Jesus: The Foundation of the Bible's Story

Devotional

Day 1: The Resurrection as the Foundation of Faith

The story of the Bible begins with Jesus, specifically His resurrection, which is the cornerstone of Christianity. Without the resurrection, there would be no church or Bible as we know it. This event sparked the documentation of Jesus' life and teachings, leading to the creation of the New Testament. The resurrection is not just a historical event but the pivotal moment that transformed the lives of Jesus' followers and gave birth to the Christian faith. It is the reason the early disciples were willing to face persecution and even death, as they were convinced of the truth of Jesus' victory over death. The resurrection assures believers of the hope of eternal life and the power of God to bring new life out of death. [02:42]

1 Corinthians 15:14-17 (ESV): "And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins."

Reflection: How does the reality of the resurrection influence your daily life and decisions? What steps can you take to live more fully in the light of this truth today?

Day 2: Gentile Christians and the Hebrew Scriptures

The early Gentile Christians adopted the Hebrew Scriptures as their own, interpreting them through a Christological lens. This led to conflicts with Jewish leaders, but the Gentiles were focused on finding Jesus within these texts, often seeing Him in places He was not originally intended to be. This approach highlights the transformative power of Jesus' life and teachings, as the Gentiles sought to understand their faith through the lens of the Hebrew Scriptures. Their focus was not on the cultural or religious aspects of Judaism but on the revelation of Jesus as the Messiah. This Christ-centered interpretation sometimes led to misunderstandings and conflicts, but it also enriched the Christian faith by connecting it to the broader narrative of God's work in history. [07:19]

Romans 15:4 (ESV): "For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

Reflection: In what ways can you seek to find Jesus in the Old Testament Scriptures? How might this deepen your understanding of God's redemptive plan?

Day 3: The Revolutionary Nature of the Sinai Covenant

The Sinai Covenant, often criticized for its harsh laws, was actually a revolutionary moral and civil code for its time. It provided protections for the vulnerable and set the Israelites apart as God's chosen people, preparing them for the coming of the Messiah. The laws given at Sinai were not arbitrary but were designed to create a just and compassionate society, reflecting God's character. They offered unprecedented rights and protections for women, servants, and foreigners, which were not found in the surrounding cultures. Understanding the Sinai Covenant in its historical context reveals its significance as a precursor to the teachings of Jesus, who fulfilled the law and brought a new covenant of grace. [20:16]

Deuteronomy 10:18-19 (ESV): "He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt."

Reflection: How can you apply the principles of justice and compassion found in the Sinai Covenant to your interactions with others today? What specific actions can you take to protect and support the vulnerable in your community?

Day 4: Prophetic Fulfillment in Jesus

The prophets of the Old Testament, while addressing their immediate contexts, also pointed to a future fulfillment of God's promises. Isaiah's prophecy of a suffering servant, fulfilled in Jesus, highlights the divine purpose woven throughout the history of the Hebrew people. The prophets spoke of a coming Messiah who would bring redemption and restoration, not just to Israel but to all nations. Jesus' life, death, and resurrection are seen as the fulfillment of these prophecies, demonstrating God's faithfulness to His promises. This understanding of prophecy invites believers to see Jesus as the culmination of God's redemptive work and to trust in His ongoing plan for the world. [27:13]

Isaiah 53:4-5 (ESV): "Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed."

Reflection: How does the fulfillment of prophecy in Jesus strengthen your faith in God's promises? What specific promise of God are you holding onto today, and how can you trust Him to fulfill it in His timing?

Day 5: The Bible as a Redemptive Saga

The Bible is a saga of God's redemptive work through history, culminating in Jesus. It is not just a spiritual guidebook but a testament to God's faithfulness and His plan to bring salvation to all nations, reminding us of the profound impact it has on our lives today. The narrative of the Bible reveals God's relentless pursuit of humanity, His desire to restore what was broken, and His ultimate plan to reconcile all things through Christ. As believers, we are invited to participate in this ongoing story of redemption, living out the implications of the gospel in our daily lives and sharing the hope of salvation with others. [32:06]

Colossians 1:19-20 (ESV): "For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross."

Reflection: In what ways can you actively participate in God's redemptive work in the world today? How can you share the story of God's faithfulness and salvation with someone who needs to hear it?

Sermon Summary

In this part of the series, "The Bible for Grown-Ups," we explore the fascinating journey of how the Bible came to be, emphasizing that the story of the Bible begins not with Genesis, but with Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus is the pivotal event that sparked the interest in documenting His life, teachings, and works, leading to the creation of the New Testament. Without the resurrection, there would be no church, no Christianity, and consequently, no Bible as we know it today.

The early church, particularly the Gentile Christians, embraced the Hebrew Scriptures, not as Jewish texts, but as Christian Scripture. This adoption was not without conflict, as the Jewish leaders were not pleased with the Gentiles' interpretation of their sacred texts. The Gentiles, however, were not interested in the Jewish religion or culture; their focus was Christological. They sought to find Jesus within the Hebrew Scriptures, often interpreting them in ways that the Jewish scholars found appalling.

The Sinai Covenant, given to the Israelites, is often criticized for its seemingly harsh laws and restrictions. However, when understood in its ancient context, it was a revolutionary moral and civil code, far ahead of its time. The laws provided protections for the most vulnerable, including women, servants, and foreigners, which were unparalleled in the surrounding nations. This covenant was part of God's plan to prepare the world for the coming of Jesus, the Messiah.

The prophets of the Old Testament, while addressing their immediate historical contexts, also looked forward to a future fulfillment of God's promises. Isaiah, for instance, spoke of a suffering servant whose life and death would bring redemption not just to Israel, but to the entire world. This prophecy, fulfilled in Jesus, highlights the divine purpose woven throughout the history of the Hebrew people.

The story of the Bible is a saga of God's redemptive work through history, culminating in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It is a testament to God's faithfulness and His plan to bring salvation to all nations. As we continue to explore this story, we are reminded of the profound impact it has had on the world and our lives today.

Key Takeaways

1. The story of the Bible begins with Jesus, specifically His resurrection, which is the cornerstone of Christianity. Without the resurrection, there would be no church or Bible as we know it. This event sparked the documentation of Jesus' life and teachings, leading to the creation of the New Testament. [02:42]
2. The early Gentile Christians adopted the Hebrew Scriptures as their own, interpreting them through a Christological lens. This led to conflicts with Jewish leaders, but the Gentiles were focused on finding Jesus within these texts, often seeing Him in places He was not originally intended to be. [07:19]
3. The Sinai Covenant, often criticized for its harsh laws, was actually a revolutionary moral and civil code for its time. It provided protections for the vulnerable and set the Israelites apart as God's chosen people, preparing them for the coming of the Messiah. [20:16]
4. The prophets of the Old Testament, while addressing their immediate contexts, also pointed to a future fulfillment of God's promises. Isaiah's prophecy of a suffering servant, fulfilled in Jesus, highlights the divine purpose woven throughout the history of the Hebrew people. [27:13]
5. The Bible is a saga of God's redemptive work through history, culminating in Jesus. It is not just a spiritual guidebook but a testament to God's faithfulness and His plan to bring salvation to all nations, reminding us of the profound impact it has on our lives today. [32:06]
** [32:06]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:39] - Introduction to the Series
[01:02] - The Story of the Bible Begins with Jesus
[02:01] - The Resurrection and the Birth of the Church
[03:06] - Documenting Jesus' Life
[04:09] - Gentile Christians and the Hebrew Scriptures
[05:22] - The Complex Relationship with Jewish Texts
[06:24] - Gentiles' Christological Focus
[07:32] - Misinterpretations and Conflicts
[09:13] - The Sinai Covenant's Revolutionary Nature
[11:03] - God's Covenant with Israel
[12:27] - Criticisms of the Sinai Covenant
[14:20] - Leviticus and Sexual Prohibitions
[16:33] - The Hebrew Law Ahead of Its Time
[19:14] - God's Accommodation to Human Capacity
[21:33] - Israel's Desire for a King
[23:12] - The Temple Without an Image
[25:33] - Prophets and Their Messages
[27:13] - Isaiah's Prophecy of the Suffering Servant
[32:06] - The Bible's Redemptive Saga
[34:13] - Fulfillment of God's Promises

Sermon Clips

The story of the Bible actually begins in the 1st century when Jesus' tomb was found empty and then Jesus was seen and His cowardly followers who ran when He was arrested showed up in the streets of Jerusalem and said, He's back. He's alive from the dead. [00:02:05]

Suddenly there was interest in documenting the life, the words and the works of Jesus, because if Jesus had stayed dead, we probably would have never heard of Jesus, because there would have been no church and no Christianity and consequently, there would have been no Bible. [00:02:34]

When Gentiles, non-Jewish people, became enamored with a particular Jew, Jesus, they immediately became enamored with the sacred text of the Jews, the Hebrew, what we'll call the Hebrew Bible. This is the Hebrew Bible. This is the Hebrew Bible that I used in graduate school. [00:04:01]

Gentile Christians, early on, Gentile Christians in the late 1st century especially in 2nd century, embraced these texts as scripture. But here's where the storyline gets complicated. They did not embrace the Hebrew Bible or the Jewish Bible as Jewish scripture. [00:04:46]

Gentiles' interest in this book was Christological, a brand new word for some of you. They went into the Hebrew Bible not looking for the Hebrews. They went into the Jewish scripture not looking for Jews. They went into the Hebrew Bible looking for Christ, looking for Jesus. [00:07:19]

The Hebrew people, the law that God gave the nation, the law that God gave Moses to give to the nation, the Hebrew people were way way way way way way way way ahead of their time. It would take centuries for surrounding civilizations to finally mature to the point that they realized that the sexual prohibitions that God gave the nation of Israel were the way to go. [00:16:33]

The Sinai Covenant is absolutely brilliant. It strikes us as unsophisticated and barbaric, but it wasn't. In fact, it was superior. It was superior in every way to the civil and religious codes, and moral codes of the surrounding nations. In fact, specifically, the protections afforded the most vulnerable were nothing short of revolutionary. [00:20:16]

Every single one of the prophets is addressing a specific historical context. Every single one of the prophets is addressing something going on primarily with one of the kings. The kings of Israel, or the northern kingdom, or their southern kingdom. But, every once in a while, every once in a while, the prophets would look beyond their immediate historical context to a future day when God would do something through the nation of Israel for the nations of the world. [00:25:33]

Isaiah was a prophet who wrote about 600 years before the time of Christ, about 600 years before the time of Christ. And much of his prophecy makes sense within its original context, the issues that he was addressing during that period of time. But there is one portion of what he wrote that was mysterious to the original audience. [00:26:31]

The story of the ancient Hebrews is just absolutely, absolutely magnificent. I mean, to summarize it this way, it's like God wades into the fray and plays by the rules of the kingdoms of this world in order to usher in a kingdom not of this world. [00:31:57]

The story of the Old Testament, the story of the Jewish people, honestly, it should cause all of us to drop to our knees in gratitude. There is no need to tidy it up. It is not a spiritual guidebook. It is the story of God preparing the world for His Messiah, for your Savior. [00:34:48]

The Gentile church quickly adopted the Jewish scripture as Christian scripture and began using it in Christian worship. And eventually they gave it a new name. They began calling it the Old Covenant. The entire volume, everything involved, they would call it the Old Covenant. [00:35:23]

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