Preaching Christ From The Old Testament-pt.1

If someone were to ask you, "Who is Jesus?", and all you had in your hand was a copy of the Old Testament, would you be able to show them? Would you be able to lead a person so salvation armed with only the Old Testament Scriptures? Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:14-15, "You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." The only writings that Timothy, who was half-Jew (Acts 16:1), would have been taught were those of the Old Testament, and that from his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5)! Those Scriptures were able to lead a person to faith in the Christ/Messiah. They truly were sufficient for all things leading to godliness.

However, my question still stands: could you explain Jesus Christ from the Old Testament Scriptures? This is an intriguing reality that Jesus Christ was preached in the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms. This was a typical three-fold designation of the Old Testament. The following chart gives a basic outline of the division of the Old Testament according to traditional Hebrew categories*:

DIVISION	BOOK	THEME
Law	Genesis	Creation and Blessing
	Exodus	Slavery and Redemption
	Leviticus	Sacrifice and Sanctification
	Numbers	Wilderness Wandering
	Deuteronomy	Exposition of the Law
Prophets	Joshua	Conquest of Canaan
	Judges	Cycles of Disobedience
	1 Samuel	Davidic History
	2 Samuel	Davidic Covenant
	1 Kings	Royal National History
	2 Kings	Royal National History
	Isaiah	Salvation of God
	Jeremiah	The Word of God
	Ezekiel	The Glory of God
	Hosea	An Example of Forgiveness
	Joel	The Day of the Lord
	Amos	The Divine Lawsuit
	Obadiah	Judgment on Israel's Enemies
	Jonah	God's Compassion and Grace
	Micah	The Divine Lawsuit
	Nahum	Divine Judgment and Goodness
	Habakkuk	God's Justice With thte Nations
	Zephaniah	The Day of the Lord
	Haggai	Restoration and Ecouragement
	Zechariah	God's Imminent Presence and the Messianic King
	Malachi	Covenant Love and Loyalty
Writing/Psalms	Psalms	Prayer and Praise of the King of Kings
	Job	God's Justice with an Individual
	Proverbs	God's Wisdom
	Ruth	An Example of Faithfulness
	Song of Solomon	A Celebration of Marital Love
	Ecclesiastes	The Goodness of God and the Meaning of Life
	Lamentations	Unfaithfulness and Repentance
	Esther	The Sovereignty of God over Israel
	Daniel	The Sovereignty of God over the Nations
	Ezra	Restoration of Temple and Community
	Nehemiah	Restoration of Jerusalem and Covenant
	1 Chronicles	History of Covenant: Adam to Solomon
	2 Chronicles	History of Covenant: Solomon to Cyrus

*Taken from:  Dr. William D. Barrick, "Content of the Old Testament", (http://www.drbarrick.org/Website%20Files/OT%20Survey_Content%20of%20the%20OT%202.pdf accessed on 2/1/2011).

These divisions were commonly listed as Law, Prophets and the Writings (or Psalms). This is the same division that Jesus used in Luke 24:44. It was the traditional categorization that the Hebrews used to collect inspired writings together in order to gain the greatest understanding of God's truth. The teachings, themes and historical information are all to be studied for their own merit. They are to be comprehended as they were written in the historical context in which they existed. However, even within that, these Scriptures also testify of Jesus the Messiah (John 5:39; cf. Luke 24:47).

The ministries of the apostles were nothing more than the explication and exposition of truth about Christ from the Old Testament (that is not to say that there was no new teaching in the New Testament. For example, there are a number of mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven that were new to the church age and were not revealed in the Old Testament [see Romans 16:25-27]). They were constantly preaching and teaching from Old Testament (OT) Scriptures the Christ. Here are some examples:

Acts 10:43 “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

Acts 26:22 “So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place;

Acts 28:23 “When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening.”

Luke 24:27  "Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures."

Luke 24:44 "Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

John 1:45 "Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

Romans 3:21  "But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets…"

Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

Acts 8:32–35 "Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: 'He was led as a sheep to slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He does not open His mouth. In humiliation His judgment was taken away; who will relate His generation? For His life is removed from the earth.' (Isaiah 54:7-8). The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?' Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him."

The basis of preaching Christ in the early church, and even in the ministry of Christ both before and after His resurrection, was the OT. The OT contained the predictions, promises, provisions and covenants concerning all that God would bring about via His Messiah, His Son, Jesus Christ. It is from the OT that we learn that we need a Savior (Genesis 3). It is from the OT that we learn that God is a saving God (Genesis 6-8). It is through the OT that we learn that God is gracious and compassionate (Exodus 34:5-7). It is through the OT that we learn that God has a plan for redemption of sinners (Genesis 12:3). It is through the OT that we learn that the Savior will reign as King (Psalm 110). It is from the OT that we learn that God will never forget His covenants of blessing upon the house of Abraham nor the world (Isaiah 2:1-4). It is also from the OT that we learn the ultimate plan of God for this earth is renewal (Isaiah 65:17-25). Beyond all of this, there is the promise of the location of Christ’s birth, the original of evil, the need for redemption, the pictures and teaching tools that aid our understanding of spiritual salvation as well as physical salvation (from the presence of sin). We have also the equipping tools of living life on this earth-the wisdom, discretion and knowledge that God gives to those who fear Him. We learn how to train up our children and how to love our wives. Women learn why they should love and respect their husbands and husbands why they should honor their wives. Workers learn the motive for your labor and the necessity of avoiding wicked acquaintances. We learn how to pray, give thanks, plead with God, stand silent before Him. We learn the order of the home, and the priority of worship. We learn of the nature of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We learn to help those in need and withhold help from those who would squander it. And there is more.

It is no wonder that Paul wrote: "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." Romans 15:4

As the church, we are now as a scribe who discovers rich treasures in the Old Testament and declares them to all (see Matthew 13:57).

It is my desire to outline from the OT truths concerning the Christ so that when someone does ask you about the OT and the Messiah, you can smile and ask them to turn to ______ and begin from that verse and preach Christ to them.