Ask Pastor Mike Fabarez

Speaker 1

What do the ancient traditions and ceremonial laws of an ancient Aggregarian society have to do with our 21st century lives? Well, you're about to find out right now. So stay tuned for today's edition of Ask Pastor Mike, here on Focal Point.

Welcome to a special edition of Focal Point. I'm host Dave Drouy. Today we're sitting down for an informal interview with Pastor Mike Fabarez on a segment we call Ask Pastor Mike. And if you'd like to pose a question, you can do that at focalpointradio.org/connect.

Today's topic is about the relevance of the Old Testament. Now that Christ has come, doesn't it mean those ancient laws don't apply anymore? Let's join executive director Jay Worton from Inside the Pastor Study.

Speaker 2

Well, thank you, Dave.

Pastor MIKE

Today's listener question, I feel, is pretty common. This listener asks, when I read the Old Testament, I often get confused by all the different laws, ceremonies, and genealogies that don't seem relevant to Christians anymore.

So why should we study the Old Testament?

Speaker 3

Well, Jay, that's a huge question. Really. We should study the Old Testament because it is God's word. You read the New Testament and it refers to the Old Testament as the word of God. It's God breathed. God has spoken clearly in that his revelation from God to man is there for us to glean. We learn so much about who God is. We learn so much about his holiness. We learn so much about how he deals in human history. So we need to study it. It is the word of God.

Now, people struggle with it because they think, well, there's a lot of it that doesn't seem applicable anymore. I mean, we're not we don't have political priests. We don't have a temple. We don't sacrifice animals. And I get all that; that's clear and important for us to recognize. But we need to see as valid everything in the Old Testament that the New Testament says is valid. Of course, the ceremonies are no longer valid. We can talk more about that in a minute.

But let me just give you some examples from First Corinthians. In First Corinthians, chapter 10, it makes very clear that the things were written in the Old Testament, even the narratives and the histories of how God dealt with the people of Israel at various times, are there for our instruction. They're there to teach us. And there's some great examples in First Corinthians when he says, for instance, in First Corinthians, chapter 9, that we ought to know something about helping to support those who give us spiritual care by reading the Old Testament law. He quotes the law about what it says regarding the agrarian culture and feeding the ox and not muzzling the ox while he's threshing. He says, God has written this for our sakes. Now he's talking to a New Testament church in Corinth. This is something there we learn moral principles from.

And two chapters earlier, he said it's important to know circumcision and uncircumcision doesn't mean anything. But what matters is keeping the commandments of God. So clearly in Paul's mind, as he writes a New Testament church, there are distinctions between commandments like circumcision and then the commandments that we are required to keep. There's distinctions, and that's what Paul is trying to make very clear in the teaching of First Corinthians. There are commandments of God in the Old Testament we are to keep. Those are what we often call the moral law of God.

So quickly, just the handle on it would be ceremonial, civil, and moral. And when the Bible says the Spirit's going to come in and reinforce all this by writing the law of God on our hearts, it's clear they're not going to write the law of God regarding Aaron's priesthood or, you know, how I bring pigeons to, you know, a cleansing from leprosy. No, not that law. What's the law he writes on our heart? The moral law of God. The only context for that in the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament is the moral law of God. That's what's going to be the thing that the Spirit of God is going to impress upon us from the inside out. And that is the thing the New Testament continually tells us to look to, both in the Old Testament text, those moral laws. And then, of course, in the New Testament, it reiterates so many of those moral laws and brings even greater clarity to those.

Speaker 2

Certainly, there's clear commands in those moral laws that we see. Do not murder, do not covet.

But there's all these other stories and passages in the Old Testament that don't deal with that.

So how do we deal with those stories of people and the history of Israel? Is it applicable to us in any way or is it just applicable to them?

Speaker 3

Well, I guess it's like reading the Book of Acts. When you read the Book of Acts, here's a New Testament book giving us examples of what God was doing with the early church. Some things are there just by way of description: here's what God did, here's what He wanted the church of Jerusalem to do, or the church in Antioch to do. We recognize that this is specifically describing what was happening and what God did with those people.

Then there are prescriptive passages that make it very clear. As I read, particularly in the Epistles, I can see that this is not just a unique situation for that church, but these are universal things that we should do. I mean, I don't know who to set out on a missions journey, Paul and Barnabas, let's say. But I do know we should be a missionary kind of church in every generation because I see that principle throughout the New Testament.

So when I see the prescriptive parts of the Bible, I can look at all the descriptive parts of the Bible and recognize whether I should take that example and say, "Yeah, I should echo that. I should use that as a model in my life." This helps us a great deal in studying the New Testament truths and looking for those principles.

Then, I can read all those narrative texts, whether it's in the Book of First Kings, the Book of Acts, or even in the Gospels. Now I can say, "Now I understand what supersedes all circumstances, goes throughout all time, and should be employed in every generation," as opposed to those that were just utilized in those particular situations in Acts.

Speaker 2

2 Chronicles and even Hebrews 11 gives us descriptions of men and women of faith from the Old Testament as an example to us today.

Speaker 4

Sure.

Speaker 3

And that's why I quoted 1 Corinthians 9. I think it's such a great passage, because when you read about the Old Testament telling us you shouldn't muzzle an ox, put a muzzle over his mouth while he's treading out the grain, I mean, we would read that and go, doesn't apply to us.

That's for the agrarian people. Maybe that's even a civil law.

Speaker 4

But it's not.

Speaker 3

It's a moral law. And God says to us through the pen of the Apostle Paul, he asked the question here I'm quoting now, verses 9 and 10. Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not certainly speak this for our sakes? It was written for our sakes because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher should thresh in hope of sharing in the crop.

So here's a moral principle derived from an Old Testament command that was about how you're supposed to go about treading out grain with your ox. And yet we read these things too quickly and say, well, that doesn't apply to us. Well, oftentimes it does. And Paul's reading the Old Testament as we ought to read it very carefully to say, is there a moral principle here? What do I learn about the character of God? What do I learn about the holiness or the compassion of God? And how can I apply that in the situation today?

God isn't just filling his Old Testament book with stuff that doesn't matter, even though a lot of it is fulfilled. And the illustration I should use about that, that I think has been helpful for some people is some people say, well, has God changed? He liked the priesthood then and he doesn't like it now, and he liked the animal sacrifices then.

Listen, when the Old Testament was setting up the coming of Christ, we had all these ceremonies. And then when Christ came, he said, I fulfilled those ceremonies and I set them aside. No longer are there going to be Sabbath days or festivals or new moons. There's not going to be dietary restrictions. You're not going to have the priesthood, all of that.

Right? We can't say, well, God has changed any more than you can say you've changed. When you got married and you had all those ceremonies that celebrated the union of your spouse and you had tuxedos that you wore and dresses that you wore, and you made these women who stand on the stage supporting you wear the matching dresses and all that list, that's something you required for that ceremony.

And now that you're married, when you get together with those same friends, you don't make them put on that same matching dress anymore. That was a ceremony that celebrated the coming of Christ. It looked forward to it. It has come. And now we lay those ceremonies aside. That's what Galatians is all about. Circumcision and all the rest that goes.

Speaker 4

With it, and the Book of Hebrews.

Speaker 3

Which goes through a series of Old Testament ceremonies, those are all fulfilled. And God hasn't changed at all. He's just said the wedding is over.

If you the reality is here Christ has come. Our relationship with Christ doesn't require those ceremonies anymore. But what God revealed about his moral law, what he said to us, is right and good and just and righteous.

Those things carry on through both testaments. So we learn from the Old Testament and we glean a lot of what guides and governs our lives today, just like Paul did in the Book of First Corinthians.

Speaker 2

Well, thank you, Pastor Mike. I trust this has been a helpful conversation.

We can't ignore our Old Testament. So we're going to look at a specific issue from the Old Testament and how to approach it as Christians.

And this message is called "Why Don't We Have to Keep All Those Old Testament Ceremonies?"

Speaker 4

Went to the dentist this week, put a new crown on molar number 18. The old crown wasn't working too well.

Speaker 3

It was painful.

Speaker 4

Any cold beverage was shocking. Made my eyes water. So I went into my great dentist. I said, "Hey, I got a problem." And he said, "Well, we'll fix it." So he made me a new one, sat me in the chair, and pulled my old one out. Then he put it in a baggie and handed it to me. Weird. But I don't know what to do with it. My new one's great. I love my new crown. I used it this morning on my Egg McMuffin. It's a keeper. My old one? I don't know what to do.

The Book of Hebrews has been helping us to understand that the Old Covenant has been replaced with the New Covenant. So we got a new one. And we know it's good; it's perfect. It does exactly what God intended it to do. It's a keeper. But the old one, you know, how do we deal with that? Chapter nine. You would think after saying that the Old Covenant is obsolete, we'd be done with it and move on to New Covenant truths. Well, he now waxes on for verses about the Old Covenant way of worship, going off into the details of the tabernacle for something that's obsolete. I'm thinking, why are you taking time with it?

Look at verse number one. The First Covenant, Chapter nine of Hebrews, had its regulations for worship. It had its earthly sanctuary. A tabernacle was set up. Now he's going to tell us about the rooms. In the first room, you got a lamp stand, you got a table, you got the consecrated bread. That's called the holy place. But then there's this curtain. The second curtain has got a room behind it. It's the most holy place. And it's got this golden altar of incense, or at least it's used in the Holy of Holies on the day of Yom Kippur. It's one of the most important things that the priest brings in with him to the Holy of Holies.

It's also got that gold-covered box we learned about on Raiders of the Lost Ark. You don't want to look in it, but if you want to know what's in it, here's what's in it: you had a gold jar of manna. That was the stuff God fed the children of Israel in the wilderness with. You had Aaron's staff that budded, that picked him by divine providence, a miraculous budding of a stick to show that he was going to be the priestly line and the high priest of Israel. Then you had those tablets, the stone tablets of the Covenant, the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments. All of that was in the box.

Above the box, the ark were the cherubim of the glory; those are angels, and they're crafted out of gold and they sit above the atonement cover, which is a bit of a play on words because atonement means cover, covering of our sin. But for the bottom of verse five, we can't discuss these things in detail. Now, again I'm thinking, why? Why are we discussing it at all? You just said it was obsolete. Then he says, verse six, when everything had been arranged like this, the priest entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. But only the high priest entered the inner room, the Holy of Holies, and that but once a year, and never without the sacrifice of blood, the animal which he offers for himself because he's imperfect.

We learned in the earlier chapter, chapter seven, and for the sins of the people, even the sins they'd committed in ignorance. Now the Holy Spirit, verse 8, was showing by this. Now circle that little demonstrative pronoun and put an arrow. I don't think it's just the curtain and just going in once a year. It's the whole thing. The curtains, the inner room, the Holies, the Holy of Holies, all of this. He was showing by this that the way into the most holy place had not yet been disclosed. And he's not talking about the room in the tabernacle or Solomon's temple or Herod's temple. We're talking about the thing he was talking about in the last chapter, entrance into the presence of God, that the high priest that's supposed to represent me is not getting me into God's presence just because he's getting into an inner room.

All of this indicated that we're not quite there yet, that I don't really have full and complete access to God. This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and the sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. The New Testament authors like that phrase to talk about it really didn't take our sin away. We were still guilty. It didn't cleanse us from our guilt. They, that is, all this stuff, all this illustrative stuff is only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings. External regulations, not internal. This is external stuff applying until the time of the New Order, when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here. That's when the New Order started.

When he finished his earthly ministry, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle. And we're not talking about the one made by man, that is to say, not a part of this creation. We're talking about he really did bring us into the presence of a holy and perfect God. He accomplished that. I need to have access to God if I'm ever going to survive throughout eternity. Either get access to God and get his favor and get his blessing, or be cast away into outer darkness. I want his blessing. I want to get in with God. The ceremonies didn't do it. The priest of the Old Testament didn't do it. The tabernacle and the temple really wasn't the real deal. And now he's saying Christ really did that. That's the New Covenant truth.

Then why all this time on the Old Covenant? What is this all about? And you're telling me in verse number five, we're going to talk about this more? He's going to teach on this more?

Speaker 3

I mean, you do know as you.

Speaker 4

Look through the Bible; there are all kinds of really seemingly bizarre things that God is telling His people to do. For instance, if you cut your sideburns, men, recently, you are in sin. If you're living under the Old Covenant, you're supposed to let it grow. You're not supposed to let the razor touch the sides of the hair on your head. You're not to have clothing that mixes two different kinds of fabric. Check your label; you're in sin. This is a problem.

We need to understand why people who say the Old Covenant is obsolete continue to teach on it. The priesthood, the temple, all of that—outdated. Just Christ. Then why don't we just carry around New Testaments? Why is it that we take time with the Old Testament? Be assured, and we should be completely assured, that Christ fulfilled the Old Covenant. He fulfilled it. He actually did everything that was required in the Old Covenant to live up to all the expectations and all the rules of the Old Covenant.

Didn't Christ say that when He stated in Matthew 5:17, "Don't think I came to abolish the law"? He said, "I came to..." There's our word, fulfill it, complete it, satisfy it, accomplish it. He says there’s not a bit of it—not a jot or a tittle, a seraph or a yo, a bump on a letter or the smallest Hebrew character—that's going to go away until all of it is completed and accomplished. That's the Word. Then He says, until then, keep doing it.

And that's the funny thing about Christ. His ministry was to set the Old Covenant aside and fulfill it, and yet He kept it all. Didn't He go up for the Passover every year? He was fulfilling all the festivals, all the days, doing everything the Old Testament required. But the Bible says that all of that stuff was in vogue until it was completed. Christ said, "I didn't come to set it aside and just say, 'Well, we're not going to do it.' I came to actually do all that it says and to fulfill it."

There are two parts to this, and again, just a 30,000-foot view of this concept—just theologically thinking systematically about this. His ministry fulfilled all the ceremonial rules, and here's why: He fulfilled them all because they were only parables of Him. They have all been fulfilled, not because Christ went and took the incense and swung it around in the Holy of Holies, but He fulfilled it because the censer in the Holy of Holies was a parable of Him. All the truths of the tabernacle, the holy place, the outer place, the lampstand, the showbread—all of that was an example, an illustration, a parable of Christ.

Speaker 3

I mean, that's what he's claiming here.

Speaker 4

He has fulfilled all the ceremonial illustrations, parables of Him. So in that regard, all the ceremonies, they're done, they're fulfilled, they're satisfied, they're accomplished. But the real important part that we seem to focus on more often, and we ought to, because it's just, it's integral, it's the foundation to our salvation, is he not only fulfilled that part of the Old Covenant, he also fulfilled all the ethical and moral demands of the Old Covenant, which is you should never lie, you should tell the truth. You should never covet your neighbor's camel or Escalade or boat. You should be content with what you have. I mean, think of all the ethical demands of the law. We don't keep them perfectly. But Christ came and did that for us.

In fulfilling the Old Covenant, Christ fulfilled it all. He also, by his, I put it this way, his human conduct fulfilled all the moral rules. Now here's the great thing about salvation, which he can now credit to us. Isn't that what salvation is all about? God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God. A sinless one can now credit his sinlessness and his perfection to us. And all of our sin gets laid on him. Christ paid the penalty for your sins. That's why he died on the cross.

But why didn't he just show up the day before the crucifixion? That would have been handy, right? Wouldn't have to waste all that time growing up in Nazareth. Why did he have to live the life that you didn't live? Did you ever talk back to your parents as a kid? He lived a perfect life. He didn't do that. He told the truth. When he was tempted to twist it or tweak it or to deceive, he told the truth. He did everything right. That was his moral conduct.

Now let's get this really clear, okay? And this finer point of theology here. Christ just didn't fulfill the moral law or the ceremonial law. He fulfilled them both. Therefore, we can say this: the Old Covenant has been completely fulfilled. Completely fulfilled. There is nothing in the Old Covenant that still needs to be done when it relates to the ceremonies or the morals. It's been accomplished. And in that regard, we can say, hey, I can see where you'd say it's obsolete, okay? And I'm grateful for that. He accomplished all the moral obligations so I could be saved. He accomplished all the ceremonial obligations.

So we know this is the person, as John said, the Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world. But what do I do with all this stuff? Let's think about it this way. We need to, as we approach the Old Testament, be very careful how we apply it. Be very careful how you apply the Old Testament because you can read things in the Bible. Because simplistically, we want to obey this book and say, well, if it says it and it's clear and to be godly, you got to do this, then I'm thinking maybe I should do that.

Okay, first thing, all the ceremonies have been replaced with Christ. They've been replaced? Why? Because they were only parables and illustrations of him. And if he came and did his ministry, our attention and our focus should move from the ceremony to the person. Now that was hard for the first-century Jew because they grew up looking at the ceremonies and experiencing the ceremonies.

It's a distant thing until someone comes and says, well, why don't you do this? And why don't you eat this food? And why don't you worship on this day? And why don't you do all these things that they did? Because in a big summary statement, an umbrella statement, everything that the ceremonies were about pointed to Christ. Now Christ is in the room. And if Christ is in the room, my attention moves from the ceremonies to the person.

Grab the reality and leave the ceremonies behind. That's what the New Covenant is asking us to do. So how do we deal with the Old Testament? You actually, it's good that you're carrying...

Speaker 3

Around the Old Testament.

Speaker 4

Let me tell you why. Luke, chapter 24. You know the story, Road to Emmaus? Christ had actually finished and accomplished the Old Covenant requirements. And when he said on the cross, "It is finished," do you remember what God did miraculously down the street at the temple, in Herod's temple? What happened? The temple curtain ripped open, which showed, hey, you know what? What Christ did just down the street, sacrificing himself for the people—the perfect lamb, the spotless lamb, taking away the sin of the world. Guess what? He just provided access to that place.

And that's when all of a sudden, all the ceremonies were set aside. Well, how do we deal with it now? Christ now, after this is, after the resurrection, after he said it is finished. Now I'm thinking maybe he's not even going to look at the Old Testament anymore, just get busy having his apostles write the New Testament. No, in the middle of this discussion, it says in verse number 27, Matthew 24, 27, Road to Emmaus, he turns their attention to the Old Testament again.

Beginning with Moses and all the prophets—that's the Old Testament, right?—he explained to them what was being said, or what was said rather, in all the Scriptures concerning himself. He's still talking about it because it all speaks of him by way of parable, by way of illustration. When we read the Old Testament, we need to look for the anticipation of Christ. We need to look for it in.

Speaker 3

All the Old Testament ceremonial rules.

Speaker 4

The Old Testament can be taught as Christian scripture because the Old Testament ceremonies are pictures of Jesus.

And therefore we don't give up on the 39 books on the left side of your Bible. We study them, we meditate on it.

Gets my mind and my heart focused on the intricacies and the richness and the depth and the breadth of all.

Speaker 3

That Christ accomplished on our behalf.

Speaker 4

Study the Old Testament. But when you study it, look for the anticipation of Christ because it's everywhere. It's everywhere.

Speaker 3

You see the picture of Christ in the Scripture.

Speaker 1

Imagine listening to Jesus recite those Old Testament passages and realizing it's all pointed to Him. You're listening to Focal Point, and Pastor Mike Fabarez is talking about why we study the Old Testament. Now to hear this broadcast again or to access the complete, unedited sermon, go to focalpointradio.org. It's called "Why Study the Old Testament?"

Before we break, I want to tell you about a book written by two young Harvard MBAs. These guys were on the fast track to wealth when God caught their attention. Well, maybe you don't have their income potential, but people all over have the same issues with spending, saving, and giving. As it turns out, the money principles these two uncovered in Scripture will work for any sized budget. Their book is called "God and Money," and authors John Cortinez and Greg Balmer share the financial concepts that changed the course of their lives and their relationship with money forever. If you want the inside scoop for a financially blessed future, get your copy today. It's a page-turner.

The book "God and Money" is yours when you send a much appreciated financial gift to focalpointradio.org or by calling us at 888-320-5885. To complement our current series on Christianity in real life, we've gathered together some free resources for you. Get an email devotional from Pastor Mike every Thursday. Then get a fold-out booklet that's the perfect companion to this practical new series. The booklet is called "What the Bible Says About Money." You might be surprised how much God has to say about what we earn, how we save, and why we give to others.

Find the free resource online at focalpointradio.org. You can also write to Focal Point. Our address is Post Office Box 2850, Laguna Hills, CA 92654.

Well, I'm Dave Drouehe wishing you a restful weekend ahead. Let's meet back Monday when Pastor Mike Fabarez returns for more Focal Point. Today's program was produced and sponsored by Focal Point Ministries. Sam.