The Fulfilled Promise Of A Saviour

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You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me (John 5:39).

The Scriptures. What are the Scriptures? Primarily,in this context, the Scriptures refers to the Old Testament books. Because the Jews with whom Jesus was speaking had only the scrolls of the Old Testament. So the Scriptures here simply refers to the Old Testament which was and is still the only sacred text for the Jews. But later on as the Apostles and some of their associates wrote letters to churches, Pastors and biographies of Jesus life, those letters and biographies became accepted as Scriptures at par with the Old Testament. So in Christianity, we affirm both The Old Testament and New Testament as Scriptures. While the Jews affirm only the Old while Christians affirm the 66books of the Bible as Scripture. This morning, I want us to consider for a title: The Fulfilled Promise of A Saviour.

Now we can say many things about Scripture or the Bible. We can speak of the inspiration of Scripture (All Scripture is breathed out by God). We can speak of the infallibility of Scripture, that all what Scripture says is true. Scripture never lies in what it teaches. We can speak of Scriptures inerrancy, that is, Scripture never errs in what it teaches: the Bible is reliable. It is a sufficient rule for matters of faith and life.  Scripture is never in error. We can also speak of  Sola Scriptura, that is Scripture being the final authority. Indeed there are many things to say of  Scripture.  But the most important thing about Scripture, the ultimate, the zenith, the apex of Scripture is it’s Christocentricity or it’s Christocentrality.

That is, the central focus or point of Scripture is Jesus Christ. All of Scripture points to Jesus. All of Scripture praises Christ. All of Scripture proclaims Christ. And that is the argument Jesus made in this little portion of Scripture. He tells the Jews, Scripture—that is the Old Testament spoke about me: “it is they that bear witness about me”  Do you see that? The Scriptures bear witness about Christ. But how does the Scriptures bear witness about Christ? This will be our focus for this morning as I speak on the title.

For those of us who have come to faith in Christ, my hope is that anytime you read your Bible, the aim will be to know Christ or to encounter him and be formed into his  image. Yesterday we enjoyed some cookies after our carols service. And I believe those cookies took the shape of the containers they were baked in. We know anything baked takes the shape of whatever it is baked in. A cake in the shape of love, was baked in a container in the shape of love. In the same way, we are being shaped and formed into the image of Christ: that is, we are being moulded into his holy character. And the main means for this, is the Scripture. We read the Bible to encounter the Christ of the Bible.

Recently, I went to the office and immediately I entered, a colleague asked me an interesting question. What’s the word of the day? I didn’t understand him, so I asked for clarification. And he answered me with a question, did you have your quiet time today? What did the Lord tell you. So basically when he said what’s the word for the day, he meant something I have learnt to make me survive the day. I may be wrong, but I told him, that is not how we read our Bibles. We don’t read our bibles to get a word for the day. And this truly perhaps is the motivation behind much of the talk about morning devotion. A word for the day. A motivation for the day. Something to get your day started on a good note. As good as these may sound, getting a word for the day is not why we read Scriptures. We read Scriptures to encounter Christ because Christ is the subject and content of Scripture. Now in what ways does Scripture bear witness about Christ? And for anyone one who has not come to faith in Christ, the hope is also that in the Bible you will encounter Christ for salvation. And as I attempt to open the Scriptures, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I pray the Lord works salvation in your heart.

Moses Wrote About Him

Jesus really said some weird things humanly speaking which rightly so got him into trouble: “before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). Ah, you are not even 50 and you have seen Abraham, the Jews wondered. And they were going to give instant justice. They picked up stones to finish him. And he hid himself and walked away. And we see one of these weird stuff here. He says Moses wrote about him: “For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” (John 5: 46-47).  Moses lived long before Jesus was born, how did he then write about him? The Old Testament we are using is the Bible of the Jews. And their Bible is divided into three main categories: The Torah, The Prophets and The Writings. The Torah, which means law are the 5 books of Moses—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. So when Jesus said Moses wrote about him, he meant that from Genesis to Deuteronomy, he was spoken of. That’s amazing. And the point here is that the Jews should believe in him, if they truly believed in the Torah. Because he is there. 

One of the important things that helps us find direction is sign boards. A sign board or sign post points to the location of something, a business, school, hospital. So sometimes when I am giving directions to someone here, I asked them to walk forward from the bus stop and keep looking right for our sign board. Sometimes when I am travelling and want to know where I am, I look out the window and be looking at sign boards of businesses. They often write the addresses and the place. So sign boards are not the real things. Rather they point us to the real thing. The Old Testament is like a sign board that points to Jesus. So you wont see Jesus clearly mentioned in there. But theology has a word called types or shadows, that is anything that points to Christ and his redemptive work. In Genesis 3:15, after the disobedience of Adam and Eve, God promised a redeemer: “I will put enmity between you and the woman,  and between your offspring[a] and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Theologians call this the protoevangelium– the first gospel. It is the first gospel because in these words God announced his plan of salvation to deal with the sin problem that has entered the world. Let me share a tabletalk Magaizine article about the seed of the woman with you. 

The curse on the serpent in Genesis 3:14–15 sets the stage for the subsequent course of redemptive history. Obvious New Testament allusions to this passage occur in places such as Luke 10:19; Romans 16:20; and Revelation 12:17. Yet from this point in the book of Genesis, the theme of “enmity between offspring/seed” characterises the biblical narrative. This passage is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the consummate “seed of the woman” who crushes the head of the serpent (R. Andrew Compton, “The Seed of The Woman”, https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2018/12/the-seed-of-the-woman/, accessed 6th March 2020.)

This is about the seed of the woman. And we see this concept of the seed of the woman, running through the Old Testament Scriptures its fulfilment in the birth of Christ. God promised Abraham a seed through whom all the nations will be blessed (Genesis 12,15,22).  Paul addressed the seed promised Abraham and said this seed referred to Christ: “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. (Galatians 3:16).  Again when you look back to the fall in Genesis, we are told in v.21 of Chapter 3 that “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” You know what this is? It is the righteousness of Christ. Their nakedness, their sin was covered. Not only that. Their sin was atoned for. See, definitely blood will be shed in getting this animal skin. It’s a perfect picture of the covering of Christ. If we are in Christ our sins is forgiven. And we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. God doesn’t see your wretchedness again. God sees your justification in Christ. But if you are outside of Christ. If you haven’t been clothed in the righteousness of Christ through faith, look up to him in faith. Christ is the passover lamb in Exodus 12, whose blood turns away the angel of death. In Numbers also, Christ, is the bronze serpent that was lifted up in the wilderness to save those who have rebelled and sinned against God. “And 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” (John 3:114-15). In Leviticus Christ is the centre of the sacrificial rituals. He is the lamb without blemish (Lev.1:3) commanded by God. The Hebrew writer tells us Christ was without sin. It is only a perfect sacrifice that will atone for our sins. And that perfect sacrifice was offered by Christ. Only God can pay the penalty of sin owed him. 

Then finally in Deuteronomy, Moses speaks of a prophet who will be raised after him

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—  just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him (Deuteronomy 18:15-19)

This points to Jesus. Consider that earlier in the Chapter, Jesus has spoken of the Father giving him authority to judge. Look up verses 22-23: “For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” Compare that to what we have read in Deuteronomy especially verse 19: “And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.” You see something of the honour that was spoken of in these words. Truly, not only Moses or the five books. But as you read through the Old Testament, you see also

The Prophets Spoke of Christ.

Isaiah spoke about the virgin birth. He spoke about the child who is King also. Samuel prophesied of the Messiah who will sit on David’s throne. The Jews clearly lived with an anticipation of a coming Messiah(John 4:25). But when he came, they missed him. The Psalms are replete with Christ. Matthew in his gospel, consistently tells the things he recorded  “took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet” (Matthew 1:22). And as you read on, Matthew constantly links the events of Jesus’ life to fulfilled prophecy. These were not mere predictions. These were God’s promises to his people through his prophets of his plans to redeem them. 

Eternal Life

Now after Christ is known in Scripture, then what? Then you will believe in him for eternal life. Though Jesus rebukes the Jews, perhaps some of us should emulate them. We must search the Scriptures. We must take in what is our spiritual diet, the word. The word of God is the medium through which we have eternal life. And the Jews knew that, but they missed the subject and object of the Scriptures. 

God has fulfilled the promises he made about a Saviour in Jesus. He lived the perfect life we couldn’t live. He died in the place of sinners as a ransom. And he holds authority as a judge. One day, he will come to judge the world and those who haven’t believed in him will stand condemned in everlasting punishment.