Faith Basics: Christ in the Old Testament

Dan and Ian explore how the Old Testament—from Genesis to Malachi—all points to the coming of God himself as Israel's Messiah, the serpent crusher.

• Automated Transcription

• Dan Jarms 0:00
  Today on faith matters, we're going to continue our series faith basics. And we're going to be talking about the doctrine of Christ, I have Ian rush coming into the studio, and we are going to talk about how the Old Testament previews prophesize, Jesus first coming.
  
  Dan Jarms 0:23
  I'm Dan Jarms. And you're listening to faith matters a podcast to help update you on matters of faith Bible Church, as well as equip you in matters of the Christian faith.
  
  Dan Jarms 0:42
  Hey, hey, we are going to be talking about the doctrine of Christ in these basics for the next four episodes. And Ian and I are going to kick it off today, talking about Christ in the Old Testament, and how, how the Old Testament prepares us and prepares for Christianity. Christianity is not distinct from Judaism, at least biblical Judaism, Christianity is the natural advancement or extension of biblical Judaism. In other words, the Old Testament has been marching toward Christ, from Genesis to Molokai. And we see that and we're gonna give you some examples of that. But But to say that Christianity is another religion and alongside of Judaism, isn't is not really right, at least not biblical Judaism. So Judaism may be distinct in some ways in modern Judaism rejects Christ as Messiah. The Bible clearly prepares us for that. So the advancement of God's plan to make a people for Himself from Genesis is advanced through or carried through revelation in the New Testament. So, Ian, why don't we start with just some general ideas give us an overview of how the New Testament tells us that the Old Testament has been leading up?
  
  Ian Rush 2:07
  Yeah, yeah, I think it's a really important point. I think another really important like presupposition is that, so. So something to understand, before we understand how the Old Testament led up to Christ, is that Christ is eternal. So the Old Testament doesn't just prophesy about things that would happen in the future concerning this guy, Jesus, or this Messiah, that here has actually existed for all of eternity. So I think that's a really a really crucial thing to kind of underline here as well. You see that in places like John one, verse three, Colossians, 116, he's, he's been around forever. So he didn't come into being when he was conceived. And yeah, the Old Testament prophecies didn't just speak of a time when he would exist, or come into being he has always existed. And he's revealed that stuff along the way. Yeah. So just to kind of tack on to what you were saying in the intro there. I think a good illustration of what you were saying was the story of Jesus on the road to a mess. After the resurrection, he's just starting to appear to disciples again. And they're still thinking, Oh, he's dead. He's been dead for three days. And, and then Jesus, he starts his appearances, and one of them is on the road to a mass. So you can look at it in Luke 24. But one of the things he says because they're kind of confused about the things that have happened to him thinking, Oh, we thought he was supposed to be the Messiah, but he's dead and buried. And then Jesus says to them in verse 27, or it says, Luke's account says, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he Jesus interpreted to them, in all the Scriptures, the things concerning himself. So, Moses, through the prophets, Jesus then leads them along the way and says, Look, you guys have missed things about the coming of the Messiah. You've missed things about what was going to happen to him, what what would, what the coming of the Messiah would lead to, and he really opens their eyes. He, He gives them a a full on Bible study, when they're on this walk and shows them hey, look, here's how the Old Testament actually pointed to the Messiah and spoke about the Messiah. So I think that's really important, because Jesus himself pointed to the fact that the Old Testament Scriptures spoke about him.
  
  Dan Jarms 4:37
  Yeah, yeah, that that passage in John five, where the Jews were questioning Jesus, and Jesus tells them, you know, if you would have believed Moses, you would have believed me because he wrote the things about me. So this this was Jesus expectation. When you open up the New Testament, in every gospel, they're all looking for a messiah. So the Jews who had always been looking for a messiah, when Jesus comes, he fulfills that. So the Jews themself expected a messiah, predicted by the Old Testament. Then when you have Jesus doing that, on the road to Emmaus, that part that you just explained, and then, as the Apostle Paul starts going through the Roman Empire, to all the synagogues, to tell them that the Messiah has come, he begins with the Old Testament. And in fact, Paul doesn't quote, any New Testament scriptures, they aren't written yet, the only thing he has Are Old Testament Scriptures, and that's how he preaches, that Jesus is the Christ from the Old Testament,
  
  Ian Rush 5:36
  and that begins all the way back in Genesis three. Right, so Genesis three is the account of the fall. But even there when Adam and Eve are still in the Garden of Eden after they've sinned, and the curses are coming down on them, and the serpent, God delivers this promise of a messianic hope, that one, a seed of Eve would come and crush the head of the serpent. So even from that point in Genesis 315, still in the Garden of Eden, before they'd had any kids, there was this expectation, this anticipation that one would come at some point from the lion from the descendants of humanity, who would who deal with sin and deal with deal with those who oppose God, represented by the serpent.
  
  Dan Jarms 6:24
  So in Romans chapter one, one of the essential elements of Paul's Gospel is that Jesus was born of the line of David as promised in the Scriptures. So, again, that's that that helps us as we think of Christianity, as as not a diversion or a distraction from the Old Testament, or Old Testament Judaism, but as the fulfillment and extension. So unlike Islam, today, where Islam was a corruption of the Old Testament and the New Testament, Biblical Christianity is not a corruption of the Old Testament, it is a logical extension, because of all that was all that was said in it. And all that was expected of it when Jesus came, when I think of Genesis 315. There there are, there are several things that Jesus or this Messiah is going to come to do, he is going to destroy satan, because that Genesis 315, that the Messiah, He will crush and speaking to Satan, He will crush your head and you will bruise his heel. That's, that's the way that's laid out there. Meaning that the the temptation work in the destroying work of Satan will one day be up ended and Satan himself will be destroyed. Along with that, because of that sin death comes in. So the one who comes to destroy satan will ultimately destroy death. And that means somehow the spiritual issues going to need to be taken care of. So starting from Genesis, we know that we have a Head Crusher coming, we know that we have a death killer coming. And that's the score. It's right from the beginning, had Crusher death killer in in the plan, and you see that unfold multiple places. What are some of the other highlights if
  
  Ian Rush 8:11
  you begin with Genesis 315, the anticipation of humankind begins there. And I think you see it as early as with Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel. When from that point, they're thinking, okay, is this the seed that God had promised? Is this the offspring that God had promised? So Cain and Abel come? And obviously we know the story of Cain and Abel? And the obvious answer to that question is no, no, this is not this is not the one that God had promised. Many years later, another comes, no, this is not not the one that was promised. So there was this anticipation within humanity, that a, this this offspring would one day come and accomplish the things that God had promised that he would accomplish. And I think what you see as scripture progresses in the Old Testament, is that God gives these covenants like the Abrahamic Covenant, the Davidic, covenant, the new covenant, and it just adds, it adds kind of meat to the bones, because the promise as hopeful as it is in Genesis 315, is very primitive. And then you get the promise to or the covenant with Abraham. And it just adds so much more about like, there's going to be a kingdom, there's going to be the land, there's going to be kings, and then later in Second Samuel seven, where God makes the covenant with David, and he talks about how the Messiah would be the eternal King that would sit on the throne of David. So it's just adding more detail to who this serpent Crusher would be and what he would do when He came. And we see we see that framework and that kind of network built up throughout the Old Testament, as we as we work through the years, and that's over a period of a couple of 1000 years. Yeah.
  
  Dan Jarms 9:56
  I think of that highlight in Jeremiah and Ezekiel with the promise of a new covenant. Both are connected to Messianic prophecies, both in Jeremiah, somebody who's going to come, and then there's going to be a new covenant. Clearly in Ezekiel, there is someone to come who will lead. Ezekiel is thick with references to a future David, meaning Christ, and establishing a new covenant. And that's what you see Jesus coming to do is to establish the New Covenant. And he says, every time we take the Lord's Supper, we were always reminded that this is the new covenant in his blood. And that new covenant provides two things for us the atonement for sin, as predicted by predicted by the Passover and predicted by Isaiah 53. And then it also promises the Holy Spirit, which after Jesus resurrection and ascension, he sends the Holy Spirit to establish that new covenant. So
  
  Ian Rush 10:50
  you can't you can kind of piece the New Covenant together with the Mosaic Covenant as well, right. But I think they work together because the law that was given through Moses, it's really we find out in the New Testament, they make it really clear the purpose of the law was to show the wickedness of your heart and how much you need a Messiah. And then Christ comes with the new covenant, and he gives us the new heart that we so desperately need. So it accomplishes all that the Mosaic Covenant pointed out that we needed in the Messiah.
  
  Dan Jarms 11:29
  Then another thing that really stands out is the inclusion of all nations. So the biblical extension of Judaism is all the nations worshipping Messiah,
  
  Ian Rush 11:39
  yeah, all the way back to Abraham, you see the nations that will come from him and be blessed. Yeah, on account of the promise that God makes with him,
  
  Dan Jarms 11:48
  I think for a person who is newer to the faith, the assumption is that Christ is only in the New Testament, but Christ is in the Old Testament. So how do we get to know Christ better by what comes in the Old Testament? One of the realities, if you look through any of your gospels, there are so many cross references and quotes, you have quotes and illusions from the writing apostles, about Old Testament. And of course, you can go look those up. Those are very encouraging. But as you spend time reading from the Old Testament, week by week, as you journey through the whole Bible, over your early life as a Christian, you're going to start to notice key themes. That when you get to the New Testament, there are these big like, wow, that this has always been there. This has always been part of God's plan. I think of the im statements that are in John, and those have always been there, the Good Shepherd, they've always been promised.
  
  Ian Rush 12:51
  Like we've been saying, I think one of the main things is the fact that a Messiah would come has always been God's plan, the things that happened to the Messiah when He came, this has always been God's plan. And there's just so much in the Old Testament that points to that fact. Like, none of this. None of this happens by accident. None of it is Plan B.
  
  Dan Jarms 13:16
  What blows you away about it? When you think of Christ in all of Scripture? What impacts your heart,
  
  Ian Rush 13:25
  the thing that impacts my heart the most is just to consider the depth of his love. Because in in youth ministry, we just did a message on Psalm 22. And it's the, My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Psalm. Obviously, that Psalm was written 1000 years before Jesus was conceived. And to think that he not only knew that that was what was that would happen to him. But he planned that was planned to happen to him to deal with my son, personally. And it just reveals the depths of His love. And then you read things like those, those verses at the end of Romans eight, that talk about how God has already given you everything through His Son. Little like, how he describes it in Psalm 22. Isn't he so much more gonna give you all things? Like, like, Why do you worry? Like, he's already shown you the maximum kind of level of love and how much he cares about you? Like, why are you concerned that he's gonna give you give you all of these little things as well, like, he's, he's, he's going to care for you. He's going to take care of you. He's already shown it in the greatest way. So I think it I think it impacts me in in that way. And it really, it comforts in my heart.
  
  Dan Jarms 14:44
  I would, I would add, one of the things that blows me away when I jumped to Ephesians chapter one, which gives an overview of the eternal plan that God had for ordained to save us in Christ. faced. So from eternity past, God the Father, God, the Son and God, the Holy Spirit had determined to save sinners, for himself for the glory of His grace. And then what we see in the Old Testament is the execution of that plan began. And all of the things that could have gotten in the way, and God remained faithful to His eternal plan, and bring us Christ by His grace. So yeah, the love of the love of God, the grace of God,
  
  Ian Rush 15:33
  I think another thing I was just thinking of this, like, the description of the Messiah in Genesis 315, is really encouraging the serpent Crusher, because the reality is, as a believer, even, I was still at battle every day with sin and with Satan. But to know that Christ is the one who obliterates the enemy and overcomes the enemy. He's the one that has the power to do the thing that I need, which is to overcome sin, so that practically speaking, that gives me the encouragement of, it doesn't matter what sin I'm struggling with. Christ is powerful enough, he's the serpent Crusher, he's able to help me overcome it.
  
  Dan Jarms 16:17
  Yeah, that's, that's really great. So let's wrap up with that benediction. Romans 1620, the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. So from Genesis three into the New Testament, that's the hope we have.
  
  Dan Jarms 16:48
  It's so helpful to think through the Bible's unity. So it's one continuous story. So the Old Testament throughout laces, predicts prophesized the coming of the New Testament whereas the coming of Christ is the continuation of God's story. If you have any questions about that, drop us an email at info at FB church.org in and I would love to pick up another podcast answer any questions that you might have. Feel free to grab us in the foyer one day if you have any other questions about it. We have other podcasts coming up various things from faith Bible Church, the next in the faith basic series on Christ will be about the Incarnation, Brian Sayers will join me in the studio and we're going to talk about the significance of the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God taking on human flesh for our salvation.

Dan Jarms

Dr. Dan Jarms is teaching pastor and team leader at Faith Bible Church in Spokane Washington, as well as associate dean at The Master's Seminary in Spokane. He has been married for over 30 years to Linda, and has three adult children. He earned his B.A. in English at the Master’s College, B.Ed. at Eastern Washington University, M.Div and D.Min in Expository Preaching at The Master’s Seminary. His other interests include NCAA basketball, woodworking, and art.

View Resources by Dan Jarms

Ian Rush

Ian is the Youth Pastor of Faith Bible Church. He and his wife, Claire, have 5 kids and recently spent a few years serving in a small church in England.

View Resources by Ian Rush