GOD’S WORD FOR JANUARY 24 ~ ~ Mark 4:11 ~ ~ “The secret of the Kingdom of God has been given to you”
In the book, “How to Read the Bible ..” by Dr. Michael Youssef:
ACT ONE, ACT TWO
Many first-century Jews rejected Christ, but those who followed Him became the nucleus of a new way of life called the Church. While the Old Testament is concerned with the fortunes of the people of Israel, the New Testament broadens from that limited landscape to a new and universal horizon
We must be careful not to say (as some do) that the New Testament is all we need, that we can safely dispense with the Old Testament. And we must also avoid the heretical notion that the Old Testament reveals a God of wrath but the New Testament shows us a God of love. He is consistently shown to be a God of both justice and grace throughout both Testaments.
At the same time, we must not minimize the supremacy of the New Testament revelation. In Galatians 3:24-25, Paul contrasts the Old Testament Law with the New Testament revelation of faith in Jesus Christ:
“So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.”
And the writer to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus’s priestly ministry is superior to sacrifices made by the priests in Old Testament times:
“But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which He is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises. (Hebrews 8:6)
Jesus and his disciples were Jews who did not think they were founding a new religion. They were fulfilling the promises and demands of the Old Testament. Though the gospel was universal in its scope, available to Jew and Gentile alike, Jesus viewed his mission as being focused, first of all, to the “lost sheep of Israel” (see Matthew 10:6 and 15:24). The New Testament is truly the fulfillment of Israel’s greatest hope.
In the Old Testament, the rule of God is always cast in the future tense. “the days are coming,” warn the prophets Jeremiah, Hosea, and Amos. “In that day,” warn many Old Testament prophets, notably Isaiah.
But in the New Testament, we encounter a dramatic change in the language. The writers switch from future tense to present tense:
“The Kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matthew 12:28).
“Yours is the Kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20).
“The Kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it” (Luke 16:16).
“The Kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:21).
The Old and New Testaments stand together as two acts of a single drama. Act One points to its conclusion in Act Two. Without Act Two, the play is incomplete. But without Act one, it is impossible to fully understand the meaning of Act Two.
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2Timothy 2:13
If we are faithless, he remains faithful. He cannot deny Himself.
Ps 37:23
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delights in his way.
Ps 28:7
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him and I am helped; Therefore, my heart triumphs and with my song I thank Him.
Ps 84:5
Blessed is the person whose strength is in You….
Ps 18:1
Your God has commanded your strength!