The New Testament - 2
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Key Verse:
15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
Last week we introduced a new series
and we covered the OT prophecies and Patterns
that foreshadowed the NT.
We ended talking about when the NT began
Which Hebrews chapter 9 teaches us…
Begins not at Matthew Chapter 1
but after the death of Jesus
who is the mediator of the new covenant.
So, tonight, I want to begin by looking at the period of time
directly preceeding the institution of the NT
This period is recorded at the start of all 4 Gospels.
But it was prophesied about in the OT.
Let’s look at a couple of those prophesies
and then see the fulfilment of them in the Gospels.
John the Baptist
John the Baptist
1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
So, here, the OT prophet Malachi
foretells of a messenger who will come
Just prior to the coming of the Lord.
In chapter 4, Malachi gives us a name
and it is in the last two verse of the OT.
5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
So, it appears like this messenger to come before the Lord comes
Will be the prophet Elijah
However, Jesus tells us exactly who Malachi was referring to.
when he delivered this message to Isreal
7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.
9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
10 This is he of whom it is written, “ ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’
11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.
13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John,
14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.
In verse 10, Jesus quotes the prophet Malachi.
And then confirms that it was in fact John the Baptist
who fulfills this prophecy.
Let’s look at one more prophecy about John the Baptist.
3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
One very important piece about this prophecy from Isaiah
He identifies the Messiah as YHWH in vs 3
and also calls him God in vs 3.
So, if there is any doubt that Jesus is God
Here is a good piece of evidence
Verse 5 also indicates that it the glory of YHWH that is going to be revealed
And that aligns perfectly with John 1.14 and 2 Cor 4.6
6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
In the NT, John identifies himself as that voice who prepares the way for YHWH to come reveal his glory to us.
19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
In verse 23, John the Baptist is quoting Isaiah 40.3
And this proves that John is the voice Isaiah spoke about
and it also proves that Jesus is YHWH in the flesh.
In John 1, John the baptist was talking to men sent from the Pharisees
and they were apparently well versed in the OT
For they knew that the one Isaiah was talking about
Was the same messenger that Malachi was talking about
ANd that messenger’s name was provided by Malachi
His name was Elijah.
Of course we know that Jesus later said that John is the fulfilment of that prophecy concerning Elijah.
but these men talking to John the Baptist hadn’t heard about Jesus yet.
So, they ask John..
25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
So, John was apparently doing things that made himself look like he might be the Christ
In fact, Herod later thinks that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead
So, people came to see who John was
and John’s first words were,
I’m not the Christ - Which is the Greek word for Messiah
And Messiah is the Hebrew word for Anointed one
And the Jews were waiting for the coming of the Messiah
And It seems like John must have resembled some of the Prophecies about the Messiah
But he denies that he is the Messiah.
but that he is only the messenger who was foretold to come before the messiah.
So, John says, I’m just the messenger who comes before the Lord
But then he says…
26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know,
27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”
At this point in time, John did not know who the messiah was.
But God had given John a sign to watch out for.
He said that John would see the Spirit descending like a dove on the messiah.
The next day, John says he saw just that.
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’
31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.
33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
Here, we have John the baptist confirming that Jesus was the Messiah
And confirming that Jesus “came before him”
What does that mean?
Well John was older than Jesus by human birth
But John identified Jesus as “coming before him”
Why?
Well, John was fully aware of Isaiah 40.3,
We know this,
because John quoted it…
3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
And John knew that he was himself,
He said, I am that voice crying in the wilderness
And so, whoever it was that came after him
was actually YHWH
And so, John knew that YHWH came “before” him
because God came before all things.
Another important thing we need to notice is that John proclaims the purpose of the Messiah in his testimony. He said…
33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
And This is why Jesus came.
Not just to do miracles
But to initiate a way for all humans to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
This is the New Testament right here.
So, what did John do to “prepare the way”?
What did he preach?
What was his voice crying out?
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
His message was a message of repentance.
What is repentance?
It means to turn around.
Why?
Well John says that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
So, if you want to get ready for the kingdom,
the first step is to repent.
He wouldn’t baptize anyone unless they repented first
Then when Jesus comes onto the scene
He does not change the message at all.
He is baptized by John
Then he is tempted in the desert by Satan
And then after that it says…
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The exact same message John preached.
The message didn’t change
If you want to be prepared to enter the kingdom
the first step is to repent
And that step has not changed
As we will see in a later episode of this series
All of the NT writers believed in the importance of repentance.
So, we will talk a great deal about repentance in the coming lessons.
Now, you might be wondering why Jesus preached the same message as John
If John was just preparing the way for Jesus
And Jesus was supposed to come baptize people with the Holy Spirit
Then why did Jesus just repeat what John preached.
The reason goes back to our key verse in Heb chapter 9.
The New Covenant could not begin until the death of the one who established it.
So, John and Jesus preached about what you needed to do to get ready to enter the kingdom of heaven under the new covenant
but the new covenant won’t be established until after the death burial and resurrection of Jesus.
The Kingdom
The Kingdom
So, let’s talk about this concept of the kingdom for a moment,
John and Jesus both said that you needed to repent
and their reason was because the kingdom was at hand.
What is the kingdom, when did it come, and how do we enter it?
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Ok, there is a lot going on here
but we are going to break it down
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Here in verse 3 we see that reference to the Kingdom again.
Recall that Jesus and John both preached that repentance was how one prepares for the kingdom that was coming
and here Jesus says that one must be born again to see the kingdom.
The word “again” here is said to be intentionally ambiguous.
It is a word that can mean again
but it can also mean above.
And Jesus chose this word for a reason.
Being born again is being born from above.
John alluded to this new birth in his prologue in chapter 1.
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Here, blood means linage or natural human descent
will of the flesh likely refers to reproduction outside of marriage
and the will of man hear means husband,
and likely refers to reproduction inside of marriage.
Which covers all bases of human reproduction.
and then says that this birth comes from God
When we become the children of God.
Now John 1.12 says this happens when you believe
but what does that mean?
We know according to Paul exactly when this happens…
26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
So, at baptism we become sons of God through faith.
Paul goes onto say in the next few verses that this give us the right to God God Abba Father… but How?
6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
So, we become sons of God through faith when we are baptized into Christ
And then God sends His Spirit into our hearts and then we cry Abba Father.
The same exact thing is stated in Romans chapter 8 by Paul.
It is through the baptism of the water and the Spirit that we become Sons of God through faith.
Which brings us back to the words of Jesus in John chapter 3…
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
Jesus says you must be born again
and Nicodemus asks how
and then asks about a natural birth
And remember, chapter 1 said this birth won’t be by blood, or flesh, or man.
And Here Jesus corrects him in verse 5…
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
So Nicodemus asked about a birth by flesh
And Jesus said, no, This birth will come by water and Spirit
Which ties into what Paul said in Galatians chapters 3 and 4
Of course, there are many who interpret this verse differently
and they presume that the water is the natural birth
and the Spirit is the second birth.
But this is incorrect for several reasons.
First, the idea that the water was not referring to baptism
came from theologians in the 20th century according to D.A. Carson.
You heard me right, the 1900s.
Only a very short time ago.
Prior to that, all theologians understood John 3.5 to mean
Water Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Spirit.
Even Martin Luther tied John 3.5 and Acts 2:38 together.
Luther said in his book “The Large Catechism”…
“For by Baptism we are first born anew…” Martin Luther
Another key evidence is the fulfillment of John 3.5
The apostles tied baptism with the gift of the Holy Spirit
They most likely did this because they understood the word of Jesus
and they also understood the OT prophecies.
Recall the words of Ezekiel that we read last week.
Which foretold of the NT
25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
The internal evidence is the word “and”.
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
So, on must be born of two things, Water and Spirit.
If water was referring to a natural birth
Jesus wouldn’t have started the sentence with “Truly, Truly”.
This is the word “Amen” repeated twice for emphasis.
It indicates that what Nicodemus just said was incorrect
and what Jesus is about to say is correct.
In other words, you’re wrong Nicodemus
And here is what is right.
Since Nicodemus asked about a natural birth
Jesus would not correct him by also referring to a natural birth.
He would likely said, what you say is halfway correct
instead of Truly Truly, I say to you…
Nicodemus got it wrong when he asked about a natural birth
And Jesus corrected him
It wasn’t until theologians who downplay the command to be baptized
tried to reinterpret this verse to mean anything other than baptism in water and in Spirit.
As we will see in a later lesson,
even if we grant that John 3.5 isn’t talking about baptism
then we still have plenty of evidence supporting the necessity of water baptism.
But Jesus came to also baptize us with the Holy Spirit according to John the Baptist.
How does this happen, and when will this happen?
The first clue is here in John 3.8
8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
There is a lot than can be lost in translation here.
First, the word “wind” is the same Greek word as the word “Spirit”.
So, everywhere you see the word “wind”
You could replace it with the word “Spirit”
It is the exact same word in Greek.
The Spirit blows where it wants and you hear its sound.
The next word I want to bring up is the word “sound”.
In Greek there are multiple words that can be translated as “sound”
A general sound like leaves rustling in the wind would be ichos
There is another word the sound music makes
and another word the sound a voice makes
And the word Jesus used was “foni”
Which is where we get the word “phone” or “phonics” from today.
It is the Greek word for Speech.
Jesus said, when people are born of the Spirit, you will hear the speech of it.
Conclusion
Conclusion
So, we covered a lot tonight
I want to quickly recap it
John the Baptist was foretold to be a messenger who comes before the Messiah
John preached a simple message of repentance
He said someone would come after him that baptized with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus was identified as the Messiah by John
And Jesus preached the same message of repentance
And he also said, get ready for the Kingdom
and then told us that to enter the kingdom
we must be born of the water and the Spirit
And when someone is born of the Spirit
You will hear the speech of the Spirit.
