A lot of Christians experience a great deal of frustration with the Old Testament. It seems distant and obscure to many. The great distance of time and culture between ancient Israel and modern Canada puts a great obstacle before modern readers.

Yet for Christians who hold to the Bible as God’s Word, the fact is that the Old Testament represents two-thirds of God’s words to us. It’s sad to look at the Bible of the average evangelical and see the gilt worn from the pages of the last quarter of their Bible (and perhaps a sliver for the Psalms and Proverbs), but much of the Old Testament looks relatively untouched.

The result is that many Christians struggle to understand not only the Old Testament, but large parts of the New, as well. The New Testament is, among other things, a commentary on the Old. The great teachings of the New Testament build upon Old Testament foundations. New Testament authors draw heavily on Old Testament imagery and Old Testament writings in their own works. Whole books of the New Testament, such as Hebrews and Revelation, pose tremendous challenges to the Christian who does not have a firm grasp of the Old Testament.

Why is it so hard to grasp the Old Testament, especially in its relation to the new? Part of this has been the popularity of theological approaches that partition or “stovepipe” different parts of the Bible into sections. Another part of this is due to the lack of biblical exposition in the pulpits of many churches, meaning that most modern Christians have formed their personal theological views without enough access to teaching that explains the background and meaning of the Old Testament – especially in how it relates to the New.

So where is the Christian, who desires to understand and profit from the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament, to start? Several things need to be remembered:

1. God is the ultimate Author of all Scripture.

This means that regardless of the cultural and temporal differences between the Testaments, they both have one common Author.

2. God never changes.

This means that we can read the whole Bible expecting consistency and continuity.

3. God ordained everything that comes to pass in history.

This means that history – including biblical history - is not random or accidental; it is planned and purposeful.

4. God is working all things for the good of those who are called, in order to glorify himself in all creation in Christ Jesus.

This means that everything that happened in biblical history is for the purpose of exalting Christ in our salvation.

Jesus pointed to this truth when, on the road to Emmaus, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). Everything in the Bible relates to and points to Christ. The story – the history – that the Bible tells has Jesus as its climax, as its fulfillment. The Word written reflects and points to the eternal Word, who became incarnate.

In other words, the whole Bible is a description of how God has worked from the beginning to save sinners in Christ. In this broad sense, the Bible is fundamentally about the Gospel. The Gospel is the theme of the whole Bible, as biblical theologian Graeme Goldsworthy puts it.

So if the Gospel gives shape and direction to the story of the Old Testament, keeping the Gospel in mind and reading through a Gospel prism helps “unlock” the Old Testament for us. As always, we seek to determine what the original human author meant and what his readers would have understood, but before jumping to applying that meaning to ourselves, we look first to see how the passage is fulfilled in Jesus. Only then, because we are united to Christ, do we then find application for ourselves.

This weekend, we are privileged to have godly men unpack the meaning and implications of the Gospel for us. Pay close attention and deepen your understanding of the message of salvation, not only because it has real implications for daily living, but also because it will help you understand even more deeply the Word of God – which is our very life.

The book of Revelation contains warnings to several churches, perhaps the most stern being aimed at the church of Laodicea. In the letter to Laodicea, the Lord says the following:

“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.’” (Revelation 3:15-17)

Laodicea was located in an area of high geological activity. It was a frequent victim of earthquakes; twice during the life of Jesus, the city was heavily damaged in quakes. Each time it was rebuilt with Roman help, and the city recovered, so much so that when a third earthquake hit in AD 60 in the time of Nero the Laodiceans were able to rebuild without any outside help.

Apparently this resulted in an attitude of pride and self-sufficiency (“I am rich; I have prospered; I need nothing”). Being self-sufficient is not a bad thing in itself, provided that you do not take pride in it but remember that every day is from the Lord. But the Laodiceans were quite proud. It reminds me, in a way, of the self-congratulation many Albertans express when discussing the economic downturn and how relatively stable our province is (“We’re one of the best economies in the world right now… This is the best place to be”).

What was so remarkably silly about this attitude is that it was shaped and formed in the context of natural disasters – things that could, and did, wipe out the city, things over which the Laodiceans had no control at all. One would think that the Laodiceans would be moved by the ever-present threat of destruction by earthquake to be a little more humble and less self-confident. However, they became complacent and self-satisfied.

What’s disturbing is that this attitude then infected the church. The letter to the Laodiceans was written to Christians, remember – not to the general population. This pride and self-sufficiency had invaded the church, and the complacency and self-satisfaction had affected the works of the church. They were “lukewarm,” said the Lord, so much so that he would rather spew them out of his mouth.

That’s a graphic image, and once chosen for a specific reason and especially for Laodicea. Another side benefit of living in an area of geological activity was the presence of warm springs in the neighboring town of Hierapolis. These springs gave water that was so concentrated with minerals that the aqueducts carrying their water to Hierapolis and Laodicea were designed with removable vents so that Roman engineers could periodically clear them of built-up deposits. In short, the drinking water of Laodicea was putrid and lukewarm, just like the works of its church. And just like one drinking the water of the city, Jesus, upon “tasting” the works of his church in Laodicea, is inclined to spit them out.

How easy it is for the mood of the culture to sway the church! In a city like ours it is tempting for a church to adopt a very similar self-satisfied and self-congratulatory attitude. We need to recognize our own weaknesses and vulnerability to such temptation. As both the economic crisis and the recent earthquake in Haiti have shown us, and as the regular earthquakes in Laodicea should have shown that church, we are always at the mercy of a sovereign God. He gives, and he takes away.

Let us, then, like Job, put our hands over our mouths rather than boast. Let’s keep in mind that any success and accomplishment we enjoy as individuals or as a church is but undeserved grace from a generous God. Let’s watch the self-sufficient attitude of our city’s culture and guard against it, lest it infect our church like it did Laodicea’s and our works be found putrid and lukewarm by our Lord as a result.

By now, all of you are probably aware of the catastrophe that has struck Haiti this week. Already one of the most destitute and distressed nations on earth before this happened, much of the country, and especially its capital Port-au-Prince, is in ruins.

How are we, as Christians, to think and respond when facing such a situation? The hard fact is that this is part of life in a fallen world. Hurricane Katrina, earthquakes in Turkey, tsunami in the Indian Ocean – just in the last few years we’ve seen incredible devastation. As Paul put it: “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” (Romans 8:20-22)

We should remember several truths in the midst of such disasters:

1) God is sovereign. This was no cosmic accident. God knew it was coming and could have prevented it; in fact, the very reason he can know such things is because he ordained that they, like all other things, would come to pass. As the Bible tells us, “Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?” (Amos 3:6), and I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things.” (Isaiah 45:7). There are many out there who will try to say that God could not have prevented this, or that this was not what he wanted. But the Bible makes clear that God is fully in control.

2) We Have No Standing To Question God. The natural inclination is to ask, “Why?” And to those who hold to God’s sovereignty in matters like these, the world will ask, “How could a loving God do such a thing?” There are many good and proper answers to this question, but the first and the most important is that the question is actually out of bounds for us. God answers to no man: Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Gird up your loins like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right? Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like his?” (Job 40:6-9) So, “who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’” (Romans 9:20)

3) God does, however, have a gracious purpose. My daughter doesn’t understand why she needs to get an “owie” when we take her for her shots; it’s simply beyond her capacity to understand. In a similar way, it’s really beyond our capacity as limited human beings to understand how something like this earthquake can have a positive purpose, one for our good. However, that is, in fact, God’s promise: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28).

This gracious purpose is for our good – the good of those in Christ. We can’t understand how in cases like this, for sure. But that’s the truth.

4) One gracious purpose God has in events like this is to call sinners to repentance by reminding them of the certainty of death. Jesus used a similar disaster as an object lesson:

There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5)

Haiti didn’t have this happen because they were worse sinners (or because of some alleged pact with the devil!) Every nation has sinners. Every nation has idolaters and those who serve the god of this world. Haiti is not unique in this regard. But unless they repent – unless everyone repents – the end will be the same. Disasters are wake-up calls for sinners.

4) God’s grace toward us – in salvation AND in his providential control of events – is intended to cause a change in us: For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11-14)

Note what’s being said. We’ve seen that God is working all things for good – even things like earthquakes. We know these things are for the good of his people. Even an earthquake, then, is grace in the sense that it is being used to bless and edify us, even though we can’t understand how.

God’s grace is meant to train us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions – in this case, a wake-up call of biblical proportions that God still has the power of life and death. God’s grace is meant to train us to live godly lives and be zealous for good works – we see this in the multitude of Christians moving even now to Haiti to help, giving scarce monies to the relief efforts, praying for the afflicted and their rescuers. We’ve seen it in the Christians who were already there in that land when the quake hit, who were there sharing the gospel and stretching out hands of mercy in Christ’s name.

Grace takes many forms, but has one purpose – to exalt the glory of God. Let’s remember that, and let’s be humbled before the might and terrifying power of God to devote ourselves more fully to the work he has for us.

Just before Christmas, archaeologists announced that they had discovered a house from the period of Jesus in his hometown of Nazareth. I’ve provided the link below:

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/12/22/tech-archeology-nazareth.html

There’s a lot of interesting information in there for those interested in the background of the biblical text. For example:

- At the time of Christ, Nazareth was a “hamlet” consisting of about 50 “impoverished families.” Here, again, is a useful reminder of the humiliation our Lord God assumed by coming to earth in the flesh. Jesus and his family were evidently not wealthy;

- The threat of armed conflict obviously weighed heavily on the minds of those in the community. The local Jews made “camouflaged grottos” in which to hide if Roman soldiers came looking – hidden caves and cracks where they would take cover. Remember that, while large-scale armed conflict was not happening in Jesus’ day, there had been several Jewish rebellions that had been brutally suppressed by the legions; Gamaliel, speaking in Acts 5:36-37, speaks of at least two messianic revolts (one under Theudas, the other under Judas) that had occurred in the days of his hearers. Obviously the people of Nazareth had learned to take cover and stay out of the way when these things happened;

And it’s certainly encouraging to see the biblical record reinforced yet again. It was not that long ago that scholars and archaeologists doubted the existence of Nazareth in the first century, after all.

As the story points out, it’s entirely possible that a young Jesus might have played around or in that house; perhaps Joseph and his family went to visit there, or even went to fix a wall or roof of the place sometime. I guess it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that this was actually Joseph’s home, but of course we can’t possibly know. Regardless, archaeologists have uncovered a piece of the world Jesus grew up in, and we can be thankful.

But let’s face it: these discoveries are happening all the time. Every couple of months, it seems, something is dug up that lends further credence to the biblical account. In a way, then, this is old news.

Christians don’t need the confirmation of archaeology to know the Bible is true. As the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, following the Westminster Confession, puts it:

We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the church of God to an high and reverent esteem of the Holy Scriptures; and the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, and the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man's salvation, and many other incomparable excellencies, and entire perfections thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God; yet notwithstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth, and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts.

This statement underlines a crucial truth: the Bible is self-attesting. It does not need the authentication of archaeology or anything else. Its life-changing impact (“the efficacy of the doctrine”), its remarkable consistency (“the consent of all the parts”), among other things, tell us it is true, but in the final consideration, we can only know the Bible is true by the Spirit changing our hearts and moving us to esteem and obey the Word of God. As Jesus himself put it:

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (John 16:13-14)

And, as Paul said:

these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. (1 Corinthians 2:10-12)

The Spirit reveals these things to us not isolation, but through the Scriptures (2 Peter 1:21, Ephesians 6:17, Acts 10:44).

What’s the value of archaeology, then? Several things:

- As we saw above, it can encourage us by reminding us of the truth of Scripture.

- It reminds us that the story of redemption is not an abstract concept or merely a nice idea, but that God has intervened in real history and has done his mighty deeds in the real world of rocks and dust and wood and flesh. So our faith, too, must be one of practical, down-to-earth living and not just ethereal emotions or conceptual theologizing

- It provides knowledge of the context in which the Scriptures were given, and so help us to interpret it more accurately.

- It reminds an unbelieving world that the worldview and history that the Bible presents are, indeed, true, and that the world’s perspectives are inconsistent and faulty. In other words, yes, the stones cry out, and the world is condemned.

A conversation I had today reminded me of how precious it is to bear the name “Christian.” The talk was about another topic, but along the way the question of what we can legitimately call “Christian” came up.

This is a common, and very important, question these days. Is that a Christian church? What is the Christian view of this political issue? Is this really a Christian book? The adjective “Christian” seems to stick to pretty well everything these days. European nations have “Christian Democrat” political parties, and Canada has a “Christian Heritage Party.” There are Christian bookstores and a Christian movie industry. There are Christian schools and universities, Christian coffee shops, and, in light of media questions like “What would Jesus drive?”, seemingly there are Christian cars.

So: what does the term really mean? Does it simply mean “in the Christian tradition” or “in Christendom”? Or perhaps “of interest to Christians”? Or something more?

The term “Christian” first appears in history in the Bible itself: “And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians” (Acts 11:26). So this tells us the term has a great deal of meaning:

1) It was applied to disciples – that is, to those who followed Jesus the Christ, who had been born again by the power of the Spirit, who sought to imitate his example and be conformed to his image, who represented him in their preaching of the Gospel to the community around them.

2) It was (probably) applied by the unbelieving community. From that moment on, the name Christ was applied to those who loved him not just by the Lord who had saved them but also by an unbelieving world. It was a recognition of the value that the disciples publicly attached to their Lord in the way they preached him, and to their resemblance to his example.

So: the term relates to discipleship, and it has bearing on our relationship to those outside the Kingdom.

The practical implications are manifold:

1) We are entitled – indeed, expected – to be careful with the word’s application. Just because a group calls itself a “church” doesn’t mean it’s Christian, for instance. Does it preach the true Gospel of Christ? Does it make disciples who seek to glorify Christ in their lives and who rest on Christ alone for their righteousness? Are the teachings and worldview it presents to the unbelieving community distinctly biblical, or just generic spiritualistic moralism?

 So an application, then, for us is: don’t take “Christian” at face value, just because something or someone says it is. Put it to the test (1 Thessalonians 5:21); measure it by the Gospel and the whole of Scripture.

2) We have a responsibility to live in such a manner that others outside our circle recognize Christ in our lives. We are the Body of Christ. He needs to be visible and unmistakable in our lives.

So: Is he? Most of us have unbelieving family members, who know we’re “Christian,” but do our lives and words make plain to them what that word really means? Does the sacrificial nature of the true Gospel and the exclusivity of the true Christ shine through in our relationships with others, who are prone to attach superficial and moralistic meanings to their understanding of “Christian”? 

I guess this whole missive is just another take on knowing the Gospel and living it. And that’s the essence of the whole Christian life, after all. It’s what makes that life “Christian” in the first place. 

The word means something. Let’s make sure we know that, and others do too.