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Dismiss 4^th + 5^th graders

Ushers + Bibles

Today we’re doing something a little different. Rather than studying a particular passage of a book of the Bible like we usually do, today we’re studying the entire New Testament! That’s right, instead of 1 book, we’re studying 27 books. Or at least the overview of those 27 books, which are collectively known as the New Testament.

What comes to your mind when you think of the New Testament? Jesus? Amazing miracles – walking on water; feeding the 5,000; raising the dead? Maybe you think of the Pharisees? The Cross and empty tomb? The start of the church?

There are a lot of things that could come to mind as you consider the New Testament. It is rich with history and teaching that has changed the lives of many people throughout history. Of course, it is part of the larger whole of the Bible, which is the single-most influential resource in our world. Both the Old and New Testament make up the entirety of our Bible and they work together to reveal the plan and purposes of God.

Without the Old Testament, you cannot understand the New Testament. What comes before is foundational for what comes later. In fact, if you look at the sermon title for today it says, “Promises Kept”. If you were here back on January 1^st, then you may recall that the title for our Overview of the Old Testament was “Promises Made”. The Old Testament contains many promises from God, which are revealed as “Promises Kept” in the New Testament. But if you didn’t have or know the Old Testament, then you’d miss exactly what is being kept or accomplished in the New Testament!

You see, across all 66 books of the Bible, which encompass many different literary genres (narrative, poetry, codes of law, prophecies, dramas, songs, hymns, epics, biographies, letters) there is one consistent plan being revealed throughout it. Through the hands of at least 30 distinct writers across some 1,500 years of history, from the ages of the Egyptian kingdom into the days of Augustus in Rome, the Bible declares a consistent message. Which is absolutely incredible and unheard of in human history. The Bible is truly a literary masterpiece that has no comparison.

The consistent message of the Bible from start to finish is that God exists, and he has a plan to create a people for himself so that he can be their God and they will be his people. (Repeat) The Bible unveils God’s grand plan of redemption, as we like to call it, from Genesis to Revelation (start to finish). And it is crucial to understand the New Testament if you’re going to get the bigger picture of the Bible.

Before we get into the actual meat of our sermon, I thought it would be helpful to give some facts about the New Testament. This will help us all be on the same page as we approach our study for today.

I’ve already told you the New Testament is made up of 27 books. These stretch from Matthew to Revelation. Now if you were to open up to the Table of Contents of your Bible, you’ll see there is a particular order of the books. Let’s talk about that. (CHART)

• The first 4 books of the New Testament are known as the Gospels aka the Good News of Jesus Christ.
  • Each of these is written by a different author talking about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. (The Gospel according to…. Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John)
  • These Gospel accounts are similar but distinct. One helpful way I’ve heard it put is that it is like 4 different people take turns holding up the same diamond and each one then recounts what stood out to them. The end result is 4 unique, yet complementary accounts of the same object, for them a diamond, for the Gospels, the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
• Following the Gospels is the book of Acts aka the Acts of the Apostles.
  • This book is written by Luke and highlights what happens in the days after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension into heaven. It focuses on the expansion of the gospel message outward from Jerusalem, transforming lives and cities by its message. The result of this gospel advancement is the growth of God’s church across the world.
• The next 21 books stretch from Romans to Jude and are known as the Epistles or the Letters.
  • These letters are written by Jesus’ followers to Christians around the world to help them live in a manner worthy of the gospel. They address a wide variety of topics and situations that the new Christians were encountering and sought to help them reshape every part of their lives around the gospel. They also explain how Christians fit into God’s grand plan of redemption!
• Finally, the last book of the New Testament is the book of Revelation.
  • It contains a recounting of an incredible vision given by Jesus to John, the same John who wrote the Gospel and Epistles bearing his name. This vision addresses matters concerning the end of time and the final judgment, as well as the new creation that God is working towards!

(TIMELINE) As you can see from this timeline view, the New Testament was written in a period of roughly 40 years, all within a single generation of Jesus walking the earth! This is quite amazing because you have multiple testimonies about the same historic events and all within the timeframe that eyewitness testimonies could be sought out and verified. This provides incredible evidence for the truthfulness of the New Testament documents! The New Testament gives us a rich understanding of God’s world and the way he intended his people to function within it.

By the time we’re done today, I hope that you’ll be able to answer some specific questions:

• What is the main argument of the four Gospels?
• What do the New Testament Epistles, generally speaking, seek to accomplish?
• How can Christians, who are not perfect, be counted as perfectly righteous by God?
• How is God calling you to die to your own desires to live for something better?
• How would you explain the good news of Christianity in sixty seconds or less?

It is my hope that after hearing both of these overview sermons, that everyone in our church would be more confident in their understanding of the entire Bible, as well as confident in being able to provide hope and help to those in need! Of course, before we dive into our study of the New Testament, we probably ought to review some key points from the Old Testament. After all, the events of the Old Testament set up what comes in the New Testament!

You may remember that the Old Testament reveals that God has a specific plan he is working out. This is established in the very beginning of the Bible, Genesis 1-2. These chapters recount for us the creation of all things. The creation account culminates with the pinnacle of creation – human beings made in God’s own image and given the command to be fruitful and multiply to fill the earth and subdue it. From the very start of Scripture, it is clear that God desires to create a people for himself and to be in relationship with those people. As Jordan pointed out last week, God was present with Adam and Eve in the garden!

Unfortunately, a distinct problem soon developed, Adam and Eve rebelled against God by disobeying his command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is recounted in Genesis 3. Sin is not only an act of rebellion, it is a state of rebellion. As the Old Testament develops, we see the condition of sin is inherent in humanity. As our representatives, Adam and Eve’s sin led to us all being born with a sin nature on a path of rebellion against God. From the Garden of Eden, humanity continues to spiral downward from the height of intimate fellowship with God. We’re left wondering – what will it take for things to change?!

The rest of the Old Testament unpacks God’s plan to make a particular people for himself, as well as his wonderful promises to his people. He did not intend to leave them dead in their sin. He promised that he would send an offspring of the woman who would crush the devil’s head. He promised that an offspring of Abraham would arise through which many nations would be blessed. He promised that he would be a God of mercy and grace, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, who forgives sin, yet does not leave the guilty unpunished! That last promise was one that posed the most difficulty for us! It is the “riddle” of the Old Testament. How can God not leave the guilty unpunished, yet forgive wickedness?

The answer is found in the New Testament. So, let’s turn our attention to it now as we continue…

Growing in understanding of God’s plan and purposes

As you might expect, we’re going to start in the very beginning with the Gospels, which tell us about…

1. The promised deliverer

The Gospel of Matthew opens with a genealogy establishing the identity of Jesus Christ. Christ is a title, not his last name. It is a translation of the Hebrew word Messiah which meant Anointed One. The term was loaded with significance for the Jews. The Messiah was the long-awaited ruler/king that they were expecting to come from the line of David. He is the deliverer spoken so often about in the Old Testament. Look with me at Matthew 1:1…

Matthew 1:1 (ESV)

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Each section of this genealogy is intentionally crafted to show how Jesus of Nazareth is the One that the Jewish nation had been waiting for! It boldly declares that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Davidic and Abrahamic prophecies and that his birth was unlike any other.

Jesus is the point of the whole Bible! His birth, life, and finished work are the fulfillment of the Old Testament plan and promises. He is the answer to our distinct problem – sin!

Every single one of us is afflicted by the curse of sin. We go our own way and live as if we are the determiner of what is right and wrong. Inevitably this leads to pain and suffering… brokenness in our own life and in the world around us. The very things that we don’t want to do are the things we do. We are a people in need of rescue, I need a deliverer, you need a deliverer! Who will deliver us!? Jesus Christ, that’s who.

The Gospels point out that Jesus is not only the Son of David and Son of Abraham, he is also the Son of God. Jesus is not merely a man; he is both God and man.

Matthew 3:16–17 (ESV)

¹⁶ And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; ¹⁷ and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Mark 1:9–11 (ESV)

⁹ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Luke 2:49 (ESV)

⁴⁹ And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

John 1:1–3, 14 (ESV)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made…

¹⁴And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

These Gospel accounts go into great detail about the life and ministry of Jesus. They reveal his divine origin and sinless perfection. He is both God and Man. This is a mind-blowing reality. Yet he has come to offer himself up as a sacrifice for the redemption of many. He came to fulfill the grand redemption plan that was foretold 700 years earlier in Isaiah 53. (For the sake of time we will not read Isaiah 53 today but write it down in your notes and check it out later!) *Pause*

During his life and ministry, Jesus taught about the kingdom of God. His message was one of faith and repentance.

Matthew 4:17 (ESV)

¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 4:19 (ESV)

¹⁹ And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

The answer for humanity’s sin problem was to respond to their Savior/deliverer in faith! He had come to make a way out of sin’s condemnation into the hope of forgiveness and new life. Jesus is the answer to the riddle of the Old Testament of how God could forgive sinners!

The Gospel accounts reveal that it was always God’s plan to send Jesus as our sinless substitute. That Jesus alone could pay the price for our sins because not only was he a perfect, sinless man, but he was also God. No mere man could satisfy the wrath of God for all of our sin, but Jesus Christ, the Son of God, could drink the cup of wrath dry. And he did.

Matthew 26:36–44 (ESV)

³⁶ Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸ Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” ³⁹ And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” ⁴⁰ And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? ⁴¹ Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ⁴² Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” ⁴³ And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again.

The cup Jesus prayed about was the cup of wrath that had been stored up for all of our past, present, and future sins. It was an unfathomably horrific cup to drink and yet, for his people, Jesus willingly drank it dry, every last drop. We see this happening in the very next chapter of Matthew.

Matthew 27:45–46 (ESV)

⁴⁵ Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. ⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Shortly after, Jesus yielded up his spirit and died. At the very same time, the curtain in the temple, that signified the separation between God and man was torn in two from top to bottom. Jordan reminded us last week that this signified God opening the way to himself through Christ. Through faith in Jesus sinful men and women like you and me can be forgiven and at peace with God!

Faith in Jesus is the answer for God’s wrath for both Old and New Testament people. While the Israelites of the Old Testament did not know who the Messiah would be, those who believed had faith in that Messiah for the salvation of their souls. In the New Testament era and beyond, we now know that this Savior/Deliverer is Jesus of Nazareth. And those who believe in him are forgiven and part of the people of God.

In fact, this is another major component of the New Testament, that God is creating for himself…

2. A New Covenant people

If you were here during the Hebrews study earlier this year, then you’ve heard a lot about the Old and New Covenants. As we said earlier, God has always planned to create a people for himself. In the Old Testament the emphasis is on this people being the nation of Israel but there are hints that it will extend much further. It is in the New Testament where that mystery is fully revealed to be that God is making a people for himself that includes both Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews).

The reason these people are called a “New Covenant” people is because this is the covenant or commitment that Jesus came to put into effect during his lifetime. It is a fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:31-34.

Jeremiah 31:31–34 (ESV)

³¹ “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, ³² not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. ³³ For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴ And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

The book of Acts and the 21 Epistles that follow unpack the creation and expectations of this New Covenant people in great detail. After the Gospels, the rest of the New Testament helps define and fill out what it means for Christians to be the special covenant people of Christ. We find that we are called to be holy as he is holy.

1 Peter 1:14–16 (ESV)

¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, ¹⁵ but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

We also hear that God is the one who chooses us, not because of our works but solely because of his own mercy…

Titus 3:3–7 (ESV)

³ For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. ⁴ But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

And as a result of this transforming work in our lives, we are completely made new and no longer dead in our sin! We have no fear of judgment any longer!

2 Corinthians 5:17, 21 (ESV)

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come…

²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

As new creations, we are not only able to live for God, but we desire to live for him! We recognize this is the best and most joyful way to live. Paul lays out the process of change for Christians in his letter to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:20–24 (ESV)

²⁰ But that is not the way you learned Christ!— ²¹ assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, ²² to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, ²³ and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Christians, New Covenant people, are transformed by their faith in Christ. God does a spiritual work in them to make them new. If you are in Christ, then you know that your desires have changed! No longer are you satisfied with living like you used to, in selfishness and pride and for your own ambitions. Now you desire to live for something greater, for the One who created you and called you to be His own! So you exert effort in changing – putting off the old ways of living and thinking and renewing your thoughts with the truth of God’s Word so that you can be holy like your Creator! This is a daily act of faith/obedience. *Pause*

New Covenant people are also called to live selflessly for the glory of God and good of others.

Galatians 5:13–16 (ESV)

¹³ For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴ For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵ But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

¹⁶ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

This is the way we are to live. Using our freedom in Christ not for selfish gain but to lay down our lives in service to one another. Day by day we seek to do this as we walk by the Spirit, in the clearly laid out paths of obedience that God has revealed to us the Bible. This is a daily battle, as we are still plagued by our old desires. Apart from faith in Jesus Christ, we will not change or be able to have victory over sin. There is only one way to be God’s people – faith in Christ! And not only is that a moment in time decision to turn from sin and follow Christ, it is an ongoing, day-by-day decision to endure in that faith. As we do this, we will be increasingly transformed into the glorious image of our Savior. Paul explains this spiritual reality in his letter to the Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 3:16–18 (ESV)

¹⁶ But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

God is making a people for himself, a people who will be holy as he is holy. A people who will spend eternity with him in his glorious new creation. This is what the final book of the Bible, Revelation, reveals to us.

3. A new creation

Revelation reveals the final re-making of Heaven and Earth. All that we see and know here in this life will come to an end. History is heading somewhere. There is an end – Judgment Day. The book of Revelation for all its intense imagery makes it very clear that we will all stand before God one day. For those who have faith in Christ, this will not be for judgment between heaven or hell. Rather it will be the day of glorification for us. Hear the clear testimony of Revelation 21:

Revelation 21:1–8 (ESV)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

⁵ And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” ⁶ And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. ⁷ The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. ⁸ But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

This new creation is the ultimate outcome of God’s grand redemptive plan. In it Christians are returning to the Edenic state of the first humans wherein there is no sin, sickness, sadness, or death anymore. Instead, we are in perfect, restored relationship with our God, and we get to enjoy him forever. This is the ultimate fulfillment of our purpose in life – to glorify God and enjoy him forever!

The plan and purposes of God as revealed in the Bible are consistent and incredible from start to finish! From Genesis to Revelation this plan is consistently and progressively revealed so that we can respond appropriately to Him in faith and obedience. And that is where we will end our time this morning, with….

4. The call to believe and follow him

If it has not been clear, the plan and purposes of God demand a response! Revelation 21:8 revealed a hard reality for those who reject God and remain in sin. And Jesus’ message, which you heard earlier in Matthew 4 was to repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. In fact, in Luke 9, Jesus lays out the cost of following him:

Luke 9:23–25 (ESV)

²³ And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. ²⁵ For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

You can either die to self now and follow Christ for eternal life, or you can live for self and reject Christ for eternal death.

Following Christ means dying to selfish ambition and valuing him most. Putting him first. Allowing him to transform every part of your life. Has that happened in your life? If not, what is getting in the way? This is an eternally important matter we’re talking about this morning.

Paul had a similar call of response to Christ. Consider what he says in Romans after 11 chapters of reminding them of the Gospel:

Romans 12:1–2 (ESV)

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The appropriate response to all that Jesus has done to rescue and redeem his people is faith that transforms your life. Realizing your life isn’t yours to do with whatever you please but that you are to be a living sacrifice to God. Each desire you pursue, every decision you make, each word you speak is an opportunity to either worship God or worship self. Whom will you worship? There are decisions you’ll make yet today, desires you’ll have, words that come out of your mouth… will they honor and glorify God and reveal that you are following Him? Do you truly believe that His way is the ONLY way to life and that He is calling you to the greatest joy – himself? *Pause*

You may recall I posed some questions earlier. Let’s make sure we’ve answered them clearly.

• What is the main argument of the four Gospels?

That Jesus is the Christ, the promised deliverer of the Old Testament. The answer to our sin problem and the only way to be reconciled to God.

• What do the New Testament Epistles, generally speaking, seek to accomplish?

They seek to define and fill out what it means for Christians to be the special covenant people of Christ.

• How can Christians, who are not perfect, be counted as perfectly righteous by God?

Only by faith in Jesus Christ, who was the perfect sacrifice in our place. Through faith in him we are made new and given his righteousness.

• How is God calling you to die to your own desires to live for something better?

This is going to look somewhat different for each of us, but the overarching idea is that we are all wrestling with the desire to live for self rather than Christ. We must recognize that God’s way is so much better and be willing to count the cost of following Christ.

• How would you explain the good news of Christianity in sixty seconds or less?

God. Man. Christ. Response.

Everyone who says they are a Christian ought to be able to articulate the Gospel clearly and concisely, after all it is what you say you believe!

I hope this overview of the New Testament has been helpful for you. There is so much more that we could say, but this is where we’re going to land the plane. I hope you can see the way the Old and New Testaments connect together to reveal the grand redemption plan of God.

If you are not a Christian, I would encourage you to wrestle with what you’ve heard. Consider what doubts/objections you are wrestling with and be willing to meet with someone to discuss them. I believe there are compelling answers for whatever they might be.

If you’re a Christian, then rejoice in the beauty of God’s grand plan that has resulted in your rescue and redemption! You have the hope of eternal life. You are no longer condemned by your sin but made righteous in Christ! We have much to rejoice in this morning and we certainly will have many great opportunities this week to share the Good News of Jesus Christ as we count the cost of following him!

If you have questions about what you’ve heard today, I’d love to talk with you more after the service.

Let’s pray.

Pray