God’s Eternal Line
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hould the
question be asked, “Where does the Old Testament end and the New Testament
begin?” The majority who are familiar with the Bible would answer: “The Old
ends with Malachi and the New begins with Matthew. This would be true based on
the layout of our Bibles. However, when a diligent study is made of this
God-given Book, this is NOT where God drew the line!
All
four authors, Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John, in their account of the gospel,
record the end of the Old Testament when Jesus died on the cross.
Matthew
wrote: “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His
spirit” (Matthew 27:50).
Mark
closes the Old Testament with these words: “And Jesus cried out with a loud
voice, and breathed His last” (Mark
15:37).
Luke
wrote: “And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, ‘’Father,
into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last” (Luke 23:46).
John
ended the Old Testament record when he wrote: “So when Jesus had received
the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His
spirit” (John 19:30).
In
my personal Bible, at the end of each of these four Scriptures, I have penciled
in the words: “The end of the Old Testament.”
Paul
referred to the Old Law or the Old Covenant (made with the Jews) as a “handwriting
of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us.” Then he added “And He has taken it out of the way,
having nailed it to the cross” (Colossians
2:14).
Therefore,
up until the moment of His death, Jesus lived His life under the Old Testament
Law of Moses. Yes, it is true, that He was making plans daily during His
ministry for the New Testament and His kingdom, but you can be assured that He
lived under the Old Testament throughout His ministry.
One
of the goals of the ministry of Jesus was to eventually fulfill the old law or
old covenant. Thus, He taught: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law
or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say
to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means
pass from the law till all is fulfilled”
(Matthew 5:17,18).
When
Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood, God drew His eternal line between
the Old and New Testaments. Thus, the only way to obey the command “rightly
dividing the word of truth” (2
Timothy 2:15), is to recognize and apply God’s eternal line.
Therefore,
the purpose of this message is to prove by the word of God, that God drew this
eternal line, and that His line is essential to know, in order to understand,
and obey His divine will.
Would
you please observe some very important changes that followed the drawing of
this eternal line?
The
line that God drew when Jesus died on the cross was a line of change! To
prepare for this very important line, God chose to develop a nation through
which His Son would be born. This prepared nation grew from the family tree of
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and his twelve sons. God changed Jacob’s name to Israel.
“And He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and
with men, and have prevailed”
(Genesis 32:28). Therefore, this special nation was called Israel.
To
keep the bloodline of this nation pure, and to guide it spiritually and
morally, God gave them specific laws through Moses. This explains why the Old
Testament is often referred to as “The Law of Moses” (Luke 2:22). In fact, the foundation of the Old
Testament consists of Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses (Exodus 34:28).
What
was the purpose of the Law of Moses that was given only to the nation of
Israel? There were two major purposes:
1. To build a spiritual fence of protection around this nation to keep
them
from the evil influences of other nations.
2. To make preparation for the coming of the Messiah
who would bring salvation (Isaiah 9:6; 53:5).
When
these two purposes were accomplished, there would be a change in laws—a change
in covenants. Paul described this line of change when he wrote:
“What
purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till
the Seed should come to whom the promise
was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator” (Galatians 3:19).
Then
Paul described what it was like under the law before faith (brought by the
Seed) came: “But before faith came, we were kept under
guard by the law, kept for the faith
which would afterward be revealed” (Galatians
3:23).
After
this statement, and at this point, Paul gave his conclusion: “Therefore the
law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
But after faith has come, we are no longer under
a tutor” (Galatians
3:24,25).
What
is Paul saying? He is teaching that there has been a change, and that God has
drawn a line of change!
A New Covenant Line
In
this study of “God’s Eternal Line,” it is also important to know that God’s
line of change would be a new line. He
had made a covenant with the Israelite nation from the seed of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, but God had plans for a new covenant in the future. Instead of a
covenant with ONE nation, the new covenant would include ALL nations.
God promised Abraham: “....And in you all the families of the earth shall be
blessed” (Genesis 12:3).
The
Lord guided the prophet Jeremiah to foretell the coming of a new covenant. “Behold,
the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the
house of Israel and with the house of Judah—” (Jeremiah 31:31). For a description of this covenant, read (vss.
32,34).
The
same promise of a new covenant is recorded in (Hebrews 8:7-12). After recording
the prophecy of a new covenant, the Hebrew author quotes the Lord as saying: “In
that He says, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete.
Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away” (Hebrews 8:13).
Therefore,
when Jesus breathed His last breath on the cross, God’s new line was drawn. It
required time to make the transition, from the old covenant to the new.
However, God still drew the line at the cross. Because, after fifty days had passed,
the Holy Spirit came down on the apostles during the Jewish Feast of Pentecost,
and the new covenant was officially ushered into action. The blood had already been shed and the
sacrifice of the “Lamb of God” had
been made, (John 1:29). But it was not announced to the Jews until Acts 2, and not to the Gentiles until Acts 10).
Marching Orders
Before
Jesus returned to His Father in heaven, He gave the marching orders to His
Apostles that reflected both the power and the full extent of the new line, or
the new covenant.
“And
He said to them, ‘Go into all the
world and preach the gospel to every
creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not
believe will be condemned” (Mark
16:15,16).
“Go
therefore and make disciples of all
the nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age” Amen.
(Matthew 28:19,20).
After
God drew the line of a new covenant when Jesus died on the cross, God’s Israel
became a spiritual Israel. Please
observe how Paul explained the new Israel: “For in Christ Jesus neither
circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. And as
many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the
Israel of God” (Galatians 6:15-16).
Therefore,
all who are spiritually born—”born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5), make up God’s spiritual Israel. No
partiality is shown to Jews, Greeks, men, or women.
Paul
gives the following explanation to the churches of Galatia: “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ
Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into
Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are
Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26,29).
What
a beautiful and important birth!
As
we continue our study on the new line that God drew when Jesus breathed His
last breath on the cross, please learn that God drew a new priesthood line.
Under the old covenant, when God chose Moses to lead the nation of Israel, He
also chose Aaron, the brother of Moses, to begin a priesthood for this nation.
This priesthood came from Levi, one of the twelve sons of Jacob. This tribe was
responsible for all the spiritual needs of this nation.
Aaron
served as the first High Priest, but there were many priests and workers who
also served the various spiritual needs, because there were many animals that
had to be offered in sacrifice in the tabernacle and later in the temple. The
Levitical priesthood was responsible for carrying out all these and other
spiritually related functions. In fact, there were hundreds of laws given to
govern the nation’s worship, moral actions, and everything that pertained to
Aaron and those who served.
However,
even though this old priesthood was important, essential, and had a significant
place in the lives of the nation of Israel, it was only temporary! Even the
blood of animals offered for sin could not
complete its work without the coming of a new priesthood.
“For
the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to
God” (Hebrews 7:19).
The
Hebrew author sums up this truth in these verses:
“For
the law, having a shadow of the good
things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same
sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach
perfect” (Hebrews 10:1).
“But
in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and
goats could take away sins” (Hebrews 10:3,4).
Thus,
it is correct to say that the sacrifice of Jesus activated complete forgiveness
for the faithful of God’s children of the past, and of the future. This is the
reason why Jesus came and fulfilled the first covenant so it could be removed. “Then
He said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.’ He takes away the first that He may establish the second” (Hebrews 10:9).
What
was God’s will? His will was for Jesus His Son to offer one sacrifice of Himself to sanctify sinners before God:
“And
every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same
sacrifices, which can never take away
sins. But this Man, after He had offered one
sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:11,12).
Therefore,
at the cross, a new priesthood line was drawn. Aaron, the Levitical priesthood,
and all the priests who served were fulfilled, and Jesus became the new High
Priest. Jesus did not become a High Priest under the Levitical priesthood, but
a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek:
“For
He testifies: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek’ ”
(Hebrews 7:17).
Jesus
is the perfect High Priest, and we do not need any other. The Hebrew writer
forever confirms this:
“Now
this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest,
who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a
Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man” (Hebrews 8:1,2).
The
tabernacle in which Jesus, our High Priest, serves is in heaven. Again, the
Hebrew writer sums up this truth:
“But
Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands,
that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with
His own blood He entered the Most Holy
Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:11,12).
Therefore,
when Jesus closed the old law when He died on the cross, God drew the line to
begin a new priesthood with Jesus
serving as the new and ONLY High Priest.
It was by His death that He became the Mediator of the new covenant, the New
Testament:
“And
for this reason He is the Mediator of
the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions
under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of
the eternal inheritance” (Hebrews
9:15; cf. Heb. 3:1).
Surely
by now you are beginning to see that the line that God drew when Jesus died on
the cross to end the Old Law and to begin the New Testament is vitally important. Remember, without this
line in place, all other truths of the Bible will not fit!
Would
you please observe further that when Jesus died on the cross, God drew ”A New
Birth Line.”
Under
the Old Covenant that was given only to the nation of Israel, one could enter
this nation ONLY by physical birth.
There were a few exceptions where one of another nation became a proselyte, but
this was not the normal way to enter. As a general rule, each one had to be
physically born of the lineage of Abraham.
Under
the New Covenant of Christ, as Jesus prepared for the coming of His church that
was also called His kingdom, He commanded, not
a physical birth, but a new birth.
Jesus explained this new birth to a man named Nicodemus:
“Jesus
answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God’ ” (John 3:3).
“Jesus
answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the
kingdom of God’ ” (John 3:5).
Nicodemus
was a Jewish ruler who had been physically born of the seed of Abraham.
However, this did not apply under the coming of the New Covenant of Christ and
His kingdom. Therefore, Jesus made a specific distinction between the two types
of births:
“That
which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit” (John 3:6).
How
is a sinner “born of water and the Spirit?” He or she must be born of the word of God. The
apostle Peter explains:
“Since
you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere
love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been
born again, not of corruptible seed
but incorruptible, through the word of God
which lives and abides forever,” (1
Peter 1:22,23).
The
Spirit by the word instructs sinners to have
faith from hearing the word of God: “So then faith comes by
hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
The
word also reveals that repentance is essential: “I tell you, no; but unless you
repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke
13:3).
Then
the word calls upon sinners to confess
that Jesus is the Christ: “that
if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that
God has raised Him from the dead, you
will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9,10).
Finally,
the word commands sinners to be baptized
for the forgiveness of sins: “Then
Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name
of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins;
and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
When
these commandments, given by the Holy Spirit through the word, are obeyed from
the heart, a form of Christ’s death,
burial, and resurrection has been obeyed. It is at this point that sinners are
made free from sin.
“But
God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were
delivered. And having been set free from sin,
you became slaves of righteousness” (Romans
6:17,18).
This
is ”The New Birth Line” that God drew when Jesus died on the cross. Over the
years (even today) many have tried to erase this “New Birth Line” that God
drew, but they have failed, because it is an eternal, permanent line!
As
we come to the last line that God has drawn in this study, please observe that
God drew a new line for worship.
Before God drew this eternal line, when Jesus died on the cross, worship for
the chosen nation from the seed of Abraham was centered around the temple in Jerusalem. In fact, there were
several feast days kept under the Law of Moses.
Here
are three major ones: “Feast of the Passover,”
“Feast of Pentecost,” and “Feast of Tabernacles.” Faithful Jews traveled from many parts of the world to keep
these feasts.
However,
during the ministry of Jesus, He taught that a new kind of worship was coming.
One
day Jesus was traveling through Samaria, and He became engaged in a
conversation with a Samaritan woman. The conversation eventually got around to
the subject of worship. There was a
distinct difference between the Jews and Samaritans on this subject.
Suppose
we listen in on their conversation. Let’s begin with what the woman said to
Jesus:
“Sir,
I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and
you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship” (John 4:19,20).
“Jesus
said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on
this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not
know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.
But
the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the
Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to
worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must
worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:21-24).
As
Jesus prepared for a new worship (after God would draw the dividing line at His
death), He set forth God’s new way to worship. It would not be associated with
a particular city or any certain mountain, but it would involve one’s heart
while obeying God’s truth.
Therefore,
beyond the line that God would draw when Jesus died on the cross, worshiping “in
spirit and in truth” would be an
absolute must. Why is this true? Because Jesus emphasized, “those who
worship Him, MUST worship Him in
spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).
Thus, this kind of worship is not optional,
for Jesus is teaching that it is the only way to please God. How does a true
worshiper, worship “in spirit and in truth?”
IN SPIRIT
First
of all, “in spirit” involves the
heart. It is useless to go through the various acts of worship that are
commanded in God’s truth, without having one’s heart in the worship. For
example, the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, prayed often, but their hearts were not
on God, but rather on impressing men.
Jesus
said of them, “Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward” (Matthew 6:5). Jesus was saying that their only
reward was to be heard of men.
When
Paul taught about the proper use of spiritual gifts to the church at Corinth,
he set forth a principle that must also be present when one worships “in
spirit:”
“What
is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with
the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the
understanding” (1 Corinthians
14:15).
IN TRUTH
The
“in truth” that Jesus specified
in worship, simply means, carrying out only the various acts of worship that
are specified and approved in the word of God. Just as it is important to
worship with the heart, it is equally important to worship according to God’s truth.
For
example: God’s word specifies singing:
“speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).
It
authorizes praying: “I desire
therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath
and doubting;” (1 Timothy 2:8; cf. 1
Cor. 14:15).
God’s
truth approves the preaching of His word: “And daily in the temple, and in
every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (Acts 5:42). “Preach the word! Be ready in season
and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and
teaching (2 Timothy 4:2).
Worship
in truth includes observing the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week. “Now on the first
day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready
to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight” (Acts 20:7).
Also,
God’s truth gives authority to give
to the Lord on the first day of the week from one’s earnings
based on the amount that one has been prospered:
“Now concerning the collection for the saints, as
I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the
first day of the week let each one of you lay
something aside, storing up as he may prosper,
that there be no collections when I come” (1 Corinthians 16:1,2).
What
about worship that is based on something other than God’s truth? Jesus answers
this question: “And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the
commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9).
Over
the years in worship, man has added
many things that are not found in God’s truth. However, to do this is to lose
both the Father and the Son. In the words of the apostle John:
“Whoever transgresses (footnote: goes ahead) and does not abide in the
doctrine of Christ does not have God.
He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. (2
John 1:9).
Hopefully
you have been able to see in this study that God’s eternal line is important to
understand His word, and to be pleasing to Him. Therefore, in all of your Bible study and in your efforts
to obey Him, please honor the eternal line
that God drew when His Son Jesus died on the cross at Calvary! (See the chart for this sermon under “Charts”). —BBBristow