Missing link Monday is devoted to exposing Christ in the 2 Old Testament readings from the Revised Common Lectionary from the previous day.
The first text was Isaiah 49:1-7 follow the link to read the text.
The connection to Christ in this passage is a very direct one. It is Christ speaking directly through the prophet. Not much leg work needs done to make the connection. Isaiah 49:2 connects directly to Revelation 1:16 which is a clear image of Christ. Isaiah 49:7 makes clear that the speaker is "Redeemer of Israel" which we know is a title only Christ may bear. The point is that these are the direct words of Christ through Isaiah.
The second text was Psalm 40:1-11
In Hebrews 10:5 we find the author loosely quoting Psalm 40:6-8 and he attributes the quote to Christ. At the very least Christ quoted this text as his own words at some point. This text is a celebration of news of deliverance and frankly the entire thing screams of Christ. Psalm 40:9-11 speaks of the Gospel announcement.
Clearly in the case of both Isaiah 49 and Psalm 40, the text would be entirely missed if it was not preached thoroughly saturated with Christ. It is only from a New Testament Christocentric approach that these two passages can be understood.
Showing posts with label MLM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MLM. Show all posts
1.17.2011
1.10.2011
Missing Link Monday - 01.10.2011
Missing Link Monday” is devoted to viewing the OT and Psalm reading from the Revised Common Lectionary with the focus on the Christ. Recall again that Christ himself has proclaimed that the OT finds its fulfillment in him, and that the scriptures all point to him. It is incumbent upon us to approach all OT scripture with the presupposition that it indeed points to Christ.
Reading 1: Isaiah 42:1-9
Reading 2: Psalm 29
Reading 1: Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law. Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: "I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them."
(Isaiah 42:1-9 ESV)
The beginning of this text is loosely quoted at the Baptism of the Lord. (Note that this week is 'Baptism of the Lord Sunday' in the lectionary.) Later in the text we read "I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness." We are reminded of this text in Luke 4:18, yet in Luke we read Jesus applying this text to himself, effectively announcing that he is the fulfillment of this text. The link in this text is clear, and it is made explicitly by Christ. Now, as it is clear that this text is about Christ, and the 'servant' referenced in this text is him, what does that tell us of the meaning of this text? It tells us of his faithfulness to burning wicks (a horrid smelling thing) and bruised reeds (useful for nothing), in other words his faithfulness to people like us who have done nothing to deserve it. He brings forth justice, He is given as a covenant for the people, light for the nations... and so on. Now, the danger of preaching a text like this is not making the link to Christ primary, but instead taking the 'servant' to be you. Of course Christ is exemplary and we should be about the same things he is, but the 'Servant' in this text is Him, not you.
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Reading 2: A Psalm of David. Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness. The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, "Glory!" The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever. May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!
(Psalms 29:1-11 ESV)
This text at the outset seems a little tougher to show it's relation to Christ, or how it traces back to Him, but it certainly does. Take a quick look at Psalm 29:1 and then look at Revelation 5:11-14.
Psalm 29:1 - A Psalm of David. Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength
Revelation 5:11-14 - Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshiped.
The very first verse of the Psalm is crying out to heavenly beings to worship the Lord, to ascribe to Him glory and strength. In the Revelation we see with greater clarity what the Psalmist writes of. The living creatures in heaven are doing exactly what the Psalmist commands saying, "Worthy is the Lamb.. to receive, power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing." Of course "The Lamb" references the Christ. In revelation we see the picture of the Psalm reading, and we see that it is Christ that this Psalm refers to. Moreover we see countless references to the "voice of the Lord", knowing that Christ is the eternal word of God, and is the very 'voice' of the Godhead. This 29th Psalm, like all other Psalms has its real understanding when viewed in light of the new testament revelation of the Christ.
Reading 1: Isaiah 42:1-9
Reading 2: Psalm 29
Reading 1: Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law. Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: "I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them."
(Isaiah 42:1-9 ESV)
The beginning of this text is loosely quoted at the Baptism of the Lord. (Note that this week is 'Baptism of the Lord Sunday' in the lectionary.) Later in the text we read "I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness." We are reminded of this text in Luke 4:18, yet in Luke we read Jesus applying this text to himself, effectively announcing that he is the fulfillment of this text. The link in this text is clear, and it is made explicitly by Christ. Now, as it is clear that this text is about Christ, and the 'servant' referenced in this text is him, what does that tell us of the meaning of this text? It tells us of his faithfulness to burning wicks (a horrid smelling thing) and bruised reeds (useful for nothing), in other words his faithfulness to people like us who have done nothing to deserve it. He brings forth justice, He is given as a covenant for the people, light for the nations... and so on. Now, the danger of preaching a text like this is not making the link to Christ primary, but instead taking the 'servant' to be you. Of course Christ is exemplary and we should be about the same things he is, but the 'Servant' in this text is Him, not you.
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Reading 2: A Psalm of David. Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness. The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, "Glory!" The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever. May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!
(Psalms 29:1-11 ESV)
This text at the outset seems a little tougher to show it's relation to Christ, or how it traces back to Him, but it certainly does. Take a quick look at Psalm 29:1 and then look at Revelation 5:11-14.
Psalm 29:1 - A Psalm of David. Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength
Revelation 5:11-14 - Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshiped.
The very first verse of the Psalm is crying out to heavenly beings to worship the Lord, to ascribe to Him glory and strength. In the Revelation we see with greater clarity what the Psalmist writes of. The living creatures in heaven are doing exactly what the Psalmist commands saying, "Worthy is the Lamb.. to receive, power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing." Of course "The Lamb" references the Christ. In revelation we see the picture of the Psalm reading, and we see that it is Christ that this Psalm refers to. Moreover we see countless references to the "voice of the Lord", knowing that Christ is the eternal word of God, and is the very 'voice' of the Godhead. This 29th Psalm, like all other Psalms has its real understanding when viewed in light of the new testament revelation of the Christ.
1.03.2011
Missing Link Monday - 01.03.2011
Jeremiah 31:7-14 and Psalm 147:12-20
This is the first installment of “Missing Link Monday” which is devoted to viewing the OT and Psalm reading from the Revised Common Lectionary with the focus on the Christ. Recall again that Christ himself has proclaimed that the OT finds its fulfillment in him, and that the scriptures all point to him. It is incumbent upon us to approach all OT scripture with the presupposition that it indeed points to Christ.
Reading 1 – For thus says the LORD: "Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, 'O LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel.' Behold, I will bring them from the north country and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the pregnant woman and she who is in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here. With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble, for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, 'He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.' For the LORD has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him. They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more. Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the LORD." (Jeremiah 31:7-14 ESV)
This passage is pretty straight forward and does not require much time to make the connection. The clear line being “For the Lord has ransomed Jacob...” This language is clear of a price paid to set free the people of Israel. Moreover “...from hands too strong for him”, implies that this is a work entirely of God and therefore grace because Jacob was in the clutches of an enemy, sin, which he could not deliver himself from. He who scattered, will gather as a shepherd... again we see very Messianic language pointing to the One, Christ, who would gather the lost sheep of Israel. If you are looking through the lens of the Gospel, and knowing that Christ is the fulfillment of the prophets, and approaching this text with that in mind, it is nearly impossible to miss the fact that this reading screams of the Gospel and points with clarity to Christ.
Reading 2 - Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you. He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat. He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He gives snow like wool; he scatters hoarfrost like ashes. He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold? He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow. He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his rules. Praise the LORD!
(Psalms 147:12-20 ESV)
In this text we see the power of the Lord in the created realm, we see authority over the harvest, over peace, over the strength of a fortified city, over snow, and ice. We also see the power of His word and statutes. If you qualify this passage with Colossians 1:16 or the beginning of John 1 you begin to see who the authority figure that is doing the work in this passage is. It is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. This section of this Psalm should be preached so as to open a window into the character and mind of Christ. Notice the role of ‘his word’ in this passage and the power accompanied with it. Moreover notice the role of the Lord towards Israel, notice that he has dealt more thoroughly with them, he has come as one of them, for them, their rejection of him is nearly unthinkable, but it is that very rejection that opens the door for the gentiles to be grafted in.
12.27.2010
Blog Plan 2011 - Missing Link Mondays
I am not preaching January 2nd or the 9th so I have a little bit of time freed up for blogging, and I have a plan for what to do with it. I am going to start a new segment on this blog that works off of the revised common lectionary, and post every Monday regarding the previous Sunday’s two Old Testament readings. The goal is not to give teaching on each text as that would be a far bigger endeavor than I care to undertake, but the goal will be to show the clear link from the lectionary reading to the work of Christ on our behalf. Jesus made it clear on the Emmaus road that all scripture points to him, so it is safe for us to look for him in any and every segment of the word. So each Monday (starting January 3rd) will be “Missing Link Monday”, and I will endeavor to make clear the link from the OT readings to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The reason I call it “missing link Monday” is that this practice of linking all OT scripture to Christ is sadly a practice that is missing in much of Christendom. So often we will hear sermons from Nehemiah about rebuilding your life, or from Song of Solomon about spicing up you love life, or from Joshua about conquering life’s trials and so on, yet rarely do we look at any of these texts a passages fulfilled in Christ, and yet these passages offer little more that nice ethics unless they are used to proclaim Christ. So that is what Missing link Monday will be all about.
My plan is to post other posts on Thursday, and those posts will be similar to the posts I have done recently. Hopefully with two weeks out of the pulpit I can get ahead of the game and schedule the posts a couple weeks in advance so that I don’t have any problems keeping up. Stop back and keep posted.
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