Often music is sung during or near the end of communion. Hear a nice communion song . . .
How is the Old Testament relevant to a Christian?
Upon seeing the terrible state of the world, God was sorry that He had created humanity (Genesis 6:6). “So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth” (verse 12). He made the decision to destroy this generation and start over.
However, God found a righteous man to whom He extended His mercy. “And God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. … And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish My covenant with you’” (verses 13, 17-18).
From Noah’s story found in Genesis 5:29 and Genesis 6:11–9:19, we can learn great spiritual lessons applicable to our lives.
Without a doubt, Noah suffered repeated harassment and ridicule for building an enormous ship on land, possibly far from any body of water where logic would suggest that a ship should be built.
Psalm 139 is so meaningful, right?
Let’s imagine the scene for a moment: A busy, 500-year-old Noah gathering large quantities of wood, day after day. Without a doubt, multitudes of people would have mocked him to his face, including perhaps his own family at times. All the while, the days turned into weeks, the weeks turned into months, the months turned into years, and the years turned into decades, until Noah turned 600 years old (Genesis 7:11).
During that time, Noah warned the people about the consequences that would come upon them for their rejection of God and evil behavior. It is for that reason that the apostle Peter referred to him as a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5)
The word righteous means moral uprightness. The commandments of God define what righteousness is: “My tongue shall speak of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteousness” (Psalm 119:172). Noah was obedient and blameless in the eyes of God
Can't get enough of psalm 23 . . .
Noah’s obedience allowed him to develop two fundamental characteristics: faith and patience.
The apostle James reminds us that “the testing of your faith produces patience” (James 1:3). Noah had to pass through a 100-year trial of faith. God commanded Noah to build the ark, and Noah faithfully obeyed—no matter how long it took or how hard it was.
Just as God would test Abraham years later by asking him to sacrifice his son, God tested Noah’s faith, which produced patience. We can learn many lessons from Noah. “Do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:12).
The Old Testament “Psalms” is spiritually enriching. The Book of Psalms include songs of praise and worship, pleas for God’s protection and forgiveness, and prayers requesting justice and the punishment of wrongdoers. Some were written for special occasions such as the King’s accession (Psalm 2 & Psalm 110), a royal wedding (Psalm 45) or the celebration of a victory (Psalm 18).
Many of the later psalms in Book 5 (Psalms 120-134) were written as pilgrim songs, sung joyfully by Jewish families as they made their way up to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. This popular psalm of David reminds us of his days as a shepherd (see 1 Samuel 16:11-13).
“The LORD is my shepherd; I have everything I need. He lets me rest in green pastures. He leads me to calm water. He gives me new strength. He leads me on paths that are right for the good of his name. Even though I walk through a very dark valley, I will not be afraid, because you are with me. Your rod and your staff comfort me.”
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue, are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship that play a fundamental role in Judaism and Christianity. The text of the Ten Commandments appears twice: at Exodus 20:2–17 and Deuteronomy 5:6–21
The Creation Story. #1: God created everything out of nothing. The Bible begins with a definitive statement: God created the heavens and the earth. “Heavens” refers to the expanse of sky, atmosphere, outer space. The “earth” is our planet. Together, this is another way of saying “the universe.” Hebrews 11:3 affirms what Genesis records as history: By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
The Holy Spirit did not lead Moses to begin the Bible with a defense of God’s existence (Genesis 1:1-2). He simply begins, “In the beginning, God.” His existence is declared, never defended. He is God; we are not. He is the Creator; we are the creatures. We do not appraise Him; He appraises us.
God spoke the universe into existence. God alone has the power to create something out of nothing. He alone has the power to speak life into existence. “And God said…” is repeated for all 6 consecutive days.
Day 1 – 1:3-5 (light)
Day 2 – 1:6-8 (sky, atmosphere, “first heaven”)
Day 3 – 1:9-13 (God pushes the water aside to uncover the earth, and dry land appears. He then speaks vegetation and plants into existence with seeds already inside.)
Day 4 – 1:13-19 (sun, moon, galaxies filled with stars)
Day 5 – 1:20-23 (He fills the waters and skies with creatures)
Day 6 – 1:24-25 (animals, insects, and human beings)
>#2: God was pleased with everything He created. At the end of each day, God appraised His work and said it was good (1:12, 18, 21, 31). In its original state, everything God made was good.
#3: God made living things already mature, ready to reproduce. On Day 3 (Genesis 1:11-12), we see that God created all vegetation and plants with seeds already in them. Trees were already bearing fruit with seeds in them. Likewise, on Day 5 (Genesis 1:20-22), the animals were created with the capacity to reproduce. The stage was now set to receive the pinnacle of His creation: man.
#4: God created man and woman, two genders, as image-bearers. On Day 6, God made man and woman in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27). God created man, singular, in two genders: male and female. We are image bearers, reflectors of His glory.
#5: God commanded man and woman to reproduce and dominate the earth. “Be fruitful and multiply” is the first command given to the man and woman (Genesis 1:28-30). As stewards, man was commanded to take the beauty and purity of the Garden of Eden and spread it throughout the whole earth by means of fruitful reproduction and dominion. The Garden of Eden was a mini-kingdom. As Adam and Eve lived humbly and happily under God’s rule, the kingdom would become worldwide.
#6: God established the seven-day week, which included a day of rest. When you read through Genesis 1, you will notice the repetition of the phrase, “And there was evening and there was morning…” Then came the 7th Day (Genesis 2:1-3). In God’s design, there are six days for labor and one day for rest. God’s example, then, became the pattern to follow, as made clear in the fourth of the Ten Commandments, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). God based His command upon the example He set. “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day” (Exodus 20:11)
How does all of this apply to us, today?
In contrast to the society in which we live, man is not the beginning and end of all. God is. We are not the center of the universe. God is. We are created beings. Totally dependent beings. We are not free to run our lives independently, doing as we please. The very fact that we received life from God means we now owe Him everything. The point of Genesis 1 is clear. God made everything, and everything He made was good and for His glory. Therefore, when we pattern our lives in simple faith and obedience to His original plan then we live in the fullest experience of His blessing.
Adam, Eve and Sin.
To be sure, the proper name “Adam” is also a general term for humankind, as “Eve” is for “life” and “Eden” is for “pleasure” or “delight.” Nevertheless, the text presents Adam and Eve as actual people in a specific place and time. And they do actual people things like marrying, having children, making choices, tending a garden, giving names to animals, and conversing with each other and with God.
Moreover, Adam’s genealogical record lists his exact age when his son Seth was born, the fact that he had other sons and daughters, and the exact age when he died. In fact, the entire book of Genesis is built around a series of genealogies that connect Adam to Noah, and then to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and ultimately to Moses and the people of Israel. Moses, who wrote the book, treated Adam and Eve as real historical figures, no less than anyone else in that family tree.
Beyond that, the story of Adam and Eve is essential to a proper understanding of the nature of humanity. As God’s unique image bearers, created by him for that express purpose, human beings possess a dignity and value distinct from the rest of creation. And because all people are descended from that first couple, every individual, male and female, has an equal share of that value and dignity
Reading these texts honestly and in context makes it clear that the authors intended their audience to know they were talking about real people and real events. In each case, the spiritual truth they were trying to convey falls apart unless rooted in historical fact. It’s hard to imagine a rigorous thinker like Paul or a careful historian like Luke getting their facts wrong and using myths to make their case. It’s harder still – in fact impossible – to think of Jesus, the divine author of all truth and reality, making the same mistake
In the fifth chapter of Romans, Paul presents Adam and Jesus as the two representative heads of humanity. He spells out in detail how sin and death entered the world through Adam and spread by inheritance to the entire human race. But through Jesus, who took on human nature, Adam’s fallen descendants can receive grace, righteousness and eternal life.
Hear a wild and crazy psalm 18 song . . .
Old Testament scholar Richard Belcher adds: “If all human beings are not descended from Adam, there is no hope of salvation for them. Christ does not and cannot redeem what he has not assumed. What he has assumed is the human nature of those who bear the image of Adam by natural descent. If there is no redemptive history that is credible, then redemptive history is lost in any meaningful sense. Thus the historicity of Adam has implications for the Gospel.
And theologian Richard Gaffin is quite blunt in summing up these dire Gospel implications: “The truth of the Gospel stands or falls with the historicity of Adam as the first human being from whom all other human beings descend. What Scripture affirms about creation, especially the origin of humanity, is central to its teaching about salvation.
But the historicity of Adam and Eve reaches far beyond drawing proper lines between science and metaphysics. The question impacts the truth of the entire Gospel narrative of Scripture. The creation, fall, redemption and restoration of humanity, the intrinsic value of human life and salvation through Christ, the second Adam, all hinge on the literal existence of the first Adam and his wife Eve, created directly by God in his own image.
Adam and Eve may have borne the shame of plunging humanity into sin and death. However, believers need not be ashamed of the existence of our first parents in the face of skeptical opinion. Quite the contrary, a literal Adam and Eve give us a sense of grounding, humility and assurance for our faith. Their story forms the opening chapter of God’s real, historical narrative through which he’s redeeming his people as well as his entire creation.
The coming of a Messiah. The Old Testament gave hundreds of prophecies about the Messiah; by these things we would know who He is.
How many people were born of a virgin girl with no human being as the father? None.
Not a bone would be broken. At the Roman crucifixions, it could take up to 3 days to die from suffocation as the strongest victims would tire out and could no longer keep their bodies up. The soldiers would break the legs so they would suffocate faster and die quicker. When the soldier came to break Jesus's legs he noted He was already dead, there was no need to break the legs.
Then, when a soldier shoved a war spear into His side into the heart, blood and water both came out, showing proof He was already quite dead. This fulfilled another prophecy that his side will be pierced.
Another prophecy was the Messiah's hands would be pierced. That is how the Romans did it, they really did put the nine-inch spikes through that hands. Graves in the Roman empire have been found that had crucifixion victims in them, they knew because they still had spikes in the hands. Leather grommets had been used so the spike heads would spread the pressure to keep the hands in place.
The Book of Isaiah is one of the most important books of the Old Testament.
The prophet's lofty vision of God's holiness is a major reason this book is so unforgettable. Also, the book of Isaiah provides us with the most comprehensive prophetic picture of Jesus Christ in the entire Old Testament.
The above are some fantastic highlights of the Old Testament
but broken down into 4 categories; the entire Old Testament is a thriller . . .
Next, go ahead and enjoy the talk about Soul vs holy spirit or holy ghost
Please leave a comment. Does the Old Testament still have meaning for you? Why? Have you ever studied the Old Testament? Will you take the opportunity to go through the above links and get aquainted or to refresh your memory? Why?
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