Tag: Christ-centered

Sermon Download: We Are the Temple of the Living God

~ Bob Hayton ~ 1 Comment

Recently I had another opportunity to preach on a Sunday morning. I took the opportunity to preach again on the Temple theme in Scripture, using 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1 as my text. I had preached on the Temple before, but this time I wanted to flesh out what it means that the church is the Temple today.

If you don’t have time to listen to the entire sermon (37 minutes), please do look over my notes. May God bless this sermon to all who hear it, for His glory and by His grace.

          Place: The Heights Church, St. Paul
          Date: Feb. 2, 2014
          Title: We Are the Temple of the Living God
          Text: 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1
          Notes: Download PDF
          Audio Link: Click to listen (right click to download)

“What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared About: A Survey of Jesus’ Bible” edited by Jason DeRouchie

~ Bob Hayton ~ 1 Comment

What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared AboutBook Details:
  • Editor: Jason S. DeRouchie
  • Category: Biblical Theology
  • Book Publisher: Kregel Academic (2013)
  • Page Count: 490
  • Format: hardback
  • ISBN: 9780825425912
  • List Price: $45.99
  • Rating: Must Read

Blurbs:
“How could I not enjoy a book in which the editor says ‘is designed as a springboard for delight in God—the supreme Savior, Sovereign, and Satisfier of the world’? Jason DeRouchie has a sure hand when it comes to guiding a team of scholars. The aroma of his God-centered, Christ-exalting commitments permeate this survey…I would happily put this in the hand of every church member.”
—John Piper, former pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis; Founder and Teacher at DesiringGod.org

“Finally! An introduction to the only Bible Jesus had that tries to makes sense of each book by highlighting its life-giving message. This volume is invitingly organized and composed, and delightfully illustrated.”
—Daniel I. Block, Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College

“No ordinary survey! This clear, concise, and easy-to-understand text will help church folks and serious students alike grasp the contribution of the Old Testament to the Bible as a single text with a unified plot structure that finds ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Beautiful pictures and helpful diagrams aid communication in a powerful way. I heartily recommend it!”
—Peter J. Gentry, Professor of Old Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Overview:
In What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared About: A Survey of Jesus’ Bible, Jason DeRouchie brings together 16 other evangelical OT scholars to produce a truly one-of-a-kind resource. Rather than being a work by scholars for scholars, this is a work for the Church. The Old Testament is expounded and analyzed from the perspective of the cross of Christ, and the result is an unpacking of the Gospel in the Old Testament. Today’s believers are provided a practical approach to reading and studying the Old Testament. And as the authors remind us, the Old Testament was the Bible of Jesus and the early Church.

The book surveys each of the 24 books of the Old Testament — 24 books according to the Hebrew numbering, that is. And the Hebrew order of the books of the Old Testament is the order the contributors to this volume follow. Each chapter gives a brief introduction as to the setting and author of that Hebrew book and then focuses on a discussion of the book’s major themes with particular regard to how it fits into the overall canonical structure. Jason DeRouchie provides introductions to each of the major sections of the Hebrew Bible: the Torah (or Law), the Prophets, and the Writings, as well as an overview of the entire Old Testament. Throughout the volume, there are beautiful, full-color photos of scenes from the Holy Land. Additionally, there are countless charts and tables on helpful subjects relating to the material covered. Memory verses and suggestions for additional reading round out each chapter. The KINGDOM Bible reading plan is also included as an appendix and will help readers in continuing to read through and appreciate the Hebrew Bible in the canonical order this book stresses.

Quotable:
The following excerpt from the chapter on Exodus gives a flavor of the particular approach of this work.

“God’s powerful deeds against Egypt are commonly called ‘plagues’ (cf. 8:2; 9:3, 14; 11:1). As a series, however, the acts are introduced as ‘miracles’ (4:21) and ‘signs and wonders’ (7:3) — terms used more frequently than ‘plagues’ (8:23; 10:1, 2; 11:9, 10; cf. 7:9). The broader designation ‘signs’ more appropriately highlights the intent of these acts: Yahweh was working for his own glory, which included judgement (connoted by ‘plagues’) but went beyond it. This also helps the Bible reader see the connections between the ‘signs’ of the exodus and the ‘signs’ of Jesus, particularly in the Gospel of John (cf. John 2:11, 18, 23; 3:2; 4:48, 54; 6:2, 14, 26, 30; 7:31; 9:16; 10:41; 11:47; 12:18, 37; 20:30)….

“The exodus is to the Old Testament what the cross-resurrection event is to the New Testament. In each case, the great redemptive act (exodus/cross) produces the covenant community of God’s people (Israel/church) who are called to serve God and his universal mission. The importance of the exodus is signaled by its constant reference throughout the Old Testament, to motivate covenant fidelity (Exod. 19:4; 20:1), to establish national identity and self-consciousness (e.g. Josh. 2:9-11; Judg. 6:8-13; 1 Sam. 12:6-8; 1 Kings 8:51; Neh. 9:9; 2 Chon. 7:22), to inspire prophetic judgment and hope (e.g., Jer. 7:21-24; 11:1-18; 16:14-21; 34:13; Ezek. 37:24-28; Hos. 11:1), and to produce personal praise and confession (e.g., Pss. 77:14-20; 78:12-55; 80:8; 106:7-14; 114; 136:10–22). In short, the rest of the Old Testament can only be understood in light of the significance of the exodus.” (p. 87, 89)

See also this excerpt from Kregel.com.

Evaluation:
This is a very readable and engaging work. The full-color illustrations, charts, maps and graphs will engross the reader. The material presented is merely a survey and so it would make for a great resource for an adult Sunday School class or a Bible Institute course. The Hebrew terms are transliterated and the discussion for the most part stays at a high level. That being said, the discussion focuses on the Messianic nature of the Hebrew Bible and how it all points to Christ. Pastors and teachers will detect a non-dispensational approach that doesn’t overtly teach any one system of eschatology (it leans to a new covenant theology approach, specifically recommending Kingdom through Covenant by Wellum and Gentry a few times). It could be used with prudence by churches from a wide spectrum of positions, yet is firmly evangelical and unflinching in its stance for biblical inerrancy. Some of the discussions about authorship and date will open the reader to some of the challenges of OT scholarship, but much is not said that could be. The balance it achieves is probably right for the purposes the book aims to serve.

The Christological focus of the book and its emphasis on how the Old Testament fits together to point to Christ, makes it most helpful for average readers, and yet it manages to avoid an allegorizing approach to the OT. The authors clearly care about the OT in its own right, and yet make the connections where textually warranted, between the themes and types in the Old Testament and the anti-types and fulfillment in the New Testament. I was disappointed to see a Christ-centered interpretive approach to the Song of Songs was not followed, and that stands as proof that this book is not a free-for-all when it comes to interpretive approach. The book is text-grounded and yet gospel-saturated. The sidebars and graphs are quite useful and the pointers for additional study will help the busy pastor.

Recommendation:
Having met Jason DeRouchie and sat in his adult Sunday School class I could feel his passion for the gospel in the Old Testament oozing out of this volume. I am eager to find ways to use it in adult SS settings in my church too. I highly recommend this work, it will reignite a love for the Old Testament and a fuller appreciation for the beauty of the suffering servant and prophesied King, Jesus the Christ.

About the Editor:
Jason S. DeRouchie (MDiv, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is associate professor of Old Testament at Bethlehem College and Seminary. He is passionate about helping Christians exalt Christ and treasure the hope of the gospel from the Old Testament. He is the author of numerous publications, including A Modern Grammar for Biblical Hebrew (coauthored with Duane A. Garrett). Learn more about Jason on his faculty page here.

Where to Buy:
  • Westminster Bookstore
  • Amazon
  • Christianbook.com
  • Direct from Kregel

Disclaimer:
This book was provided by Kregel Academic. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

Quotes to Note 36: The Ultimate End of Reading Scripture

~ Bob Hayton

Having just moved to a new house, there is a lot besides blogging and book reviews on my mind! That being said, I am working my way through God in My Everything by Ken Shigematsu (Zondervan, 2013) for an overdue review. I came across a section worth quoting and sharing with my readership (what few of you are left). I hope it encourages you as it did me.

A. W. Tozer in The Pursuit of God says, “The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men [and women] to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts.”5 Jesus said to the religious elite of his day, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (John 5:39-40, emphasis added). The ultimate end of Scripture is not the text itself but an intimate, joyful, nourishing friendship with the living God. The written Word helps us encounter and unite with the living God.

5 A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God (Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, 1982), 10. Editor’s note: I took the liberty to correct a typo in the quote as found in the Zondervan title.

[p. 71, bold emphasis added]

Reformation Gems 6: Henry Airay on Confidence Only in Christ

~ Bob Hayton

Reformation Commentary on Scripture Series: Volume 11 (Philippians, Colossians)Reformation Gems are excerpts from selections contained in the Reformation Commentary on Scripture, a new commentary series from IVP which gathers the best Reformation-era comments on the text together all in one set. The volumes in this commentary series resurrect long-forgotten voices from the Reformation age and in so doing they recover the piety and vivacity of that era. I hope that by sharing some excerpts from this series, I will edify my readers and promote this important commentary series.
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Today’s selection comes from the latest volume in the Reformation Commentary on Scripture series: Volume XI (Philippians, Colossians). Henry Airay, was the author of “one of the seventeenth century’s most prominent commentaries on the book of Philippians in English” (p. xlix). In commenting on Phil. 3:4-6, Airay zeroes in on the importance of placing one’s confidence in nothing but Christ.

Here is the excerpt from Airay’s work originally published in 1613 (with key sentences bolded for emphasis):

Confidence in Nothing but Christ.

Henry Airay: Let this, then, teach us not to have confidence in any outward thing whatsoever without Christ. You are baptized; it is well: so was Simon Magus (Acts 8:13). [You partake of] the Lord’s Table; it is well: so, no doubt, did Judas. He who eats and drinks worthily is made one with Christ, and Christ with him. But “he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks his own damnation” (1 Cor. 11:29). You are born of holy and godly parents; it is well: so were Ishmael and Esau. “They which are the children of the flesh are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed” (Rom. 9:8). You are of a holy profession; it is well: so was Demas. Holiness of profession does not commend to God, but a heart purified by faith which works through love. You distribute to the poor and do many good things; it is well: so did the Pharisees, and the young man in the Gospel (Mt 19:20). “Though I feed the poor with all my goods, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing” (1 Cor 13:3). In a word, there is nothing under heaven without Christ that does profit us, so that we should rejoice or have confidence in it. (pg. 75, words in brackets added in an attempt to capture the flow of Airay’s thought)

About the Reformation-era author: Henry Airay (c. 1560-1616). English Puritan professor and pastor. He was especially noted for his preaching, a blend of hostility toward Catholicism and articulate exposition of English Calvinism. He was promoted to provost of Queen’s College Oxford (1598) and then to vice chancellor of the university in 1606. He disputed with William Laud concerning Laud’s putative Catholicization of the Church of England, particularly over the practice of genuflection, which Airay vehemently opposed. He also opposed fellow Puritans who wished to separate from the Church of England. His lectures on Philippians were his only work published during his lifetime. (pg. 264)

Learn more about this commentary series at the Reformation Commentary page at IVPress.com, or check out this sampler (PDF). You can pick up a copy of Reformation Commentary on Scripture: Volume XI (Galatians, Ephesians) at any of the following online retailers: Westminster Bookstore, Amazon, Christianbook.com, or direct from IVP. You may want to consider becoming a member with IVP and getting the entire series on a subscription discount of more than 40% per volume.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by IVP. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

Sermon Download: David, Our Champion

~ Bob Hayton ~ 1 Comment

This past Sunday I was called on to fill the pulpit. I had been wanting to preach a Christ-centered sermon from the Old Testament for quite some time, and was happy to have the opportunity. I used the well-known story of David and Goliath and was amazed by all the wonder there in the text.

If you don’t have time to listen to the entire sermon (57 minutes), please do look over my notes. If you haven’t heard a sermon about Jesus from the David and Goliath story, you’ll want to take note. Understanding Scripture in this way has the potential to be truly life-changing. May God bless this sermon to all who hear it, for His glory and by His grace.

          Place: Beacon of Hope Church, St. Paul
          Date: March 10, 2013
          Title: David, Our Champion
          Text: 1 Sam. 17
          Notes: Download PDF
          Audio Link: Listen online or download