February 9, 2020
Matthew 5:13-16
Salt & Light, Or Lightly Salted?
Pastor Bryan Watson
Good morning.
If you have your Bible with you this morning, turn with me to Matthew chapter 5, verses 13 through 16. In this text, our Lord Jesus is coming to the end of His Sermon on the Mount. He has just finished speaking the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit… blessed are those who mourn… blessed are the meek… blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness… blessed are the merciful… blessed are the pure in heart… blessed are the peacemakers… blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” It’s a comforting passage of scripture. I know I’ve often used it to comfort myself when the going gets tough and I need some reassurance that I’m going to be blessed for living the Christian life.
But we often forget, sometimes rather conveniently, that Jesus didn’t stop there. He wasn’t finished yet. Now that we have all this blessing being poured out on us and spilling to overflowing, we are supposed to do something with it. Jesus has blessed us abundantly, and He has something that He wants us to do. And what is that? Let’s read our text for today, verses 13 through 16:
13"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Now, what on earth is Jesus talking about here? We are to be salt? What does that mean? Are we supposed to be turned upside down and shaken? That hasn’t happened to me since about Grade 2! And just how, exactly, are we supposed to be light?
The basic message that we should take from this text is that Jesus is calling us to influence the world around us. But before we can be an influence on the world around us, we need to understand how we are to be different from the world around us. For example, green food coloring can’t influence green food coloring except to make it darker. If we think that we are going to influence the world by becoming more like the world, well, I guess we will, in that we will make the world even darker than it already is. No, we are supposed to be different.
Salt, for example, gets mixed with another substance or sprinkled on an object, but it still remains distinct from that substance. It’s still salt. In a similar fashion, light shines in the darkness but it does not become part of the darkness. It is distinct.
1 Peter 2:9 says that “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”
We are a holy people. We cannot bow to the world, even if we are persecuted. We must take up the cross and follow Christ.
John MacArthur says that, “The world may hate us, and the world may persecute us, but the world is absolutely dependent upon us being the influence and the verbal manifestation of the gospel of God.”
The world doesn’t realize it, but the people they are hating and persecuting are the very people they need to tell them the truth about Jesus Christ because how else are they going to be saved?
The Bible says in Romans 10:14-15 - How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
As Christians, we shouldn’t need spiritual podiatrists. Our feet should be beautiful! Let me ask you this? If your life ended today, what would your feet look like? Would they be beautiful? Would we be able to tell your feet apart from the feet of the world based on their Biblical beauty?
Well, let me tell you a little bit about being salt and light so that we can have a better understanding of what Jesus is talking about in these verses.
Salt
The first thing that Jesus tells us is that we are to be salt. We are to be salt. So what does it mean to be salt? I think the best way to answer that question is to understand the nature of salt.
Salt is a Preservative
The first thing to note about salt is that salt is a preservative. We are to prevent corruption. What happens when the church is removed? Remember Sodom… “for the sake of 10 I will not destroy it.” (Genesis 18:32)
You want to know something? Just ten righteous people could have spared that entire city. I believe that Christians in the world preserve the world from the wrath of God. The Bible says that a day is coming when God is going to judge this world, and I personally believe that before He does, He’ll pull all of His believers out. And once He does that, the wrath of God is going to be poured out on those who rejected Him.
But in the meantime, He has strategically placed His people here to be salt on the earth, because there are still people who are yet to come to salvation. God is patient. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” He’s patient. He’s waiting. He’s giving us a chance but we are living on borrowed time right now. And one day, it will be the final day. I hope we are ready.
Salt Adds Flavor
The second thing to note about salt is that salt adds flavor. It makes things tasty and desirable. When we sprinkle God’s truth in and among our society, it permeates throughout the world and it rises as a special aroma to God.
Salt Purifies
The third thing to note about salt is that salt purifies. According to CTV News on Feb 5, researchers at the University of Alberta are working on a salt-coated surgical mask that kills viruses. Salt is used to cleanse and purify. When we apply our salt to the world around us, the goal should be to make it better, not bitter.
Salt Stings
That being said, the fourth thing to note about salt is a hard truth. And that is that salt stings. We can’t just drip honey on everybody all the time. I’m not saying that we need to be rude or obnoxious, because that isn’t going to help anybody. And we never want to apply any more sting than is absolutely necessary, but there are times where we do need to confront and speak truth.
Proverbs 24:25 says, “it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.” But before you go sharpening the point of your spears, let me provide some balance with this: Proverbs 15:1 - A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
And even more importantly, from Matthew 7:4-5, “How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”
If we are approaching this Biblically, we aren’t going to leave casualties in our path like a tornado. We must remember to approach these situations with grace, and where possible, use Scripture, because all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, (2 Timothy 3:16). If it makes us feel good to “tell them what we think of them,” then perhaps our motives need to be checked.
Salt Creates Thirst
The fifth thing to note about salt is that salt creates thirst. When the world sees that there is something different about us, they often want to know what it is. They see our peace. They see our joy. They see our love. And they want that. Maybe not at first. And maybe they don’t want to admit it at first. But I’ve had more than one person come up to me and ask me about why I am different. 1 Peter 3:15-16 says, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”
Light
Jesus also says that we are to be light. So, why do you think that Jesus used light as the example that we are to strive for? Well, quite frankly, because God is light (1 John 1:5). His Word is a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105). Christ is the light of the world (John 8:12). And we are made in His image (Genesis 1:27). Therefore, we are to display God to the world by being light.
But our reality is that we don’t create our own light. We aren’t the source of our own light. We can only reflect. We are to be like the moon is to the sun. The light is not our own, but we must reflect it.
In Israel, villages and cities are built on hills. That was often for protection. From the top of the hill, you could see for miles and detect an approaching army. Being on a hill also made it easier to protect the city just based on basic gravity. But the thing about being a city on a hill is that when people started lighting their lamps and torches, the city would sparkle like a jewel at night. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Our light must shine openly. We must be visible. We can’t be hidden or secret believers because we hope to be accepted by the world.
We’re not members of a secret society. We’re to be out in the open. If somebody is looking for spiritual refuge, we are supposed to be their lighthouse! It would be a real disappointment to me, and I think, to God, if my co-workers at my other job were to be shocked that I serve as a pastor because my behavior doesn’t line up with my faith. The only thing I would be testifying to in that case would be that the pulpit is full of hypocrites and I am adding to the pile.
We are to be light because light is needed to arrest the darkness! Believe me, the darkness of the world does not welcome the light with open arms! John 3:19 says, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”
That’s true, isn’t it? The world does love its darkness.
Our society tends to live by the sickening heresy that most of us are potential saints instead of what we are: sinners. Sinners in need of a Savior. If we’re on our way to sainthood through our self-help and our self-improvement and the enlightenment we get from Oprah or Whoopie or Dr. Phil… then no wonder our society thinks they don’t need Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus to tell us to go and sin no more when Oprah says we just need to love ourselves and accept each other and Utopia can’t be far behind? And if the light isn’t shining its truth on the world then what hope does the world have?
Losing our Saltiness and Hiding our Light
But you know, there’s a huge danger that we face here, and Jesus gives us very dire warning, if we’ll only heed it. The only way it works is if our salt still has its flavor. The only way it works is if our light remains bright enough that the darkness doesn’t overpower it. Jesus warned us about the danger of our salt losing its flavor. In Luke 14:34-35, He says, “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.”
How does salt lose its saltiness? Well, salt was not as well refined in that era. It was susceptible to impurities.
Question for you. Are we susceptible to impurities? If the culture changes us instead of the other way around, then we lose our saltiness. We lose our influence. We lose our testimony. You don’t put your light under a bushel! You need to put it where people can see it.
But let me tell you something that I see going on in the world today, and that is that instead of the church influencing the WORLD, the church is influenced BY the world.
Let me give you a real-life example. Just this week I read an article that said that the Church of England has apologized for saying that sex is for heterosexual couples who are married.
Two weeks ago, they put out a statement that read, and I quote, “For Christians, marriage, that is the lifelong union between a man and a woman, contracted with the making of vows, remains the proper context for sexual activity.”
So far so good. But apparently that created an uproar in our post-modern society, so rather than stand on the truth of scripture, they put out another statement last week that said, and again I quote, “We as Archbishops, alongside the bishops of the Church of England, apologize and take responsibility for releasing a statement last week which we acknowledge has jeopardized trust. We are very sorry and recognize the division and hurt this has caused."
The church is becoming so much like the world that I can’t tell the difference anymore. And we need to decide, here at LEF, what kind of church do we want to be??? It’s not a hypothetical question anymore.
You know, I love satire, and I think the Christian satire site The Babylon Bee hit the nail right on the head with an article they published with the headline: “Progressive Criticized Jesus For Not Being Very Christlike.” Inside was this beauty of a quote: “He devotes entire sections of His sermons to ranting about archaic religious concepts like hell and the last judgment instead of just coming alongside the marginalized and affirming their sins. Very little of what He did on earth I would describe as life-giving. Frankly, I do a better job of being Christlike than Christ Himself.”
It’s funny, but you know what makes it satire? The element of truth. That’s the way the world sees the church. And sometimes, that’s the way the church sees the church. We’re better at being Jesus than Jesus was!
We cannot be corrupted by the world. We can’t go to church on Sunday and go watch an R-rated movie on Friday!
We can’t go to church on Sunday and do something that hurts our neighbors on Monday.
We can’t go to church on Sunday and cheat on our taxes on Wednesday.
THE WORLD DOES THAT. WE DO NOT DO THAT!
Where are you investing your time? Where are you investing your life? Where are you investing your money? How are you any different from the world around you?
“But I can handle it,” you say. “After all, how can I reach my co-workers for Christ unless I am all caught up on the 50 Shades of Grey movies?”
Here’s a fact: Once we’ve seen something, we can’t un-see it. If we are watching TV shows that we know are immoral so that we can relate to the culture, then we are going to become like the TV show and not the other way around.
Don’t be misled, folks. I had to work to fix something at a hog barn during my day job back in October, and when I left, I STUNK! If you hang around with STINK, you are going to get STINK on you!
If you sit in the sun all day and say it did nothing to you, well it still gave you a tan even though you did nothing. It changed you.
And you can argue with me about it, but the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:33 - Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."
Now, you might be saying, “Just wait a minute, Pastor! Paul himself said that he became all things to all people so that he might save some. I’m just trying to be like Paul.”
Well, let’s go there and explore the context. Let’s turn in our Bibles to 1 Corinthians 9, verses 19 to 22.
Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.
We can’t take that out of context because in all those things Paul NEVER violated the word of God. He didn’t become a prostitute to save the prostitutes. He didn’t become a drunkard to save the drunks. He didn’t sleep around to save the adulterers. He was STILL ANSWERABLE TO CHRIST.
You see, it’s about UNDERSTANDING the culture. Not JOINING the culture. It’s about having EMPATHY. Have the conversation and maintain your Christian values.
Let me close with a couple of statements from Jesus Christ, Himself. From 1 John 2:15-16 – “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world.”
And from John 17:14-18 – “I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.”
Folks, Jesus has sent us into the world to influence the world, but he specifically prayed that we would be protected from the evil one, so WHAT ARE WE DOING BECOMING LIKE THE WORLD? He sent us INTO the world, but He said that we are not OF the world.
And if there is one single reason why you should be salt that is salty and light that shines brightly, it is this: You are to let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5: And they can’t do that if you aren’t salt and light.
Maybe you’re struggling with this. Maybe you are sitting here today and realizing that the world has had more of an impact on you than the other way around. Maybe you’re tired of the fight, and you just want to find a way to surrender to God, but you don’t know how. Can I invite you to come and find me after the service? Or find Pastor Nate or Pastor Dennis? There will be people over here by the piano who are waiting to pray with you.
Let today be the day that you truly decide to become salt and light right here in our very own communities.
Amen. Let’s pray.
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February 23, 2020
Luke 24:13-27
Something Old, Something New…
Pastor Bryan Watson
Luke 24:13-27
13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,
14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened.
15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.
16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.
17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad.
18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.
21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.
22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning,
23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.
24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”
25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
I’ve called my sermon this morning, “Something Old, Something New…” I want to address something that I see to be a growing problem in the church in general over the past few years, and that is the desire to throw out the Old Testament. It is the sentiment that since Christ did His redeeming work on the Cross, and we are now living under the new covenant, let’s just get rid of the old covenant altogether, since it isn’t necessary. Some very prominent pastors in some very large churches have taken that position. Why?
Well, I believe that it’s because the law is dirty. The law is uncomfortable. The law reminds people of our basic nature… that we aren’t by default a bunch of cuddly teddy bears just waiting to fill the world with our specialness. Left to ourselves, we are like Lord of the Flies, plotting and scheming and becoming ever more depraved until, like Piggy, we end up dead. But that’s not comfortable, and nobody wants to hear that.
Like this user manual, they want to rip out the Old Testament and keep the part that makes us feel good. But here’s the problem with that: without the warnings at the front, and the parts list, this butchered manual is only going to get me so far. When I eventually run into a problem with the product, the instructions in the second half only make sense in the light of the parts list in the first half.
While it’s true that we ARE living under the new covenant, I believe that there is a LOT of foundational information in the old covenant that is still relevant to us today.
The late Warren Wiersbe said, “Law and Gospel go together, for the law without the Gospel is diagnosis without remedy; but the Gospel without law is only the Good News of salvation for people who don’t believe they need it because they have never heard the bad news of judgment.” – Warren Wiersbe
Basically, what Dr. Wiersbe is saying is that if we focus on the Law without the Gospel, then we have defined the problem, but we are left with no solution. However, if we have the Gospel without the Law, then people will hear the Good News of the Gospel but will not recognize their need for it because they don’t know about the problem of sin. Both the Gospel and the Law work together.
Jesus Himself said in Matthew 5:17, “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.”
In our scripture passage today, Luke 24:13-27, we can see how Jesus Christ Himself considered the Old Testament. In this text, it is merely 3 days since the Crucifixion, and Jesus has just been resurrected, maybe a few hours earlier. Two of his followers, not from His 11 remaining disciples, but two others, were walking along a road when they encounter the risen Christ. But God prevents them from recognizing Him right away. We’ve already heard the text, but let me zero in again on what Jesus said to them, in verses 25 to 27:
25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
Being the living Word of God Himself, Jesus clearly understood that all of Scripture, both the Old Testament (which is all they had at that time) and the New Testament (which was yet to be written at that time) was part of God’s living story!
He understood that the Old Testament is a story in search of an ending. It is a PROMISE to SAVE. It is a promise in need of FULFILLMENT. When you get to the end, you realize that there MUST be more.
As Alistair Begg says, “The Old Testament DEMANDS the arrival of Jesus.” – Alistair Begg
Many times in the Gospels, we read a phrase like, “all this took place to fulfill what the prophets had written.” Or, “For thus it was written by the prophet”. Basically, the New Testament writers reach back into the Old Testament to explain what is happening in the New Testament.
Think about the practical relevance of the Old Testament to our lives today.
The 10 Commandments form the basis of our current legal system. They define WHY stealing is wrong, WHY adultery is wrong, WHY murder is wrong.
The Creation week, coupled with the 10 Commandments, define WHY our week is 7 days long with a day of rest.
As Christians, we believe that The Old Testament is inspired. It is breathed out by God. If God gave you a book and signed His name in the front, would you tear off the first half of the book and throw it away like I did to that user manual?
Let’s look at a brief cross-reference to illustrate what I’m talking about:
In 2 Samuel 23:1-2 - Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel: “The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me; His word is on my tongue.”
It seems that David was fully aware that his writings were inspired by God. He seemed to know that when He was writing the Psalms, that He was actually recording God’s words to him.
Now, let’s flip over to Acts 1:15-16 - In those days Peter stood up among the brothers… and said, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David…”
Do you see? The Holy Spirit spoke by David in the Old Testament, and the fulfillment of these things takes place in the New Testament. In fact, these events are recognized by people LIVING in New Testament times as having been PROPHESIED in the Old Testament! These events would lose their meaning if they were unhitched from their Old Testament origins.
The whole Bible is about Jesus. When you read the Old Testament, look for Jesus. The high-level view of the Bible is Jesus.
So, going back to our text, what do you think would Jesus have talked about as He walked along the road with these two men?
He might have started with Genesis 3:15 – This is the first prophecy of God’s redemptive plan, after Adam and Eve sinned by giving in to the temptation of the devil in the form of a serpent and brought a curse upon all of creation. God said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." This is Christ defeating death and sin once and for all.
He might then have told them about Noah’s Ark from Genesis chapters 6 through 9, where the entire world stood condemned because of sin, yet through one man, Noah, and the ark, humanity was saved from the judgment. So Noah and the Ark are a type of Christ, as Jesus is the only one through Whom we can be saved from judgment.
He likely told them about Abraham & Isaac from Genesis chapter 22 where, just as Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, Isaac, God provided a ram to take Isaac’s place so that Isaac could be saved. In a similar fashion, God sacrificed His only Son, Jesus, as the perfect Lamb of God to take our place so that we could be saved.
Perhaps He talked about the experience of Joseph in Genesis chapters 37 through 48, and How Joseph, as a type of Christ, was betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery, but rose from slavery into power in order to save both his family and the world from death through a famine. Jesus was betrayed and sold. Yet He rose and saved the world!
He could have explained the meaning of the Passover, a feast that recalls the time from Exodus chapters 11 and 12 when the angel of death struck every firstborn male in Egypt, yet the blood of a lamb caused the angel of death to “pass over” every Hebrew house. And so the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, is used to save us from death.
Maybe He explained to them that when God handed down the instructions for the tabernacle in Exodus chapters 25 through 30, He was actually giving them a picture of Christ. God provided a way to dwell with His people in the form of the tabernacle, and He also dwelt with His people in the Person of Jesus Christ. Each of the parts of the tabernacle represent a distinct attribute of Jesus Christ the Messiah, and it is too much to get into here, but that’s a class unto itself. But if you read these chapters with a good commentary, you can see it for yourself.
He probably told them about the Levitical sacrifices and feasts, including Yom Kippur (or the Day of Atonement), established throughout the book of Leviticus, that required sacrifice after sacrifice in order to atone for the sins of those who offered them. In fact, the Day of Atonement featured a “scapegoat” upon which the sins of the people would be laid, and this animal would then carry these sins into the wilderness. And yet they had to be repeated over and over again until Jesus, the perfect lamb of God, became the perfect sacrifice to remove our sin from us once and for all, the perfect “scapegoat” upon which our sins are laid once and for all, which is why we don’t have to offer these sacrifices over and over again today. His death on the cross was enough!
I think He would have told them about Numbers 21:6-9 - In this passage, as a result of sin, the Israelites in the desert were overrun by venomous snakes. They repented, and the Lord instructed Moses in verse 7: "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." In the same way, Christ became sin, which is represented by a snake, and was put up on a pole, the Cross. And everybody who accepts His gift and believes in Him can be saved.
He probably explained the significance of Boaz & Ruth – The concept of Boaz being a type of Christ in that he was a kinsmen redeemer who paid the price in order to redeem Ruth and restore her property to her. You can read about that in the Book of Ruth. Christ paid the price to redeem us.
He likely explained the prophecy in Psalm 16:10 - You will not abandon Me to the grave, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay. You see, Jesus didn’t see decay, because He rose from the dead!
I assume that He opened their eyes to the prophecies in Psalm 22 – The entire Psalm is a prophecy of the crucifixion, written about 1500 years before Christ was born, but let me read you a few of the verses that Christ probably spoke to these followers that day.
Verse 1 - My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?
Verse 7 - All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
Verse 14 - I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.
Verse 16 - a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.
Verse 18 - They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
And He would have probably told them about Psalm 69 – Again, pretty much the entire Psalm is prophetic about the Crucifixion. But listen to these verses in particular:
Verse 20-21 - Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none. They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.
And Isaiah 52:14 - there were many who were appalled at him - his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness-
And Isaiah 53 – Just a few select verses:
Verses 3-6 – 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
I’ll let you read the rest of this chapter on your own, because the accuracy with which it describes Christ’s crucifixion is incredible! Yet it was written approximately 700 years before it happened!
He could have touched on Daniel’s visions of the coming empires, fulfilled with remarkable accuracy. You can read about that in the book of Daniel chapters 2 and 7, along with Daniel’s prophecies of the coming Messiah and the Final Judgment in Daniel 9 through 12.
He might have told them of the meaning of the Book of Hosea, in which Hosea’s wife left him to become a prostitute, and he had grace and mercy for her; he bought her back and restored her to himself, with Hosea being a type of Christ, in that God’s people had acted like prostitutes with other religions, and their thirst for sin, and yet He bought them back with Christ’s blood!
Maybe He told them of the story of Jonah, in which Jonah, because of his disobedience, was in the belly of a fish for 3 days before being spit out. After Christ was crucified, He was in the grave for 3 days, and on the 3rd day rose again!
He might have pointed out Zechariah 12:10 - They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
And Zecharaiah 13:7 - Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, a prophecy of Christ’s arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, when all of His disciples ran for their lives.
And those are the things that came to my mind while writing this sermon. And I’m not even touching on the prophecies surrounding His birth! Who knows what else Christ said?
How do we feel now about the Old Testament? Who here is ready to toss it out? Who here is excited to go back and get into it and read it like it’s all new again?
Do you see? If you unhitch the Old Testament from the New Testament, then the birth of Christ becomes nothing more than a happy story. His ministry becomes nothing more than good teaching. His crucifixion is just another tragic death. His resurrection becomes at worst, a hoax, and at best, a miracle with little significance to anybody other than Christ Himself.
But in the light of the Old Testament,
the birth of Christ becomes God Almighty, the Great I Am, wrapping Himself in human flesh and stepping into our fallen world.
His teaching becomes the Living Tabernacle of God dwelling with His creation and teaching them His ways.
His Crucifixion becomes the pure Lamb of God being the ultimate sacrifice, never needing to be repeated, paying for the sins of His creation with His own blood!
And His resurrection becomes the ultimate victory over death foretold in Genesis 3:15… His heel was bruised, but oh, how He crushed the head of the satanic serpent!
Brothers and sisters, it’s through the accuracy of the Old Testament writings that we have solid evidence that our God is the One True God!
And with the Lenten season beginning this week, and Easter just around the corner, the Old Testament comes alive again with the need for a Savior who does more than just be born. He must die. He must rise again. It is the CROSS and the RESURRECTION TOGETHER that is the fulfillment of the promise. The MANGER was the means to getting there.
Let us not decide for ourselves whether or not the Old Testament belongs. If I need to choose between the mortal ideas of post-modern men, or the example set forth by Jesus Christ Himself, the choice is clear to me. I will echo Joshua’s declaration from the OLD TESTAMENT: “AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD.” – Joshua 24:15
Amen.