What’s new
about the New Testament?
Text: Galatians 4:1-11 I. WHAT’S NOT NEW ABOUT THE NEW
TESTAMENT A. Old Testament believers were sons of God and
so are New Testament believers. B. Old Testament believers called upon God as their “Father” as we do in the New Testament (cf. Exodus 4:22,23; Numbers 11:12; Deuteronomy 14:1; 32:6.18; 2 Sam.7:12-14; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 68:5; 103:13; Isaiah 1:2; 45:10–12; 63:16; 64:8; Jeremiah 4:4,19; 31:9; Hosea 1:10; 11:1Malachi 1:6; 2:10; Romans 9:4) 1. “Blessed are You, O LORD God of Israel our father, forever and ever” (1
Chron.29:10). 2. Jewish parents often named their children with
names indicating that God was their father (ab). a. Two were named “Abinadab” which means, ‘My [divine] Father has been Generous’ (1 Samuel 7:1; 1 Samuel 16:8). b. Five in the Bible were named “Abihail” which means ‘My [divine] Father is Strength’ (Numbers 3:35; 1 Chron.2:29; 5:14; 2 Chronicles 11:18; Esther 2:15; 9:29). c. “Abitub” means, ‘My [divine] Father is Good’ (1 Chronicles 8:11). d. “Abiasaph”, means ‘The [divine] Father has added [a Child]’ (1 Chron.6:23, 37). e. “Abiathar”, “the [divine] father is preeminent (1 Samuel 22:20). f. Two men were named “Abiel” which means “my father is God” or “God is father” (1 Samuel 9:1; 2 Samuel 23:31). g. At least eight people in Scripture were named “Abijah” “my father is Yahweh” or “Yahweh is Father” (1 Sam.8:2; 1 Kings 14:1-18; 1 Chron.2:24; 3:10; 7:8; 24:10; 2 Chron.29:1 [Hezekiah’s mother]; Nehemiah 12:4,17; Matthew 1:7). h. Abraham
(father of many) C. The Holy Spirit was at work in the lives of
Old Testament believers as He is in the life of New Testament believers. 1. The context of the Spirit’s work was
different in the Old Testament: a. Jews were under the custody and tutelage of
the Law (Gal.3:19-25). b. Jews were “minors” (Gal.4:1-3) 2. Despite the different context, the
Spirit still: a. justified Old Testament saints through faith
(Gal.3:6-7). b. enabled Old Testament saints to live holy
lives. II. WHAT’S NEW ABOUT THE NEW TESTAMENT IS THE
REVELATION THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD (Galatians 4:4-7). A. What makes the Old Testament “old” is that
Jesus had not yet come. What makes the
Old Testament “old” is that the Jews were like minors under the tutelage of
the Law (Galatians 3:19-25; 4:1-3). B. The false Gospel of the Judaizers was teaching
that God’s acceptance of us as His sons isn’t only based upon the obedience
of Jesus but also upon our circumcision and obedience to the other Laws of
Moses. 1. Just as many of the Israelites wanted to turn
back to Egypt and go back into slavery, so too the Judaizers were bringing
the Galatian Christians back to the “slavery” of the Law (Gal.5:1). 2. The Galatian churches were beginning to “observe days and months and seasons and years” (Galatians 4:10). a. Many Christians today read the book of Galatians to mean that none of the laws of the Old Testament have any relevance for us today. b. Galatians 4:10 is understood to mean that the Fourth Commandment and the Sabbath day has been disannulled. c. What’s new about the New Testament is not that
the Old Testament law has been disannulled or abrogated. C. What’s new about the New Testament is that the
Old Testament Law in its entirety has been fulfilled by Jesus Christ. What’s new about the New Testament is that
Jesus is the obedient son of God. 1. The Old Testament sometimes referred to
Israel as God’s disobedient son: a. “I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against
me” (Isaiah 1:2). b. “You neglected the Rock who begot you,
And forgot the God who gave you birth” (Deuteronomy 32:15-20). c. The last
book of the Old Testament, Malachi, ends with an emphasis upon sonship (Malachi
1:6; 2:10; 4:6). 2. What makes the New Testament new is
that Jesus is the obedient Son of God (Gal.4:4). D. Paul’s argument about the Law is also Jesus’ argument about the Law. Paul did not preach or teach a different message than what Jesus taught during His earthly ministry. 1. Liberals have a tendency of saying Paul’s
teaching was not Jesus’ teaching. “Paul’s words are not the Words of God (Yahweh). They are the words of Paul- a vast difference” (Retired Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, p. 104, Harper San Francisco, 1991) 2. Many “evangelical” Christians believe that
Paul’s teaching is different than what Jesus taught during His earthly ministry
(see however Matthew 28:18-20). “The Bible
provides three complete and wholly independent rules for human conduct—one
for the past age (there was no need of recording such rules as held good for
people who lived before the Bible was written) which is known as the Mosaic
Law and is crystallized in the Decalogue; one for the future age of the
kingdom which is crystallized in the Sermon on the Mount; and one for the
present age which appears in the Gospel by John, the Acts, and the Epistles
of the New Testament” (Lewis Sperry Chafer [founder of Dallas Theological
Seminary], “The Teachings of Christ Incarnate Part I: The Sermon on the
Mount”; Bibliotheca Sacra Volume 108:392f.). 3. It is ironic that liberal Christians typically deny the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture and yet generally hold the Sermon on the Mount in high esteem. Dispensationalists believe in the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture and yet do not typically believe that the Sermon on the Mount is a rule for Christian conduct. III. PAUL’S EMPHASIS UPON THE PREEMINENCE OF
JESUS BEAUTIFULLY AGREES WITH JESUS’ TEACHING IN THE GOSPELS A. Jesus is baptized and the Holy Spirit comes
upon Him (Matthew 3:16). B. When Jesus is baptized “a voice out of the
heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew
3:17). C. Jesus was tempted by Satan and answers from
the Law every time: 1. “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that
proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4 with Deuteronomy 8:3). 2. “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You
shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Matthew 4:7 with Deuteronomy
6:16) 3. “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You
shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’ ” (Matthew 4:10 with
Deuteronomy 6:13) D. Jesus then teaches those who would follow Him
that He did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill
them. In the Sermon on the Mount,
Jesus is the true expositor of the Law (Matthew
5:18,20-22,27-28,31-32,33-34,38-39,43-44; 6:2,5,16,25,29). 1. “For truly I say to
you…” (Matthew 5:18; 6:2,5,16) 2. “For I say to you”
(5:20; 6:25,29) 3. “You have heard that
it was said… But I say to you…” (5:21-22,27-28,38-39,43-44) 4. “It was said… “but I
say to you…” (5:31-32) 5. “Again, you have
heard that the ancients were told…But I say to you…” (5:33-34) 6. “Therefore everyone
who hears these words of Mine and acts on them…” (7:24-29) QUESTIONS FOR
SABBATH DISCUSSION & MEDITATION Take what you have
learned this morning and turn it into a prayer. What was the title
of this morning’s sermon? What is the
fundamental difference between the New and Old Testament? Did Paul teach a different message than Jesus did in the
Gospels? Can you name professing Christians who think Paul’s
message was different from much of Jesus’ message in the Gospels? How does the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20)
disprove the idea that Jesus’ message for the church is different from the
message He preached to the Jews? How will our lives be affected if we mistakenly believe
that Jesus taught a completely different ethic than the Ten Commandments?
(Matthew 5:17-20) What are the parallels between Paul’s teaching about
S(s)onship in Galatians 4 and the Gospel of Matthew? |
