How Much of the Old Testament is About Jesus?

Some say that the Old Testament is all about Jesus and some say it is so. Which is true. That's just one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity hi this is Bill Meyer along with pastor Pedro Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. You can call us with your question. At 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 also post your question on our Facebook, Instagram or twitter accounts or email us at questions at core, Christianity.com. Well, what's the restaurant owner to do in the face of covert restrictions. One restaurant owner in Europe decided to get creative it by a plunge in business after foreign tourists banished a gourmet restaurant in Budapest Hungary did something unique.

Restaurant called Kostas is now offering skyline dining on the Budapest I Ferris wheel in order to serve meals in a covert proof environment. Kostas owner Caroli Toronto says now that there are not many people on the Ferris wheel or in the restaurant because there are no tourists. The opportunity arose that we could do this.

The tickets for this novel dining experience cost 104 bucks for gourmet four course meal they sold out a couple of days and it sounds like I was thinking Pedro sounds like a really cool experience. Unless of course the wind kicks up right while you're having your soup that would not be good so way, are you saying Bill that these people are writing a Ferris wheel while eating dinner what they do. I guess they put them on the Ferris wheel and then it doesn't move all your okay click I think that that like a disaster like you know you going to get dizzy is here taking a bite into your mashed potatoes and now you are totally up at the top looking at the skyline of the city and the romantic mustard lightning strike that would look into our first question, one of our listeners who wanted to stay anonymous to ask this question on her Facebook page he or she says I want to be a Christian but I'm not sure how to do it. Can you please help me one. Thank you for that question and I guess there are a few different ways of answering to see him, but also to passages are coming to my mind right now I think about what Paul told the Philippian jailer you know when the jailer asked what must I do to be saved and he said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ also really in any testing of this call to faith to believe in Jesus to trust in Jesus. That's more than you just admitting that Jesus existed for being willing to say yeah he's the son of God. But it's it's truly embracing that with your heart and trusting in him personally recognizing that he is the only one that can save you that your center first and foremost that we need God's grace we can't save ourselves. You have that call to faith everywhere in the New Testament, but I also think of that seen in John chapter 3 and this is one of the most well-known passages of Scripture, especially when you get to verse 16 X want to read John chapter 3 up to verse 16 but beginning in verse one, because I think it really helps to answer your question, there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 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 things that you do unless God is with him.

Jesus answered him, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, how can a man be born when he is old, any interest.

Second time into his mother's womb and be born in Jesus answered, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you must be born again. 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. Nicodemus said to him, how can these things be. Jesus answered him, are you the teacher of Israel and get you do not understand these things. Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak what we know and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I've told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things no one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the son of man as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Now to you asking this question in some ways to remind me of Nicodemus either wanting to remain anonymous, Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, he was a ruler of the Jews to be as someone who happened to be pretty steeped in the religion of the Jews, someone who was respected and yet he knows that there's something about this Jesus that that they can't really put their finger on. He knows that he's a teacher come from God and he's trying to understand what it is that Jesus is about who it is that Jesus is in Jesus as here's what you need Nicodemus it's not enough to simply be religious. I think this is a really important point for us to grasp today. It's not just religion that saves someone a lot of people think it, so long as you're sincere. So what is your religious a good person that that's what gets you when and it doesn't really matter what you believe, so long as you believe something that's not what Jesus says what you believe really matters who your trusting in or what you're trusting in is a matter of life and death. A matter of spiritual life and spiritual death. And Jesus says to Nicodemus, yeah, I know you're the teacher in Israel.

But here's what you need you need to be born again as you need to be born of the Spirit. It's what we refer to as re-generation the new birth and it comes by the grace of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ and Jesus calls Nicodemus here also to faith. He says God loved the world so much that he gave his only son so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. And so the first question I would ask you is do you believe in Jesus. Do you trust in him.

Maybe recognize like Nicodemus recognized her something to this, Jesus + religious, but I don't have a personal relationship with Christ will turn to him, trust in him, and practically speaking, you need to be in a church go through the membership class at at the local church that preaches the Bible teaches the Scripture. I think ordinarily that's a part of how God is working in our lives. It's it's one of the ways we know that we know the Lord is because were part of his body.

We have a relationship with Christ.

We also have a relationship to the church's body and so trusting Jesus and be a part of the church at God calls you to and continue to grow in your faith. Walking with the Lord and understanding what the Scriptures teach digging into the Scriptures and the sites want to encourage you in that way. Trust in Christ and be a part of the Bible teaching church. God bless you. This is core Christianity with pastor Adm. Sanchez.

If you have a question for us. You can call us at 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673, down would like to know if you can explain the variable in Mark chapter 2 verse 2122 thank you. Hi Lavette, thank you so much for your calling your question and just read the passage so that our listeners can can follow along with the seven to start actually in verse 18. Just to give us a little bit more of the context is not John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting and people came and said to him why John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast but your disciples do not fast.

And Jesus said to them in the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them as long as they have the bridegroom with them. They cannot fast the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them and then they will fast in that day no one sews a piece of unstrung cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it. The new from the old and a worse tear is made and no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins. The wine is destroyed, so are the skins new wine is for fresh wineskins, so that is this Jesus is going about teaching and making disciples.

You have people who were concerned about what it was that he was saying.

In particular, the religious leaders, the Pharisees, they look to Jesus and his disciples and they said they're not as pious as we are. They don't fast like we do and so people come to our Lord and they say why is it that your disciples don't do the same religious rituals we do, they're not fasting like we fast and Jesus first says look, I'm the bridegroom I'm here with them. This is the time of celebration, a time of joy. Fasting is typically associated with sorrow, with crying out to the Lord because of some great turmoil or difficulty. And yet Jesus is that that that's not the job of my disciples right now.

No, I'm here. Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, then he goes a step further and he begins talking about. This is what you were. I think were most curious on was was this this idea of new wine into old wineskins. Jesus is saying here is his teaching what he's bringing is the new wine. Ultimately, I think he's referring here to the new covenant covenant is sort of like promise.

It was this this promise displays that God made to his people way back in the prophets and in Jeremiah chapter 31, where he was going to forgive all their sins and fill them with the Holy Spirit. This is what Jesus came to accomplish. You think about that. The meal that he instituted on the night that he was betrayed the Lord's supper with bread and wine.

Jesus came, bringing the new wine of the kingdom, and it wasn't going to be contained under the old covenant you can fit it in there. I think that's the idea you seek in in those days, may we have water bottles and and you know Nalgene's or whatever those things are called you. You put your drink in on those days. They put wine into wine skins and new wineskins. They were they were pretty flexible yet over time. They grow harder and if you had a break in your wineskins, you would put a new wineskin patch on the old wineskin. Otherwise, when you put fresh wine into it. The new wineskin would shrink and tear. The entire thing and you lose it all. What would Jesus is getting at here is his teaching the new covenant that he was accomplishing wasn't going to be restricted confined to the old covenant that old covenant was being done away was passing away. Now Jesus is bringing the new wineskins is that so he suggesting to these Pharisees and those who come to him that he's coming bringing something new, something fresh, something life-changing.

It's the new covenant and that's what he's getting at here with this parable of the wineskins.

Thank you for your question. Lavette asked the much Lavette for being one of our regular listeners here at core Christianity your listing the core Christianity with pastor Adm. Sanchez and we know it can be difficult to begin reading the Bible for the first time and many Bible reading plans can be somewhat complex and daunting. So we have a resource that will help your Bible study become more meaningful and bill me for the reasons you just mentioned that core Christianity. We wanted to create a Bible reading plan that would do two things. One, it would help someone new to the Bible cultivated joy for reading the Bible and to it would help someone who may have lost that joy to find it again. Core Christianity Bible reading plan is a free resource when you sign up for our weekly newsletter and it will take you about 10 minutes per day to complete and last for the entire year through this Bible reading plan, you will be introduced to the big narrative the grand themes of the Bible. It's a planet won't take you through the entire Bible in a year will help you develop a sustainable habit of reading the Bible for one whole year.

After all, it's better to read a little bit every day and read a lot, only occasionally, this plan is designed to help you develop a habit of reading without requiring a large time commitment, prayer is that this new habit will carry on through the years to come, so that over time, you'll grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus. If you'd like to download the core Christianity Bible reading plan just head over to core Christianity.com/reading plan that's core Christianity.com/reading plan.

There's an email that came in from Stephanie a drill.

She says I know in my head that God is good and uses things for his glory. But my daughter and I both have learning disabilities that make life very difficult.

Why would God allow that and how can it possibly be used for his glory will first let me just pray for you and and for your daughter and thank you for that question.

Father we live Stephanie up to you and her daughter, and we thank you Lord for calling them to yourself through Jesus your son, we thank you Lord for the love that you have for them and for the fact God that you use us, despite our weaknesses, despite our disabilities and I pray for Stephanie and for her daughter that you would give them a sense, Lord of how it is that you are using them for your own glory that you would comfort them that you would bless them that you would be with them.

Lord, giving them a sense of your presence, especially in this this Christmas season board. I pray for them. I thank you for this question I asked God through the Scriptures we might receive comfort now in Jesus name, amen Stephanie. All disability is a part of the fall in sin has affected every part of us, including our minds, our ability to learn. There is one part of us that isn't affected by sin. That's what we can't save ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit of God's grace. We also know that despite this, God is in complete control and I think that that's a really important point because there are some people that might say to you.

Oh you know this is so horrible you know what were so sorry Stephanie about this disability and and God is up there and have it in and you know this this Cottam by surprise. He would never ever allow something like this to happen if if he could've not allowed it to happen.

I think there's a problem with that kind of theology.

Oftentimes that's how that's how some believers will try to comfort people when they get a question like this. And yet we know according to the Scriptures that God even in these things that are so often difficult for us can cause a lot of pain and frustration, even in these things, God is still in control.

When the Lord called Moses to bring the people out of Egypt if you remember Stephanie in the book of Exodus, Moses objected because he is at God.

I'm not really good at speaking.

I have us a stutter and you remember what God said to Moses, Stephanie, in Exodus chapter 4 verse 11 the Lord said to him who has made man's mouth who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing, or blind, is it not I the Lord. In other words, God said to Moses. Moses I'm going to use you just the way you are Stephanie our weaknesses in our disabilities whatever they may be right that they cause us all kinds of frustration and pain.

But here's what they aren't, they aren't something that will keep God from using you for his glory. I spoke to a dear brother who had just been diagnosed with incurable cancer and he shared with me how the disease had really put things in perspective for him. They recognize that it wasn't a good thing. Sickness is is horrible. It is like I said a part of the fall. Yet he he understood that God was using in his life and I'm telling me something that I'll never forget is that we we often want to be great in the Lord.

I'm finding that as I get older, more and more I get smaller and God gets bigger. His words struck me as we were talking in my living room. I wanted to encourage him, but I found that he was really ministering to me speaking to me. God wants to make himself big in us and you, Stephanie, and often what I found in life is that God makes himself great, not through our strengths, the stuff that we think are really good at work work I really shine that puts the attention on me. Often it's through our weaknesses, even our disabilities.

God causes his son Jesus to shine through Stephanie one. I know it has to be frustrating at times. You have to wonder why Lord why this for me why this for my daughter. I just want to say offer yourself up to the Lord and no that God is in control, that he loves you, and that he will still use you and that often. He uses us in the very places where we think with the most week so may the Lord bless you and may the Lord bless your daughter this Christmas season. God bless you and thank you for your question Stephanie, thank you so much and will be praying for you and your daughter. We know that's a really tough situation. This is core Christianity with pastor Adm. Sanchez Kelly posted this on her Instagram page and she says in Hosea 11 one.

The Bible says, when Israel was a child I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. Is that referring to Jesus or Israel. I've heard pastors argue for both interpretations.

It seems that if all of these Old Testament texts were only about Jesus than the Israelites in the Old Testament wouldn't have known what they were about what you think. Yeah I made were given here into the question of Bible interpretation how we should understand the Scriptures, and the relationship ultimately to Jesus Kelly, one of the things that I love about the Bible is how unified it is a really testifies to a central theme. A central reality.

And that's God's salvation in his son Jesus. The promises given to us way back in the very beginning of the book of Genesis in Genesis chapter 3 verse 15 the first preaching of the gospel.

If you will, where God says that the seed of the woman is going to crush the head of the serpent and ultimately we know that that seed to see the woman is Jesus Christ.

He's the one who through his death and resurrection crushed and conquered Satan and Jesus taught us.

He's the one who taught us that all Scripture points to him you think of the discussion that he had with his disciples on the road to Emmaus at the end of Luke's gospel. He opened up the Scriptures to them to show them how the Scriptures all pointed to him or even his discussion with the religious leaders in John chapter 5 is as you search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life.

But these very Scriptures testify of me.

Moses he said wrote about the so then how do we understand passages like this.

Hosea 11 one.

When Israel was a child I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son and I think you're asking this question because you know that the apostles in the New Testament actually applied this verse to Jesus. It's a passage of Scripture that maybe were reading more frequently now because it's you. Note the Christmas season were meditating upon the birth of our Lord Jesus. But in Matthew chapter 2 beginning in verse 13 it says this when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt and remained there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him and he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, then here's a quote from Hosea 11 out of Egypt I called my son is really interesting and it really I think the answer here is that Hosea 11, one can have more than one referent. What I mean by that is in the context of Hosea 11 is clear that God is talking about his love for Israel as a nation that the people of God and me. Ultimately, the prophet Hosea is talking about the ways in which the people of God had turned away from him rebelled and yet God's pursuing love continued to chase after them and yet the apostles and the disciples of our Lord took Hosea 11 one and they applied to Jesus because they recognize that he was a true Israelite that he had come is the perfect son of God and ultimately what he's doing is he's fulfilling everything that Israel fell short of under the old covenant was so fascinating to me.

I think this is really amazing when you see the early chapters of Matthew and you think of everything that's happening in the first few chapters. It seems as if Jesus is walking in the footsteps of Israel the same footsteps of Israel walked in. In the Old Testament, for example, they come out of Egypt right out of Egypt I called my son and then what happens after they come out of Egypt.

They go through the water well after Jesus comes out of Egypt.

Then in Matthew chapter 3 he is baptized by John in the Jordan, and then what happens after they come through the water well. Israel was tested for 40 years they wandered in the wilderness. What happens with Jesus after he comes out of the water so chapter 2 he leaves Egypt.

Chapter 3 in Matthew's gospel. He's baptized through the water.

Chapter 4 he's tempted by the devil for how long. 40 days. Then after the temptation. What happens well after they came out of the wilderness, the Israelites received God's law on Mount Sinai. What is Jesus doing Matthew chapter 5 goes on a mountain and he basically preaches the kingdom and the law. You have heard that it was said but I say to you what he talks about how ultimately he is the fulfillment of the law.

It's really amazing when you think about it.

What Jesus is doing here is he's walking in the footsteps of Israel and yet the difference that we find is that everywhere were Israel failed where they didn't believe where they fell short.

This one.

The true Israelite, the eternal son of God obeys.

We've broken God's law. We failed time and time again. The good news of the gospel is not that we should obey God's law, or that we can obey God's law perfectly.

We can't.

The good news of the gospel is that God has sent his son Jesus into the world that he was born of the virgin and lived his life perfectly fulfilling the law everywhere were Israel fell short and everywhere where you fall short rifle we see is Jesus perfectly walking in the footsteps of Israel so that he might be our representative, our advocate for our righteous thanks for listening to core Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us@corechristianity.com and click on offers and the menu bar or call us at 1-833-843-2673 that's a 33, the court when you contact us. Please let us know how you been encouraged by this podcast and be sure to join us next time.

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