{"id":32186,"date":"2022-09-10T15:59:49","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:59:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/3-reasons-to-preach-from-the-old-testament\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:59:49","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:59:49","slug":"3-reasons-to-preach-from-the-old-testament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/3-reasons-to-preach-from-the-old-testament\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Reasons to Preach From the Old Testament"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Meredith Cook<\/em><\/p>\n

I grew up in church but don\u2019t remember being taught much about the Old Testament until my early twenties. At that time, I went to seminary and joined a church that focused on expository preaching. One of the first sermon series I sat under in that church was on 1 & 2 Kings.<\/p>\n

To be fair to the many teachers I\u2019ve had over the years, I can\u2019t remember every single sermon I\u2019ve heard. It\u2019s just as possible I wasn\u2019t paying attention when they did teach on the Old Testament.<\/p>\n

But over the years, I\u2019ve observed a lack of focus on the Old Testament. Many churches lean heavily into sermons on New Testament books and rarely preach out of the Old Testament. Consequently, many believers don\u2019t read or study the Old Testament because they don\u2019t think it\u2019s relevant today.<\/p>\n

I understand that a sermon series on Leviticus isn\u2019t always attractive and that the Old Testament can be hard to read at times (that story about the Levite and his concubine in Judges 19 makes me squirm every time).<\/p>\n

But I\u2019ve grown to love the Old Testament for the following three reasons\u2014reasons why I believe pastors and church members should study and teach the Old Testament.<\/p>\n

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1. The Old Testament helps me understand the New Testament.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The New Testament books are understandable on their own, but like all of Scripture, these books are not meant to be detached from the rest of the Bible. The Old Testament helps us better understand the New Testament.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve recently been reading through the Gospel of John with a friend who\u2019s a new believer. As I\u2019ve studied this New Testament book, I\u2019ve come to realize how much more of John\u2019s words I comprehend because I\u2019ve read the Old Testament.<\/p>\n

Without the Old Testament, I wouldn\u2019t understand why the Pharisees got mad at Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. I wouldn\u2019t recognize the references to Old Testament stories such as Moses lifting up the snake in the wilderness (John 3:14), the manna from heaven (John 6:31), or the various Jewish festivals celebrated in John. I wouldn\u2019t know about the Passover or understand why it was important.<\/p>\n

The New Testament is full of references to the Old Testament\u2014from retelling its history, repeating its themes, and quoting its verses. When we read the Old Testament, we recognize the people in Jesus\u2019 genealogy in Matthew 1.<\/p>\n

The high priest allusions in Hebrews make more sense because we know how the priesthood was set up in Exodus. And, in one of my favorite examples, the Old Testament helps us comprehend the significance of the temple curtain being torn as Christ gave up His life in Matthew 27.<\/p>\n

2. The Old Testament gives me a comprehensive picture of God and His plan of redemption.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Old Testament is not just a handmaiden to the New Testament. It too, is a source of wisdom and knowledge.<\/p>\n

The Old Testament gives us the first half of God\u2019s redemptive story. It explains how the world came about, why the world is broken, and how God planned to fix it. When we read the Old Testament, we see the need for a Savior to make all things right.<\/p>\n

We also gain a clearer and more full understanding of God\u2019s character. Contrary to what some might believe, the God of the Old Testament isn\u2019t just a God of wrath and judgment, although we shouldn\u2019t gloss over that part of His character.<\/p>\n

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The Old Testament also shows us God\u2019s faithfulness, patience, provision, and grace toward His people and His desire for the nations to worship Him.<\/p>\n

3. The Old Testament helps me better understand the world, humanity, and myself.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There\u2019s something about the narratives found in the Old Testament\u2014the stories it tells about the Israelites and other nations\u2014that gives concrete examples of how sinful man is and how unfaithful God\u2019s people are to Him. The more I read the Old Testament, the more I understand my own sinfulness.<\/p>\n

For too long, I\u2019d read stories and roll my eyes at the Israelites\u2019 fickleness: how Aaron commissioned the golden calf in Exodus (and then pretended as if he didn\u2019t); how the Israelites repeatedly rebelled against God in Judges, only crying out to Him for help when He sent judgment on them; how Jonah was angry at God for sparing the Ninevites because Jonah didn\u2019t think they deserved grace.<\/p>\n

The Israelites, I thought, were so ridiculous. God clearly told them how to live rightly before Him, yet they screwed it up time after time.<\/p>\n

But the more I read, the more I realized just how fickle I also was toward the Lord. I have God\u2019s Word in my hands, but I\u2019m unfaithful and sinful.<\/p>\n

I make idols out of the created rather than worshiping the Creator. I often try to go my own way, only turning back to the Lord when my way doesn\u2019t work out.<\/p>\n

The stories of the Old Testament clearly demonstrate how sin has affected all people. It becomes a mirror that helps me realize how much I\u2019m just like the Israelites.<\/p>\n

Pastors, Preach the Old Testament<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As I read the Old Testament, I realize how finite I am in all things but particularly in my understanding of God\u2019s Word. No matter how much I read and study it, I\u2019ll never be able to exhaust the knowledge it provides.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot about the Old Testament that can be confusing. But the great thing about the local church is that we can help each other understand the parts of God\u2019s Word that may not make sense at first. We encourage each other to trust that the Lord\u2019s wisdom is sufficient for us even in our confusion.<\/p>\n

So pastors, as you plan your sermons, teach your people the Old Testament. Show them how the Bible fits together as a whole. Help them understand why they should read and study the Old Testament.<\/p>\n

Tell them God\u2019s story from beginning to end.<\/p>\n

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Meredith Cooke<\/h2>\n

@meredithcook716<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Meredith is the wife of Keelan, an editor for IMB.org, and an M.Div graduate in Missiology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n