This is a series of articles on how to preach Christ in the Old Testament. Many have mistakenly preached using the Old Testament for moralistic preaching or self-help. Preacher, do you want to learn to preach on the basis of the Old Testament?Series of articles will give you a good introduction.
“Each truly biblical sermon will be developed to introduce Jesus Christ to listeners.
(Darius of Ara-jo Cardoso)
In the first article we present an introduction, speaking of moralistic sermons and a brief introduction to how to preach Christocentrically in the Old Testament. We now present, in several segments, an excellent article by Dario de Ara-jo Cardoso on this subject. .
The launch of Editora Cultura Crist in 2006 of two books by Editora Cultura Crist has made an important contribution to the discussion of evangelical preaching in our country, these are: The contemporary preacher and the ancient text and the preaching of Christ of the Old Testament. Delve into Bryan Chapell’s work, Christocentric Preaching, also published by Editora Cultura Cristo, in 2002. Everyone, especially the second, has as their key point the proposition that Christ is not only the central and main theme of the scriptures. It is above all the subject of all Scripture. So, according to these two authors, each truly biblical sermon will develop in a way that presents Jesus Christ to listeners. Although such a proposal seems to be too great for contemporary ears, these authors are not isolated in the history of Christian preaching; on the contrary, they echo what the luminaries in the history of the church have said, including Calvin, Luther and even the apostles. sivamente.
Given this proposal, the Old Testament biographical sermon seems to be a respectable practical challenge and will be at the heart of this article. First, we will see, from a summary of Greidanus’s arguments, what Christian’s hermeneutic and homily proposition is- focused preaching, as well as the historical and theological reasons for his defense; Then we will discuss the most commonly used form of biographical preaching, called an exemplaryist, and the hermeneutic problems present in this type of preaching; finally, the Christocentric model is proposed. Greidanus, illustrating its application in biographical texts.
[let’s divide this section into two parts. In this first, you will see the testimony of Scripture and next week the historical testimony]
“God thus fulfilled what He had previously announced by the mouth of all the prophets: that his Christ would suffer?Did you really say Moses? And all the prophets, starting with Samuel, and everyone who spoke afterwards, also announced these days?(AT 3. 18, 22, 24)
Arguing why modern preachers should preach Christ, Greidanus writes that this was the order that the disciples received from Jesus himself during his farewell (Mt 28,19,20), which was later recalled by Peter 😕 Did he send a preacher to the people and testify that he is the one who was appointed by God to judge the living and the dead? (At 10:42). You can see how Peter fulfilled this command in his forceful statement in the sermon at the door of the temple: “God thus fulfills what he had previously announced through the mouth of all the prophets: that his Christ would suffer? Did you really say Moses? Did all the prophets, beginning with Samuel, and all who spoke afterwards also announce these days? (In points 3. 18, 22, 24? Emphasis added) Paul was also charged according to the Lord’s words to Ananias: Is this an instrument chosen to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings, and before the children of Israel? (In 9. 15). Before King Agrippa, Paul describes how he had achieved it 😕 But, seeking God’s help , I remain until today, giving testimonies, great and small, saying nothing more than what the prophets and Moses said should happen, that is, that Christ should suffer and, being the first in the resurrection of the dead, would proclaim the light to the people and the heathen? (In 26: 22-23? d From d).
In Peter and Paul’s discourse, the emphasis should be placed on the fact that the whole Old Testament proclaims Jesus and salvation, an attitude that should come as no surprise to us, because this is exactly what the disciples saw Jesus do in the synagogue of Nazareth, Jesus read Isaiah 61:1-2, a reference to the jubilee year (Lev 25 : 8-55), and said:?(Lk 4:18-21). And when he walked with the disciples who went to Emmaus, he said, “O foolish and late for believing all that the prophets have said!?And, beginning with Moses, addressing all the prophets, he explained to them what was in him in all the scriptures?(Lk 24. 25, 27?emphasis added). It is clear that the Apostles learned from Jesus that not only did certain passages of the Old Testament bear witness to him, but the entire Old Testament did.
It is clear from this brief summary of the New Testament that the Apostles and Evangelists preached to the Christ of the Old Testament, and also that they did so with integrity, because they believed that the Old Testament referred to Christ. It is obvious that they learned this Christological understanding of the Old Testament of Jesus himself, because Jesus not only shaped the fulfillment of the Old Testament in his life, but also taught: the things that were upon him in all the scriptures?(Lk 24:27 ).