Old Testament People Living for What?
A Christopher Wright Sermon Summary
After the flood, sin was still rampant. Then came Abraham. God showed Abraham He would justify all nations by faith, with all nations blessed through Abraham (Genesis 12, Galatians 3:8).
God’s desire is to bring blessings to all nations. Abraham was chosen for this purpose (Genesis 18:18-19), as was Israel. Not because Israel was good, but because of His love, God chose Israel to be His witness, by which He would bring salvation to all (Isaiah 44:21).
Then through Christ, salvation came to all nations, as promised in the Old Testament (OT) (Galatians 3:8; Luke 24:27, 44-47).
So the mission of God’s people in the OT was to bring God’s blessing of salvation to all nations. To achieve such a mission required Biblical ways of living.
Abraham and his people needed to live distinctively, following God’s righteousness and not Sodom’s way of injustice, cruelty, and wantonness (Genesis 18:18-19, 19; Isaiah 1; Ezekiel 16).
Similarly, Israelites were to live following God’s teachings (Leviticus 18:3, 19:2). If so, they would be God’s priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:4-6), bringing God to all nations and drawing them to God. That was the purpose of the OT laws, which were ultimately fulfilled through Christ.
God’s people must follow God’s ways, to bear witness to and bring the knowledge of God to all. God’s people are to shine before them, attracting them to God (Deuteronomy 4:6-8, Matthew 5:14-16).
Examples of witnessing in the OT include Joshua terrifying the surrounding nations and attracting people, like Rahab, to God; and the Israelites themselves being sent into exile before their subsequent return (Exodus 15:14-16; Joshua 2:8-11; Exodus 32:11-14; Ezekiel 36:20-21, 33-36).
Through such witnessing, ultimately the nations will benefit and praise God. Those who choose to be God’s people will be accepted into an all-nation community that knows, worships, and loves God (Isaiah 56:3-8, Isaiah 19:19-24, Psalm 87:4-7, Zechariah 2:10-11).
God’s creation will rejoice together in the coming of the Lord, culminating in the new heaven and the new earth (Psalm 96: 11-13, Isaiah 65:17-25).
In the New Testament, Christians are to live following God’s teachings and obey the Great Commission. Christians are to bring God’s blessings to all and make God known to the ends of the earth. Thus, the mission of God’s people is deeply rooted in the OT.
A summary of a sermon by Christopher Wright, titled, “The Old Testament Vision of God’s People”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0dFzFry7sU
God’s desire is to bring blessings to all nations. Abraham was chosen for this purpose (Genesis 18:18-19), as was Israel. Not because Israel was good, but because of His love, God chose Israel to be His witness, by which He would bring salvation to all (Isaiah 44:21).
Then through Christ, salvation came to all nations, as promised in the Old Testament (OT) (Galatians 3:8; Luke 24:27, 44-47).
So the mission of God’s people in the OT was to bring God’s blessing of salvation to all nations. To achieve such a mission required Biblical ways of living.
Abraham and his people needed to live distinctively, following God’s righteousness and not Sodom’s way of injustice, cruelty, and wantonness (Genesis 18:18-19, 19; Isaiah 1; Ezekiel 16).
Similarly, Israelites were to live following God’s teachings (Leviticus 18:3, 19:2). If so, they would be God’s priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:4-6), bringing God to all nations and drawing them to God. That was the purpose of the OT laws, which were ultimately fulfilled through Christ.
God’s people must follow God’s ways, to bear witness to and bring the knowledge of God to all. God’s people are to shine before them, attracting them to God (Deuteronomy 4:6-8, Matthew 5:14-16).
Examples of witnessing in the OT include Joshua terrifying the surrounding nations and attracting people, like Rahab, to God; and the Israelites themselves being sent into exile before their subsequent return (Exodus 15:14-16; Joshua 2:8-11; Exodus 32:11-14; Ezekiel 36:20-21, 33-36).
Through such witnessing, ultimately the nations will benefit and praise God. Those who choose to be God’s people will be accepted into an all-nation community that knows, worships, and loves God (Isaiah 56:3-8, Isaiah 19:19-24, Psalm 87:4-7, Zechariah 2:10-11).
God’s creation will rejoice together in the coming of the Lord, culminating in the new heaven and the new earth (Psalm 96: 11-13, Isaiah 65:17-25).
In the New Testament, Christians are to live following God’s teachings and obey the Great Commission. Christians are to bring God’s blessings to all and make God known to the ends of the earth. Thus, the mission of God’s people is deeply rooted in the OT.
A summary of a sermon by Christopher Wright, titled, “The Old Testament Vision of God’s People”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0dFzFry7sU