Growing up I would read it to discover new treasures and crazy stories.  I kept track of many of my favorite ones…

But some people wonder if the OT still counts…book p. 154

Today we conclude our series, “Stuff Christians like.”

We covered:  What's with all the hand raising?" (Worship). 
"Abstinence...really?" (Sex and Relationships). 
"Feeling righteous about giving 10%" (God and Money).

And today is “Does the OT still count? (The importance of the entire Bible).

Big Pic:   The entire bible is God’s revelation to us.   We can only learn about the totality of God’s character and his plan for our salvation when we read all 66 books.

Text:  2 Tim 3:14-17

“All Scripture is inspired by God or God-breathed.”

When that letter was written to Timothy what were the Scriptures? The Books of the Old Testament.  The New Testament was still in formation.

Testament means “covenant” or “contract.”

The Bible is God’s contract with us that he came to save us, that he wants to be in relationship with us.

What did Jesus read, quote and pray from?  The  OT.

Remember, Jesus and Paul were Jews, from the Jewish history of the OT.

For Jesus, the OT was THE bible.

Luke 4:18-19  quoted from Isaiah 61:1-2

Jesus prayed the book of Psalms.

Mark 15:34 is a quotation from Ps 22:1

Luke 23:46 comes from Ps 31:5

Want to get to know Jesus better?  Read the OT.

The Temple in the Old Testament has been replaced by Jesus in the New Testament (Matt 12:6).

Israel in the Old Testament has been replaced by the Church in the New Testament. 

As Christians today, we stand on the shoulders of our Jewish ancestors.

To understand the New Covenant made in Jesus we need to know the Old Covenant with Moses.

Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus in chapter 1 has much more significance when we know the Old Testament characters to whom he refers.

The OT is full of prophesies about Jesus and he fulfilled them.

What is a prophecy? God speaking through a servant/ prophet to describe a coming event long before it happens.

Over 300 OT prophecies are fulfilled in the NT.

Parts of the Old Testament are understood best if read as referring to Jesus. 

The OT points to Jesus,   Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Links between OT and NT.

Important words to know when learning about the Bible:  Old Covenant and New Covenant, Old Testament and New Testament.

Here is the universal truth that emerges from and unifies both Covenants throughout the fourteen hundred years that the Bible was composed: God loves us and offers a relationship with him. 

That is the common thread that runs throughout the Bible.

The interrelation between the Old and the New is rich and profound and important.

The key is to know both the Old and New Testaments thoroughly.

How do we do that?  Lots of reading….

Yahweh in the Old Testament is the Father of Jesus, whom Jesus calls Abba.

The God of the OT is the God of the NT and today.  God could act in judgment on us today just as he did with the people in the time of Noah when he flooded the earth because of their wickedness.

The New Testament is in the Old concealed, and the Old is in the New revealed.

The Old Testament is to the New Testament what promise is to fulfillment.

What about those crazy OT laws?

Jesus came to fulfill or complete the OT law.

…We find Jewish cleanliness rules in Leviticus 11. 

In contrast to these cleanliness rules, Jesus in Mark 7:14-23 pronounced all foods clean.

According to Lev 13-14 leprosy and skin diseases made one unclean but Jesus touched the lepers when healing them in Mark 1:40-45.

We need to be careful to never simplistically transfer every verse from the Old Covenant (like executing mediums and adulterers or rebellious children) to the New Covenant, which instead provides forgiveness and reconciliation and restoration.

But remember, most of the Old Testament does have a value on its own and should not be devalued merely because it is before Jesus.

Old Testament truths find their amplification and explanation and fullness in the New Testament.

For example, the animal sacrifices in the OT points toward Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross.  And today we take communion…

The NT makes ample use of the OT in the double theme of prophecy and promise.

“Oh, but I like reading the NT.  It’s so much more practical to today.”

Our faith and theology will only grow deeper and better as we study both OT and NT.

The OT reveals many timeless and universal themes, like faith and salvation, and hope and praise to God.

But this book has also been fulfilled in Christ, as God had promised. Now the New Covenant guides the believer in Christ (and the rest of society if it wants).

We now read the Old Testament through the eyes of Christ.

Let’s go back to our 2 Timothy 3:14-17

“Continue in what you have learned.”  Keep reading the Bible, always learning, always growing and being challenged.

“…from infancy have known the holy scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.”   Some of you are fortunate to have been raised in the faith, regardless, what is really important here is that the Bible makes us wise for salvation through Jesus.

Once we recognize that all scripture is God breathed or inspired than we will be able to use it for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

And that will equip us for every good work.

How has God revealed himself to us?

OT: Up close and personal, miraculous signs, crazy miracles.

NT: Jesus

Today: Holy Spirit.

Conclusion:  Just think of you favorite book series, 

You aren’t going to start in book 3 or 5, right?

Communion intro:   Old Covenant, New Covenant. Animal sacrifice and Jesus’ sacrifice.

“Stuff Christians like, Giving back to God.”

2 Corinthians 9:6-11

Intro:  I think for most of us it’s a bit unsettling to see famous preachers with a lot of money, or at least showing it off.  

There are some pastors and churches that teach a prosperity gospel  which claims the Bible teaches that financial blessing is the will of God for Christians. The doctrine teaches that faith, positive speech, and donations to Christian ministries will always increase one's material wealth.

It also says that as Christians, we deserve a wealthy life and that if you don’t have that, then you must be doing something wrong in your life or that you don’t have enough faith.

I will tell you right now, that is dead wrong.

God never promises that we’d be rich or wealthy just because we’re Christians.

To the contrary, we are called to a live of service and giving.

Acts 20:35  In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Remember how Jesus is our example?  He came into the world humbly and never preached a health and wealth gospel.

Today, instead of just talking about money, I wanted to broaden the definition of what it means to give back to God.

What are some our favorite things in life, things

we like to hold on to tightly?

Big Pic:   God loves a cheerful giver.

Text:  2 Corinthians 9:6-11

This passage is titled “Sowing generously” in some translations.

What a great title.  When you think of sowing, what comes to mind?

Seeing fruit or a plant, something growing, happening.

And something will happen when we give generously back to God.

He will use the things we give back to him to multiply our blessings.

That doesn’t guarantee that we’ll get rich monetarily, but the riches God wants to give us far exceed what we think we need.

v. 6  A principle of sowing and reaping.

 “You reap what you sow.”   Psalm 126:5, Proverbs 22:8

It’s a difference of throwing out a lot of seeds or just a few.   The results will be obvious.

We’ve got a much better chance of seeing the fruit of our giving, when we sow generously.

v. 7  Think wisely and pray about what God is asking you to give.

It’s unwise to give something away that you need to survive.

It’s also unwise to give yourself in service in an area you are uncomfortable in, not good at, or can’t do with joy.

“Not reluctantly or under compulsion.”

Our thesis for today, “God loves a cheerful giver” is actually some deep theology.

It is vital that we learn to give cheerfully, otherwise it’s almost not worth it at all.

God doesn’t need our money, he wants our hearts.

 “God doesn’t command Christians to give a certain amount, but he provides opportunities to give generously.”

Yes, the Bible suggests 10% as a place to start, but don’t get to self-righteous about that amount.  

Showing off your giving…

 Lev. 27:30,  2 Chronicles 31:5, Malachi 3:10, Psalm 50:9-12                                                                                                     

v. 8  Once we get our hearts and attitudes right and are able to give back to God, he will give us those rewards we seek.

Again, I know it’s tempting to expect to be rewarded or blessed by God either monetarily or in a way that we think we need.

But here’s what God wants to give us when we give back to him;

Grace, love, mercy, joy, an unselfish heart, a servant attitude, being known as a generous person, being loved by many.

“In all things, at all times, having all that you need”

Then we’ll be able to abound in good works (bless others).

Why?  Because we’re so grateful for all God has given us!

Recent big lotto? 

I already won the lotto…wife, kids, food and shelter, plus WAY more.  I am truly a blessed man…and so are most of you!

v. 10  God supplies everything from the start, it’s all his to begin with.

This harvest that God will increase has more to do with a harvest of righteousness than of material goods.

The harvest that we will reap is that harvest of souls.

God will use us and our resources as instruments of his grace for the salvation of others.

v. 11  You will be enriched in every way, to be generous in every way…all to the glory of God.

Again, the blessings we will receive from God when we give back to him have almost nothing to do with money.

When God provides for our needs, it allows us to continue to generously meet others needs and give resources to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ!

God loves it when we cheerfully give back to him:

Our lives

Our hearts

Our minds

Our kids

Our families

Our money

Our time

Our gifts

Our prized possessions

Our service to others

Everything we hold dear.

Conclusion…..

“Give it all away”…within reason. 

VIDEO   The Loser   Switchfoot song…

Only the losers win
They've got nothing to prove
They'll leave the world with nothing to lose
You can laugh at the weirdos now
Wait till wrongs are right
They'll be the ones with nothing to hide

'Cause I've been thinking, thinking
I've got a plan to lose it all
I've got a contract pending on eternity
If I haven't already given it away
I've got a plan to lose it all

“Abstinence…really?”  (Relationships)

Intro:  We were born with a need for human intimacy, babies moms dads cuddling etc.  as we grow, that God given need needs to be met appropriately. 

The natural progression of human relationships....

We get all kinds of mixed messages from the media about relationships.

Today we going to take a look at what God’s ideals are, because that s all that matters.

I previously told you about a dialog I had on FB with friends about same sex marriage etc.

They kept wanting my opinion, I kept going back to the Bible.

Text:  Ephesians 5:22-6:4

Key things mentioned in this passage:

Healthy husband/wife relationship, mutual submission

Godly spiritual leadership by the man

Marriage commitment and fidelity

Children obeying their parents

Parents raising children in the ways of the Lord.

Big Pic:   God’s original plan:  A child grows up in a healthy home with a mother and father and is taught godly relationship principles from them.

There is no magical number of siblings in the house.

God never said you have to grow up and get married.

But if and when you do enter into a relationship with someone from the opposite sex, marriage is the apex of that relationship.

In order to have a proper perspective on relationships, we first of all need to have the right relationship with God,  1 Peter 5:6-7.

Understanding God’s perspective on human relationships starts with humility and setting aside our agenda to follow Gods agenda.

Let’s first talk about dating relationships.

Proper dating prepares you for marriage, ideally that would be courtship.

“Are you going to marry this person?”  If not, then friendship is key as well as respect and treating each other right, especially physically.

 “The trouble with underage dating is that it presents an entirely faulty view of what interaction with the opposite gender should be about. Rather than placing emphasis on building one strong relationship with one person at a stage of life when a marital commitment is feasible, dating encourages young people to pour their energies into consistently seducing other young people at a time when neither of them are capable of making any long-term commitments. Their “relationships” are destined to fail from the get-go because they are founded on unhealthy perceptions of love and not backed by any real necessity to stick it out.”

The great ugliness of dating as it is practiced by our culture and portrayed by our media, is that it teaches two people of opposite genders to be selfish by giving them an easy “out” when things don’t go according to their initial feelings. I believe it is fair to say that this form of dating is a training manual for divorce, because it encourages young people to grow accustomed to giving their hearts away and then taking them back.

We should help our youth focus on developing healthy friendships with the opposite sex.

There are no bible verses on dating, but there are plenty on relationships and courtship that would eventually lead to marriage.

Friendship relationships

Prov.17: 17 says, “A friend loves at all times.” Prov.18: 24 “There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.”   Prov.27: 10 says, “Do not forsake your friend.”

God blesses friendships and young men and women would save themselves a world of hurt if they would focus more on friendships than dating. 

This is a platonic relationship and is based on personality and common likes and interests.

The Greek word for this is “Philo” and it’s a friendship love.

Brothers and sisters in Christ

When people are Christians, then they share a common interest in growing deeper in their relationship with God.  

That is of first priority.  Instead of looking for Mr. or Mrs. Right, they are becoming Mr. or Mrs. Right.

This also eliminates the need for “missionary dating.”

This is a great phase for boys and girls, men and women to be in before marriage, brothers and sisters in Christ.

It helps keep the focus on God and not each other and those raging hormones.

Those God-given hormones and sexual desires need to be controlled until marriage and then you can go crazy…

Now let’s talk about Marriage/family relationships. 

Ephesians 5:22-33

Wives submit to their husband?

Let’s back up to v. 15 & 21…(and remember 1 Peter 5:6-7 when we submit and humble ourselves before God.)

These verses tell us how to walk in wisdom, as we all submit to Christ.

This submission starts with each individual before God, men to God, women to their godly husbands, children to their godly parents.

So the first example under general submission is wives to husbands, not all men, but to their husbands.

Yes, and it’s the husbands job to provide godly leadership and set the example.

Then she will want to submit to his guidance and leadership.  

The larger responsibility falls to the man to be a godly leader.

Colossians 3:18-19

Parent/child relationships

Eph. 6:1-4, Colossian 3:20-21

Now the submission is from the children to the parents.

The kids may not always understand or agree with the parents decisions, but if they are making godly, well thought out decisions, then the kids need to submit to their authority.

And that’s where the Fathers especially are told not to provoke their children to anger.

If we are using godly principles to parent our children, then we are raising them in the discipline of the Lord, not just ours.

Col. 3:20-21…”lest they become discouraged.”

Parent’s, we have a crucial, God-ordained role in the discipleship of our children.

Obeying your parents is one way you honor them.

This the only commandment of the ten that contain a promise.

In God’s eyes, marriage = one man, one woman for life.  Eph. 5:31, Gen. 2:24. Matthew 19:5

In God’s eyes, what constitutes marriage is when a man and a woman have sex together for the first time.

That’s what consummates the marriage.  Not a fancy ceremony or license from the state.

I do a lot of weddings and it’s so rare and refreshing when I meet a couple who are actually getting married in God’s eyes, right for the first time.  What a gift to give each other!

That’s why sex is so sacred in God’s eyes and reserved for a man and a woman inside of a committed marriage.

It’s really a shame that the concept of abstinence is such a foreign concept to most people today.

Page 73 from book.

People tend to forget what a sacred gift sex is and that God gave that to us to be used inside the proper boundaries.

God gave us sexual desire and his ideals are practically unheard of today.  

Save sex for marriage?  Seems loony to most people.  What’s the harm, plenty!

 95% of Americans admitted to having premarital sex in 2006…? 

Today, almost half of all US marriages ended in divorce….?

 4 in 10 children are born to unwed mothers today.

Antonio  Cromartie has 12 children with 8 different women…

Again, those proper boundaries are one man, one woman, committed for life.

Now what happens when people fall outside of God’s ideals for relationships?

All is not lost!  Even though we live in a culture of broken homes and marriages, kids growing up without a mom or dad, people making all kinds of mistakes in relationships…

We can get back on the right track with God.

Our God is full of grace, mercy and forgiveness.

We have to remember that God wants the best for us in our human relationships, just like a good parent does for their children.

Conclusion:     Here is your encouragement:  Colossians 3:12-17

“What’s with all the hand raising?” (Worship)

Intro: We were all created with the universal desire to worship someone or something.

Bill Maher Religulous: Devout secularists often portray religious people in their moments of frenzy, speaking in tongues or hands raised in the air, worshipping their God, going for the “lunatic fringe.”

Just when you may think it’s only those “crazy Christians” who get all caught up and lost in the moment…

Think about similar moments we’ve seen at any number of events down through the years:

Young girls swooning at mere glimpses of the Beatles, Elvis, 'N Sync or Justin Bieber, fans of JFK or Reagan, crazy sports fans…

Or how about those who regularly faint in the presence of our first African-American president, Barrack Obama.

Whoa…let’s slow down and think about what is really worth our devotion and worship.

I’m not saying you can’t have fun at your favorites event, but let’s keep it all in perspective here.

Text: Psalm 95:1-3, 6-7

Big Pic: The God of the universe is the only thing worthy of our worship, praise, adoration and “craziness.”

So what is worship? Let’s take a look at various passages throughout the Bible.

Deuteronomy 10:20-21

Fear equals love and respect in the same way you fear and respect something big and powerful.

Serve him, hold fast to him, by his name you shall swear. These are things you only do to something/someone as powerful as God.

Only God is worth serving, clinging tight to and committing to.

“He is your praise. He is your God.” True words of worship.

“The Ninja”

1 Chronicles 16:29

When we worship God we are ascribing to him the glory due his name.

Ascribe: “to credit or assign, as to a cause or source; attribute, impute”

When we bring an offering it needs to start with ourselves, coming in with the right attitude.

Watched a funny episode of “The Middle” where they were trying to “get church over with.”

Psalm 29:1-2

Even the heavenly beings worship God.

Glory and strength, ascribe…

“To acknowledge that these are true of God and that he deserves admiration for them.”

We worship the “splendor of God’s holiness”

Ever had “God moments?” Things that wake us up to the reality of God…that helps us to worship God…

We also need to remember that worship should happen all the time, anywhere and all throughout the Sunday morning service…

“The Half & Half”

Psalm 40:3

Why all the singing in church?

That comes with time. Think about how easy it is to hear a favorite song on the radio from your past and to start singing it.

Or singing in the shower, or whatever.

“He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise.”

Even the “classic” hymns were considered too much when first introduced in the church…

For many years acceptable church music consisted primarily of Catholic monks singing Gregorian Chant Latin hymns.

For 2,000 years songs of praise, old and new have been rising from the collective heart and mouth of the worldwide Christian Church.

“Music can initiate the souls encounter with an aspect of reality for which reason has no concepts and language has no name.” Abraham Heschel

“The Pound Cake”

Philippians 2:9-11

As you grow and mature in your faith, you learn the importance of worshipping God.

We need to remember that a correct posture for worship starts in the heart and mind.

You aren’t necessarily more worshipful if you’ve got your hands raised.

We can even do that with a wrong attitude.

I have good Christian friends on both sides of the spectrum.

At my dad’s memorial service I think I may have been the only guy out of 500 to raise my hands..

These verses remind us thought that at some point, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.

So, we might want to get used to worshipping him now.

“The Double High Five”

Psalm 150

And, that my friends is your justification for instruments in church.

Song, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord…”

“The YMCA”

The next time you see people with their eyes closed and hands raised to God, and begin to think it strange, remind yourself that the desire to worship and praise is a universal one, that there's nothing strange about it at all and that one way or another, whether it's in church, at an Obama rally, a Chargers game or a Green Day concert, most of us do it, and all things being equal, I'd say the God of the universe is more deserving of that praise than Phillip Rivers or Billie Joe Armstrong.

Conclusion:

“Awesome” video

Palm Sunday, 2012

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Matthew 21:1-11

“The Triumphal Entry ”

The big three in church life, Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday

These are the times of the year people who don’t normally come to church may come because they were invited, or maybe because they are “supposed to” or maybe out of guilt or catching up…

Easter invite idea, “What do you do for Easter?"

Text: Matthew 21:1-11

Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter, and marks the beginning of Holy Week, the week of events leading up to Jesus' death.

Sunday, Jesus enters Jerusalem, Monday, clears the temple, Tuesday Jesus argues with the chief priests and predicts his death, Wed., warns against religious leaders, Thursday, last supper, Good Friday, Saturday, Jesus lay in the tomb, Sunday, resurrection!

Today is about celebrating the triumphal entry but also getting our hearts ready for Good Friday and Easter (communion today).

The celebration of Palm Sunday originated in the Jerusalem Church, around the late fourth century.

Early Palm Sunday ceremonies consisted of prayers, hymns, and sermons recited by the clergy while the people walked to various holy sites throughout the city.

At the final site, the place where Christ ascended into heaven, the clergy would read from the gospels concerning the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is the city of the great king (Ps. 48:1-2), the center of Israel’s religious life and messianic expectations.

In the early evening they would return to the city reciting: "Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord."

The children would carry palm and olive branches as the people returned through the city back to the church, where they would hold evening services.

By the fifth century, the Palm Sunday celebration had spread as far as Constantinople.

Changes made in the sixth and seventh centuries resulted in two new Palm Sunday traditions - the ritual blessing of the palms, and a morning procession instead of an evening one.

Adopted by the Western Church in the eighth century, the celebration received the name "Dominica in Palmis," or "Palm Sunday".

Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.

The significance of Jesus riding a donkey and having his way paved with palm branches is a fulfillment of a prophecy spoken by the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9).

In biblical times, the regional custom called for kings and nobles arriving in procession to ride on the back of a donkey.

The donkey was a symbol of peace; those who rode upon them proclaimed peaceful intentions.

A king came riding on a horse when he was bent on war and rode on a donkey when he wanted to point out he was coming in peace.

Therefore, Jesus' entry to Jerusalem symbolized his entry as the Prince of Peace, not as a war-waging king.

This is an open declaration by Jesus that he is the Messiah.

It starts with his triumphal entry, followed by clearing/cleansing the temple, cursing the fig tree, debates with religious leaders, and woes pronounced on the teachers of the law and Pharisees.

v. 3 Jesus refers to himself as Lord, the sovereign orchestrator of these events.

The laying of palm branches indicated that the king or dignitary was arriving in victory or triumph.

And Jesus was a king, not so much with a political triumph, but with a spiritual triumph.

Jesus rides into Jerusalem and the people think he`s coming to kick out the Romans and bring freedom to the Jews so they lay down Palm branches and shout, "Hosanna " King of the Jews."

Here we are 2000 plus years later and we know why Jesus rode in on a donkey….

But it helps to understand why the people are so excited and shouting “Hosanna.”

For centuries they have been oppressed and conquered by everybody - the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans.

They want to be freed from the tyranny!

They are so excited because finally they think Jesus is going to give them a political victory, but that`s not what Jesus came to do.

Jesus came to die to take the punishment that we all deserve on himself.

Sometimes we get caught up in all the other great things he did and said, but we always have to remember that his primary purpose in coming to earth was to die.

Jesus riding on a donkey, coming in peace and bringing a spiritual victory is not what they expected or wanted.

How sad and true…

Well, I didn’t win the Lottery…I bought a Lottery ticket for the second time in my life…$654 million?

I read a great article that said if you weren’t happy before you bought a ticket and won, you won’t be happy if you win…true.

If all we are looking for in life is relief from our own selfish needs, then we will miss out on something much bigger and better that God wants to give us.

Jesus came to release us all from the spiritual bondage we are in.

Palm Sunday represents all the times that we get really excited about Jesus because of what we want or what we think He can do for us.

Instead we should be focused on his grand purpose for our lives.

21:10 “Who is this?” (this isn’t what we expected…)

The people are still expecting to be freed from the Roman government.

What happened 5 days later? They killed him!

Now, we know Jesus was going to die anyways and we can’t just blame it on these people or the Jews.

Who’s fault is it that Jesus died? Everyones!

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned…

Palm Sunday reminds us that anyone can turn on Jesus at any moment in spite of our fevered devotion to Him.

They, like us, were quick to profess their admiration and love for Jesus, yet little did they suspect that most of them would be crying for His death on Good Friday, that very week!

In the simplest of terms, Palm Sunday is an occasion for reflecting on the final week of Jesus' life.

It is a time for Christians to prepare their hearts for the agony of His Passion and the joy of His Resurrection.

It’s a time for us to (as always) get the focus off ourselves and onto Jesus.

Hosanna: “O save” or “Save now”

PIC Matthew 21:9, Psalm 118:25-26 (stand and read close together, waving/holding palm branches)

Prayer: God save us from ourselves and our self-centered lives. Give us a broader vision of what we really need.