Long Ago God Spoke – A Sermon Series
Over the
years I’ve grown accustomed to hearing people express frustration with the Old
Testament. “I’m a New Testament Christian” some will boast. Others assert that
beyond the person of Jesus, the Bible has little to offer them. As much as I
disagree with these points of view, I can sympathize with them.
Christians
experience a number of barriers in examining the Old Testament. First and most
obvious, the Old Testament isn’t the New Testament. The New Testament is short
and centers on a person most all Christians are familiar with, Jesus Christ. In
contrast the Old Testament is very long, three times as long as the New
Testament. Those who brave the Old Testament will be challenged by its long
genealogies, wars, violence, strange laws, and passages seemingly irrelevant to
the concerns of the everyday modern Christian. The Old Testament asks us to
suspend our disbelief in the laws of the universe in ways the New Testament does
not. Methuselah, for example, lived to 969 years (Gen. 5:27) In Joshua 10, the
sun stood still in the sky for a whole day. These reasons and a handful of
others agitate a Christian reading of the Old Testament.
In light of these challenges, we will embark on a sermon series on the Old
Testament, entitled “Long Ago God Spoke" beginning September 12th. We will begin
in the Book of Genesis, work our way through the most notable events and stories
of this tribe called the Israelites, and end with the Prophets in the month of
December. With this series, our congregation will gain a better sense of the
relevancy and progression of the Old Testament.
Let me let
you in on a little secret: There was a time in my life when I questioned the
importance of the Old Testament. As a young man I had questions about how
pertinent the Old Testament is for Christians. But I dug deep into the Old
Testament and I encountered the God I had always known, but in new ways: a God
who is compassionate, patient, loving, who cares deeply for those who seek to
follow him. My hope is that you will join me in this revelation as we go on this
tour of this book of ancient stories, the Old Testament.
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Sept. 12
Genesis 3:1-7
Adam and Eve
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Sept. 19
Genesis 28:10-22
Jacob
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Sept. 26
Genesis 50:15-26
Joseph
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Oct. 3
Exodus 2:23 – 3:12
Moses and Exodus
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Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets,
but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son,
Hebrews 1:1-2a
Pastor Jason Talsnessge:en-US;mso-ansi-language:en-US">Pastor Jason Talsness