Israeli rabbinic authorities have called on Jews to shun a major Christian tourism event.

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• Israeli rabbinic authorities have called on Jews
  to shun a major Christian tourism event.
• More than 6,000 Christians from more than 90
  nations are expected to arrive in Jerusalem to
  take part in the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles
  (Sukkoth).
• Thousands of Christians take part in the
  celebration annually but this year the chief
  rabbis urged Jews to stay away from the event,
  saying some of the groups want to convert them to
  Christianity.
• Proselytizing is illegal in Israel.

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Why Are Christians Celebrating a Jewish Holiday?

• To search for opportunities to teach the Gospel?
• To feel a deeper spiritual connection?
• For spiritual growth?
• For fun?

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Some in the Christian world incorporate parts of
the Old Law

• Adventists (The Sabbath)
• Some only take the Lords Supper on Passover
• Circumcision
• But many dont practice this for religious
  reasons.
• Tithing

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but Nobody Incorporates all of the Law!

• Sabbath Year?
• Sacrifices Offerings?
• Conceive sons by the widow of a deceased brother?
• The test for leprosy?
• Stoning rebellious children?
• The Old Testament Punishments?

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How Should Christians Use the Old Testament?

• Should we follow parts of it?
• Which parts?
• Should we ignore the Old Covenant?
• Should we study it?
• How much and for what purpose?

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What Does the Old Testament Say About Its Own
Future?

• The Law of Moses was a pact between God and the
  Israelites.

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What does the Law say about its future?
A New Law a New Covenant would come

• Behold, days are coming when I will make a new
  covenant with the house of Israel and with the
  house of Judah, not like the covenant which I
  made with their fathers in the day I took them by
  the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt
• This is the covenant which I will make with the
  house of Israel after those days I will put My
  law within them and on their heart I will write
  it and I will be their God, and they shall be My
  people. They will not teach again, each man his
  neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know
  the Lord,' for they will all know Me, from the
  least of them to the greatest of them, for I will
  forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will
  remember no more. (Jeremiah 3131-34)

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What does the New Testament teach about the use
of the Old Covenant?

• Lets study the words of some Jewish Christians.

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PaulGalatians 113 14

• You have heard of my former manner of life in
  Judaism and I was advancing in Judaism beyond
  many of my contemporaries among my countrymen,
  being more extremely zealous for my ancestral
  traditions.

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Galatians 215 16

• We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among
  the Gentiles.
• Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified
  by the works of the Law but through faith in
  Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ
  Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in
  Christ and not by the works of the Law since by
  the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.

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Galatians 215 16

• We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among
  the Gentiles.
• Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified
  by the works of the Law but through faith in
  Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ
  Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in
  Christ and not by the works of the Law since by
  the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.

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Galatians 310 13a

• As many as are of the works of the Law are under
  a curse for it is written, CURSED IS EVERYONE
  WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE
  BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM.
• Now that no one is justified by the Law before
  God is evident for, "THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL
  LIVE BY FAITH." However, the Law is not of faith
  on the contrary, "HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL
  LIVE BY THEM."
• Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law.

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Galatians 310 13a

• As many as are of the works of the Law are under
  a curse for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE
  WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE
  BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM.
• Now that no one is justified by the Law before
  God is evident for, "THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL
  LIVE BY FAITH." However, the Law is not of faith
  on the contrary, "HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL
  LIVE BY THEM."
• Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law.

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Galatians 319, 24-26

• Why the Law then? It was added because of
  transgressions until the seed would come to whom
  the promise had been made.
• Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead
  us to Christ, so that we may be justified by
  faith. But now that faith has come, we are no
  longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God
  through faith in Christ Jesus.

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Galatians 319, 24-26

• Why the Law then? It was added because of
  transgressions until the seed would come to whom
  the promise had been made.
• Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead
  us to Christ, so that we may be justified by
  faith. But now that faith has come, we are no
  longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God
  through faith in Christ Jesus.

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Galatians 52 6

• I, Paul, say to you that if you receive
  circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to
  you. And I testify again to every man who
  receives circumcision, that he is under
  obligation to keep the whole Law.
• You have been severed from Christ, you who are
  seeking to be justified by law you have fallen
  from grace For in Christ Jesus neither
  circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything,
  but faith working through love.

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Galatians 52 6

• I, Paul, say to you that if you receive
  circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to
  you. And I testify again to every man who
  receives circumcision, that he is under
  obligation to keep the whole Law.
• You have been severed from Christ, you who are
  seeking to be justified by law you have fallen
  from grace For in Christ Jesus neither
  circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything,
  but faith working through love.

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Hebrews 87, 13

• For if that first covenant had been faultless,
  there would have been no occasion sought for a
  second.
• When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the
  first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete
  and growing old is ready to disappear.

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Hebrews 87, 13

• For if that first covenant had been faultless,
  there would have been no occasion sought for a
  second.
• When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the
  first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete
  and growing old is ready to disappear.

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Romans 71 6

• Do you not know that the law has jurisdiction
  over a person as long as he lives? For the
  married woman is bound by law to her husband
  while he is living but if her husband dies, she
  is released from the law concerning the husband
• Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die
  to the Law through the body of Christ, so that
  you might be joined to another, to Him who was
  raised from the dead Now we have been released
  from the Law, having died to that by which we
  were bound, so that we serve in newness of the
  Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.

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Acts 15

• Old Testament Circumcision
• Some said of Gentile Christians It is necessary
  to circumcise them, and to direct them to observe
  the Law of Moses. (v. 5)
• How did they decide what they should do?

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Acts 15

• Old Testament Circumcision
• They considered recent revelation from God.
  (712)
• They studied Amos prophecy of a new pact between
  God and all nations not only the Jews.
• Christians made proper use of the Old in order to
  learn about the New.

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What Does This Mean for Us?

• What should we gain from the Old Testament today?

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What We Gain

• Whatever was written in earlier times was written
  for our instruction, so that through perseverance
  and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might
  have hope. (Romans 154)

Instruction Perseverance Encouragement Hope
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What We Gain

• These things (in the Old Testament) happened to
  them as an example, and they were written for our
  instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have
  come. (1 Corinthians 1011)

Example Our instruction
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What We Gain
Helps us Lay aside every encumbrance/sin Run
with endurance Fix our eyes on Jesus

• (After examining many heroes of faith from the
  Old Testament)
• Since we have so great a cloud of witnesses
  surrounding us, let us also lay aside every
  encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles
  us, and let us run with endurance the race that
  is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the
  author and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 121)

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Example
Instruction
Helps us fix our eyes on Jesus.
Encouragement
The Law of Moses
Hope
Perseverance
Helps us lay aside every sin.
Helps us run with endurance.