Jesus was a master teacher Who used the Old Testament as the foundation of His teachings. This devotional reading looks at how Jesus taught of the need for salvation
Nuggets
- Jesus taught from the Old Testament of the need for the Plan of Salvation
- Jesus taught from the Old Testament through others.
- Jesus taught using the Scripture of the Old Testament.
No, the Old Testament doesn’t once call Jesus by name. Yes, Jesus is all over the Old Testament.
What we can’t forget is that, when Jesus preached, He used the Old Testament as the foundation for His expanded teachings. He told them what God had said, showed them where they went wrong, and told them what God really meant.
Let’s look at some Old Testament passages that prophesied Jesus’ ministry.
Let's Put It into Context
To read devotions in the On the Day of the Lord theme, click the button below.
Devotions in the Gospsel Tidings about Easter series
The foundation of this series is Boston’s sermon, Jesus and the Meek.
Resource
Personally, by Himself in Paradise
“I will put animosity between you and the woman, and between your descendant and her descendant; he will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel” (Gen. 3: 15 ESV)
Jesus taught from the Old Testament of the need for the Plan of Salvation
Jesus was present in Genesis 1. “Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, in the likeness of ourselves; and let them rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the animals, and over all the earth, and over every crawling creature that crawls on the earth’” (Gen. 1: 26 ESV).
The story of mankind’s original sin is told in Genesis 3: 1-7. It is in God’s judgment for that sin that we are told Jesus’ mission in Genesis 3: 15.
God told the serpent that He would instigate a hatred “… between your descendant and her descendant …” (Gen. 3: 15 ESV).
Jesus was a descendant of Adam and Eve’s because He was born of a virgin.
- “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12: 3 ESV).
- “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant” (Gen. 9: 26-27 ESV).
- “How long will you waver, O faithless daughter? For the Lord has created a new thing on the earth: a woman encircles a man” (Jer. 31: 22 ESV).
These verses were verified in the New Testament.
- “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed’ (Gal. 3: 8 ESV).
- “You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness” (Ac. 3: 25-26 ESV).
- “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit’” (Mt. 1: 18-20 ESV).
- “the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech” (Lk. 3: 36 ESV).
- “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal. 4: 4-5 ESV).
Even from Genesis, Jesus was going to be victorious over Satan. “… he will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel” (Gen. 3: 15 ESV).
There was never a version where Satan was going to win. He may think he is winning the battles now, but he won’t win the war.
David knew that. “Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!” (Ps. 22: 20-21 ESV). That is the Psalm that Jesus quoted part if not all of on the cross.
That is what the cross was all about — defeating Satan and sin.
- “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he” (Zech. 9: 9 ESV).
- “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place” (Dan. 9: 24 ESV).
- “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Heb. 2: 14-15 ESV).
By His Ambassador, in HIS Name, the Prophets, and Ordinary Teachers
“I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD” (Ps. 40: 9 ESV)
Jesus taught from the Old Testament through others.
What the Jews had — and thought they knew — were teachings from the Old Testament. They called it the Torah. It consisted of what are the first five books of what we call the Old Testament.
Some believed in the books written by the prophets and others. Some didn’t.
Jesus affirmed the law given in the Old Testament. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Mt. 5: 17-18 ESV).
Did you catch that? Jesus acknowledged the law given by the prophets, not just Moses.
Jesus taught about God’s grace and righteousness so all who were searching for Him could understand.
- “You are the most handsome of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever” (Ps. 45: 2 ESV).
- “Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us” (Ps. 78: 1-3 ESV).
- “It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem” (Isa. 2: 2-3 ESV).
We know Jesus did just this.
- “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Mt. 4: 17 ESV).
- “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (Jn. 1: 17 ESV).
- “And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’” (Lk. 4: 22 ESV).
- “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (Jn. 1: 12-13 ESV).
- “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Mt. 13: 34-35 ESV).
- “And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Mt. 7: 28-29 ESV).
All the teaching is done in His and through His name. “May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!” (Ps. 72: 17 ESV).
Before Jesus came and after He came, His teachings were provided by prophets and ordinary teachers. True, some of the prophets were society people.
- saiah had close relationships with the kings of his period.
- Jeremiah was the son of a priest.
- Ezekiel was a priest.
- Daniel was nobility.
- Zephaniah was probably the great-great grandson of King Hezekiah.
- Haggai was the son of the governor.
Hosea and Amos, like the Apostles, that were ordinary men. Nothing much is said about the origins of the rest of them.
By His Written Word
“As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness” (Ps. 17: 15 ESV)
Jesus taught using the Scripture of the Old Testament.
At the current time, we can’t see Jesus’ face. When David wrote those words, he couldn’t either.
But that is what it is all about — faith without sight. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11: 1 ESV).
David wrote a lot of things down which give us insight into Who Jesus is.
- “I will tell of the decree: ‘The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession”’” (Ps. 2: 7-8 ESV).
- “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Ps. 2: 12 ESV).
- “Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet” (Ps. 8: 5-6 ESV).
- “Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16: 9-11 ESV).
Job also wrote about Jesus. “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth” (Job 19: 25 ESV).
These were fulfilled in the New Testament.
- “And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers” (Ac. 13: 28-32 ESV)
- “Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’” (Jn. 20: 31 ESV)
- “But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” (Heb. 2: 9 ESV).
- “Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead” (Jn. 20: 9 ESV)
- “He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise” (Lk. 24: 6-7 ESV).
Making the Connections
All of God’s Word is about the need for Christ to come; waiting for His arrival; His birth, death, and resurrection; His return to Heaven, and His second coming during the Day if the Lord.
We have everything we need to believe Jesus is the Messiah.
We just have to decide to do that.
How Do We Apply This?
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17)
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3)
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16)
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11)
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2)
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11)
Father God. You have spelled out for us what we need to do and why we need to do it. We have to believe Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer. Help us to decide to believe that and live our lives daily expressing that belief. Amen.
What do you think?
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