The God of the Bible (Part 2) - The God of the New Testament
Notes
Transcript
Review from last week
Review from last week
Last week we looked at the God of the Old Testament and the question that I put forward to you was why is God seen by non-Christians as a vicious tyrant rather than a Loving God, why don’t non-Christians see God the way we see Him?
I shared to you that through the eyes of the sinners the God of the Old Testament is seen as evil because sinners love the very thing that God hates and that is sin.
The God of the Old Testament says in:
1 Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call. 2 It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore. 3 Your hands are the hands of murderers, and your fingers are filthy with sin. Your lips are full of lies, and your mouth spews corruption.
This same message to the Israelites is the same message that God is still repeating to all throughout the ages, but it all comes down to the receiver of the message whether they turn from their sins or continue to remain in their sins.
And God can’t change the minds of sinners by force, for through the Love of God there is free will.
Last week we saw how God was concerned for the sinner and how God has a plan for the sinner, we saw how God was concerned for our beliefs and how God showed them who He was. We saw God was concerned for our society and He gave us laws so the sinner can be a peculiar people.
Yet the world continues to indulge in sin, what other option does God have in order to convince sinners?
God has done everything He could to convince His creation to reveal to them that He is the True and Living God and that He has a plan for their salvation.
The God of the New Testament.
The God of the New Testament.
In Isaiah 7, God is talking to king Ahaz the king of Judah through Isaiah, and God asks king Ahaz for a sign of confirmation showing that He will rescue His people from the Syrians, Ephraimites and the son of Remaliah.
10 Later, the Lord sent this message to King Ahaz: 11 “Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.” 12 But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I will not test the Lord like that.” 13 Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? 14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).
To king Ahaz, he may have been thinking, how would a baby born of a virgin save his people from his enemies?
According to the book of 2 Chronicles, the Bible says that he didn’t do what was right in the sight of the Lord, yet the Lord still spoke with Him to encourage him to do good and to forsake the heathen gods of various materials.
But the message of Isaiah 7 has much significance to us as Christians, God reveals to all humanity that the time has come for Him to step in and solve His concerns that He has for His people and to save His people from their sins.
John writes in the gospel:
1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.
14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
In comes Jesus, who according to Paul in Hebrews 13:8 that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
So, what does the New Testament say about Jesus and the God of the Old Testament and is there a connection?
Does Jesus fit the Old Testament God?
Does Jesus fit the Old Testament God?
Now remembering this, I am not saying that there are multiple gods because the Shema makes it quiet plainly in Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!”
Paul also writes in 1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,”
James even writes that God is one in James 2:19 “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!”
This isn’t to say that God is multifaceted, that is, one God with different personalities, nor are we saying we’re polytheist.
No, they are three separate and distinct Persons united as one in mission, thought and love for His creation. They have different roles to play when it comes to the salvation of His people but they all work together in unity.
We see the Godhead when Jesus was baptised:
16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
We have the voice of the Father, Jesus coming out of the water and the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling upon Him. Three separate beings and yet united as one — a Tri-unity.
Yet, the question remains, is Jesus (the Son of God and of man) the same God in the Old Testament? Or was God the Father in control until Jesus came?
Jesus the “ἐγὼ εἰμί”
Jesus the “ἐγὼ εἰμί”
In John 8, we find Jesus talking to the multitudes in the temple, there we have the attendees of the temple; the worshipers, the scribes, the Pharisees and the Sadducee assembled together to hear Jesus speak, but there were those that were there to criticise and discredit Him and His teachings.
Jesus told them near the end of the of His exchange in:
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.”
Puzzled, those that were there said to Jesus
57 The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?”
Jesus responded to them something amazing that only people of faith can understand.
58 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!”
Jesus declares to those that are assembled there that He is the ‘ἐγὼ εἰμί’, the Great I AM, eluding to the exchange between Moses and God at Mount Sinai before Moses was to meet with Pharaoh in
14 God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.”
It is Yehoshua; ‘God is Salvation’; Jesus’ name in Aramaic, He is the Great I Am, the ἐγὼ εἰμί, that was there:
Before Abraham and with Abraham
Who led Moses and the Israelites through the wilderness
Who helped the Israelites defeat their enemies
Who guided king David and his descendants
Who was there with Daniel in Babylon and Daniel’s friends in the fire
Who was there when Jerusalem was restored
This is the Great Yahweh that was there with His people in the Old Testament and this same Yahweh; Yehoshua; Jesus, who is there in the New Testament.
This same Living God, the Creator of heaven and earth and all other things that is in them, Paul writes to the Hebrews:
9 What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. 10 God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation. 11 So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.
The God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are one and thus those that say that the God in the Old Testament is different and seen as a terrible and vicious God, would have to see Jesus and see who God truly is.
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”
Salvation in Jesus alone
Salvation in Jesus alone
Here Jesus fulfills those three concerns that we mentioned earlier and discussed last week.
God’s concern for the sinner
God’s concern for our beliefs
God’s concern for society
Here Jesus enacts a new covenant with His believers, with those that wish to follow Him.
Jesus makes a covenant with sinners that are seeking a way out of their sins, who want to follow the Great Teacher and lead them to the Kingdom of God.
26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.
My friends, Jesus from times past has gone through various covenants and promises with various peoples in times past, He has never broken His promises with His children.
19 God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? 20 Listen, I received a command to bless; God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it!
God is offering salvation from sin, God is offering life; an abundant life, God is offering eternal life and as we take part in this service of humility and communion, we commit and believe in the covenant He has made on that very night He was betrayed.
My friends, as we take part in this service, will you submit yourself fully to the Lord today?
