The Old Testament Prophets' Interest in Salvation

Q: What does the Bible say about the interests of Old Testament prophets in salvation?

The Bible indicates that Old Testament prophets inquired and searched diligently about the salvation that would come, focusing on the sufferings of Christ and the glory that would follow. In 1 Peter 1:10-12, we see that the Old Testament prophets had a profound interest in the salvation that God would bring. They diligently searched the Scriptures, seeking to understand the times and the manner in which the Spirit of Christ within them signified the coming sufferings of Christ and the ensuing glory. Their ministry was not just for their time but was directed towards the future grace that would be revealed to us in the New Testament. This showcases that these prophets were deeply engaged with God's redemptive plan, revealing their understanding of the Messiah's significance and His suffering, which ultimately leads to glory for believers.

Q: How do we know the sufferings of Christ are important?

The sufferings of Christ are crucial as they fulfill Old Testament prophecy and provide the basis for our salvation and the glory that follows. The significance of the sufferings of Christ is underscored throughout Scripture, particularly in the prophetic insights of the Old Testament. The prophets, as noted in 1 Peter 1:11, searched diligently regarding the Spirit's testimony about Christ's sufferings and the glory to follow. Christ's suffering serves as the foundation for the redemptive plan, where He, as the innocent substitute, bears the sins of His people. This is not an arbitrary suffering; it fulfills the very purpose outlined in Scripture that leads to our salvation and reconciliation with God. As believers, we recognize that understanding these sufferings is integral to grasping the full meaning of grace and eternal life.

Q: Why is the ministry of Old Testament prophets relevant to Christians today?

The ministry of Old Testament prophets is relevant as they pointed to the coming Messiah and proclaimed the grace that is fulfilled in Christ. Old Testament prophets hold immense relevance for Christians today because their messages foreshadow the coming of Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah. In 1 Peter 1:10-12, it is clear that these prophets were aware that their prophecies were not merely for their own generations but were intended for future believers. They spoke of the grace that would come through Christ, providing assurance and hope to us as we reflect on God's redemptive history. As we study these prophetic writings, we see a consistent theme of grace, which is vital for our understanding of the New Testament. Their earnest inquiry into the details of God's plan encourages us to search the Scriptures today to grasp the fullness of our faith in Jesus.

Q: What role did suffering play in the experience of Old Testament believers?

Suffering was a vital aspect of Old Testament believers' experience, reflecting their trials and the anticipation of Christ's redemptive work. The Old Testament believers experienced significant suffering, which reflected their faith and the trials encountered as God's people. This suffering was not without purpose; it was deeply intertwined with their expectation of the coming Messiah. As articulated by Peter in 1 Peter 1:11, the prophets' insight into Christ’s sufferings was both an anticipation and reality for the faithful remnant in Israel. Their sufferings were preparatory, leading to the ultimate fulfillment in Christ's suffering that would secure salvation. Such experiences serve as timeless encouragement for New Testament believers, reminding us that as we face trials today, we are partaking in the sufferings of Christ and looking forward to the glory that follows.

Let us turn to that portion of Holy Scripture we read in the 1st General Epistle of Peter and the 1st chapter. And I'll read again there at verses 10, 11 and 12. In 1st Peter chapter 1 and verses 10 through 12. Peter writes of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, which things the angels desire to look into. You might observe that here we read of a threefold interest in that salvation of which Peter is speaking. Beginning of verse 10 he says of which salvation? the prophets have inquired but then as we come through to verse 12 he also speaks of that same salvation which is preached by the apostles now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven and then last of all he speaks about even the angels desire to look into these things.

And I want us this morning to consider that interest that is taken in these things by the Old Testament prophets. I've spoken up there then in verses 10 and 11 of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when he testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. And then he says, Unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported unto you. What an interest then the Old Testament prophets have in what we find the fulfillment of when we come to the New Testament Scriptures.

Old Testament prophets certainly address the day and generation in which they were living. They were, of course, raised up principally to speak to God's ancient covenant people, to address the nation of Israel. back in the 4th chapter of 1st Samuel we're told how the word of Samuel, that is Samuel the prophet came to all Israel and when we read the opening verses of those books that we're so familiar with in the Old Testament Scriptures think of a man like the prophet Isaiah what was his ministry? well we're told aren't we there in the opening verses of the first chapter, the vision of Isaiah, the son of Amos, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham and Ahaz, and Ezekiah, kings of Judah.

And now he faithfully addresses them and reminds them of what they are, our sinful nation. The people laid them with iniquity, a seed of evildoers. Children that are corrupt us. They have forsaken the Lord. They have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger. They have gone away backward. He tells them in very direct terms of their sins. But he's not only addressing Israel. He goes on, doesn't he?

Chapter 13, the burden of Babylon. which Isaiah the son of Amos did see. So he addresses the Babylonians. And then he also, we find, addresses the people of Moab. In chapter 15, the burden of Moab. And not only that, when we turn over again in the 17th chapter, the burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city. It shall be a ruinous heap. that great city of the Syrians.

The Prophet addresses them also because of their sins and how God's judgments will fall upon them. He is the God of the whole earth even there of course in the Old Testament Scriptures. And so we find these men addressing Israel and Judah and all those various nations round about them. However, We have to recognize that the principal subject matter of the ministry of the Old Testament prophets was always the Messiah that was to come.

They speak so clearly of him who did come in the fullness of the time, even the Lord Jesus Christ, that one who is the image of the invisible God. When we come to the last book of Scripture, the book of the Revelation, and there in chapter 19 and verse 10, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

The testimony of Jesus the very spirits of prophecy that is the chief matter then of the ministry of all of those Old Testament prophets and so we have it here in our text we read of them in verse 11 searching what or what manner of time the spirit of Christ which was in them did signify when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. And then these amazing words at the beginning of the 12th verse, unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves, but unto us, Peter says, those of this gospel day, this dispensation of the Holy Ghost, the Spirit has come. unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves but unto us they did many of the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. And so to try to say something this morning with regards to how these prophets of the Old Testament speak of the Lord Jesus Christ and I just want to divide what I'm going to say into two principal parts.

First of all to say something with regards to the sufferings of Christ and then in the second place to say something with regards to the searchings of the Scriptures. First of all those sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ and we have mention of it of course in particular there at the end of the 11th verse we read of them searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify when it, that is the Spirit testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. He speaks then of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. When we have that preposition of the sufferings of, or the sufferings that belong to Christ, the sufferings to Christ, it's an interesting expression that we have here. It is, as we have it in the text, the sufferings of Christ, those sufferings that belong to Him.

But you know, it might also be rendered somewhat differently even to say it's the sufferings unto Christ or the sufferings until Christ in the Old Testament Christ had a suffering church that church which is his body and the fullness of him that filleth all in all that church in the Old Testament to whom the prophets were ministering the word of God They were waiting for the consolation of Israel. They were looking.

I'm thinking now not so much of Israel in general, ethnic Israel, the nation of Israel, but remember always in the Old Testament there's that spiritual remnant, the true Israel of God in the midst of the nation. And of course we see it there, don't we, in that first chapter of Isaiah's prophecy. where he speaks of a very small remnant. How striking are those words. There at verse 9 in that chapter, except the Lord of Hosts had left unto us, this is Israel, a very small remnant.

Not just a remnant or a small remnant, a very small remnant we should have been in Sodom and we should have been like unto Gomorrah how those people then they in many ways were a suffering people and they suffered then the sufferings unto Christ and then the glory that should follow when we come to the New Testament church after Pentecost the church at Pentecost and the following ministry of the apostles and coming right down to our own die or these are the glorious days of the gospel of the grace of God and yet we know that even in this day there is suffering for the people of God and that's the whole context isn't it of the words that we're considering this morning what does Peter say previously there at verse 6 wherein you greatly rejoice so now for a season he says if need be you are in heaviness through manifold temptations that the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perishes though it be tried with fire might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."

Even in this day God's people are in many ways a suffering people. And Peter goes on to say later in verse 12 of chapter 4, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you. Nothing strange, it was God's people in the Old Testament who suffered. They knew tribulations and troubles, they knew the trial of faith, and so too will God's people in the New Testament. And so first of all to say something of the sufferings of the Church, when we think of the Church as the body of Christ, What was the experience of those Old Testament saints?

Well, they were suffering unto Christ, suffering unto Christ and the glory that should follow. Christ had a suffering church there in the Old Testament and there was a ministry to them. That was the ministry of the prophets. And what was that ministry? It centered in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. They spoke of him that was to come. That was their comfort in the midst of all their trials.

And all those experiences, they're recorded, they're in the Old Testament, and they're there, of course, for our learning, whatever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning that we, through patience, or endurance, and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope, their experiences and what we read of those experiences even in the historic books of scripture God's dealings with the children of Israel as he brings them out of Egypt and through the wilderness and into the promised land and all the ministry of the period of the judges and then we come to the kings all of these things written and all these things happened unto them for in samples we are told, for types they are written for our instruction upon whom the ends of the world are come says the apostle and of course we have that remarkable record of the saints of old there in the 11th chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews you remember the catalogue there the faithful that are spoken of and when we come towards the end of that chapter Paul says at verse 35 Hebrews 11.35 women received their dead raised to life again and others were tortured not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourging, yamor over of bonds and imprisonment they were stolen, they were sworn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins being destitute, afflicted, tormented of whom the world was not worthy they wandered in deserts and in mountains and in dens and caves of the earth and these all having obtained a good report through faith received not the promise God having provided some better thing for us that they without us should not be made perfect or it's the sufferings of Christ, it's the sufferings until Christ and then the glory that should be revealed and how it's so clear there isn't it that these things are all written for us because as he continues in the twelfth chapter of that epistle

seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that he set before us looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith and for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and he sat down on the right hand of the throne of God so we must come to the experience of New Testament believers they also know sufferings as I've already said but we're not to lose sight that this is a different day this is really the day of grace the glory the glory that should follow oh yes there will be trial in the world you shall have tribulation says the Lord Jesus to his disciples but be of good cheer I have overcome the world has not Christ come Has not Christ vanquished all the powers of darkness? O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death, we are told, is sin. The strength of sin is the law.

But our but thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through the Lord Jesus Christ. These Old Testament Yes, they are ministering to the Lord's people, the Lord's body there in the Old Testament. But what are they doing? They are prophesying of the grace that should come. There at the end of verse 10. They search diligently and they prophesied of the grace, says Paul, that should come unto you. or they ministered then not just to the Old Testament saints they are ministering to us they are ministering of the truth of God they are speaking of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ it's the day of grace, is it not? it's the acceptable time, it's the day of salvation And we know that the Lord Jesus Christ, having accomplished that great work of redemption, is now risen and ascended and able, and able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. And how is it that the Lord Jesus Christ has provided so great a salvation?

Well, principally it is His offerings that are really being spoken of, not not the sufferings of his body, the church, but those things that he endured in his own human nature as gods manifest in the flesh. It's the sufferings of Christ as it stands here before us in the language of the text. As I said, we can look at that other possible interpretation and think of it as indicating its sufferings onto Christ, or until Christ coming, but as it stands in the text, a natural reading is surely to understand it in terms of how Christ himself has suffered, and how Christ has suffered in a number of ways. He, of course, suffers with his people. in all their affliction we're told he was afflicted it's remarkable isn't it wonderful when we see that arch persecutor Saul of Tarsus pursuing those early believers in the early chapters of the Acts and then as the Lord begins to deal with that man and we come to the ninth chapter where we have the record of that wonderful confrontation with the Saviour there at Damascus.

His breathing out, he saw slaughter, threatenings to those who are the followers of Jesus of Nazareth. And the Lord appears to him. And what does the Lord say to him? Why persecutest thou me? There in Acts 9 and verse 4. He's clearly persecuting the church, that's what it says in the opening verse. But when the Lord speaks to him, he says, Why persecutest thou me?

It's personal to the Lord. You see, we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He was tempted in all points like us, we are yet without sin. As a man is able to understand us, he can feel for us. Isn't that the wonder of the Incarnation? We often dwell much upon the truth that the Lord Jesus Christ is God, and He is God. And He's the Eternal Son of God. He's God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made.

How these things were hammered out in those ancient confessions of the church in the early century. where the truth of his deity was being challenged and it's right that we understand that he is God but let us not lose sight of the fact that he is also man or the wonder of that he's touched with the feeling of our human infirmities there is no sinful infirmity in him of course he is without sin he is tempted in all points as we are but without sin but he understands us he suffers with us in all their affliction he was afflicted we read there in Isaiah 63 and verse 9 but he doesn't just suffer with his people he has suffered for his people And that is the truth that we have in the text.

This is the great message of the Old Testament prophets.

He suffered for his people. We read of sufferings there in the end of verse 11, but look at verse 10. What does he make mention of there? Peter says, of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you. He's speaking of the gospel day and he speaks of the gospel day in terms of salvation and grace. That's what the gospel is, is it not? it's salvation by grace and by grace alone through Christ alone and through the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ and now Peter speaks of these things in chapter 3 and verse 18 Christ also at once suffered for sins the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh but quickened by the Spirit this is the message you see Christ has come for his people he has become a man that he might be their surety that he might live for them and that he might die for them as a substitute in their room and in their stair and of course Isaiah, amongst all the prophets, speaks so clearly of these things that great 53rd chapter that we have in the prophecy of Isaiah the suffering servant of the Lord remarkable accounts of the sufferings of the one of whom Peter is speaking here in our text this morning God has made him to be sin for us says Paul to the Corinthians made him to be sin for us who knew no sin he knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him that's the blessed exchange isn't it he has taken the sins of his people to himself and he has suffered as their sin bearer but he has given them in exchange for their sins his robe of righteousness He is the Lord our righteousness and you see these things are testified they are testified there in the ministry of the Old Testament prophets they speak of these things we read of them in verse 11 searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify when it's testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, the sufferings belonging to Christ and the glory that should follow this was the testimony that these men bore as I said at the outset yes, they speak to their own day, their own generation but more than that, they speak principally they speak chiefly of the Lord Jesus Christ now we see Christ himself opening up these blessed truths to those two on the road to Emmaus.

Remember the record that we have there at the end of Luke's Gospel in Luke chapter 24. Verse 25.

Here is Christ speaking to these two He's met them on the road, he's risen from the dead, their eyes are hold and they don't recognize who this stranger is. And he begins to ask the question why are they so cast down, why are they so sad and they relate something of the loss of this one whom they thought had come to save them, to save Israel. and now they're hearing strange things, some of the women of their company have said that he's risen from the dead and then the Lord speaks to them verse 25, O fools he says he said unto them, O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken Lord not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory and beginning at Moses and all the prophets He expanded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

And then they invite Him in and their eyes are opened and He's gone. They recognize who He was and He's gone. And they hurry back to Jerusalem and there they meet with the rest of the disciples. And again the Lord appears to them and he addresses all of them in verse 44 he said unto them these are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Lord of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning me then opened he their understanding that they might understand the scriptures and said unto them thus it is written and thus it beholds Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Oh, they testified, Joseph. They spoke clearly of these precious truths. They testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow.

Yes, Christ suffers with His people. His body, the church, He always has. Even in the Old Testament, He fell for His people. Principally, He has suffered for them. He is the great sin-bearer. And those who are His people, will they not also then willingly suffer for Him? They had to suffer with him.

That's what Peter says. Referred just now to those words in chapter 4 at verse 12. But look at the context. He says, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you, but rejoice.

All rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's offerings. that when his glory shall be revealed ye may be glad also with exceeding joy there is a castracy there is a taking up of the cross there is a following of the Lord Jesus Christ there is a fellowship of his offerings and that was that man Saul who became Paul the Apostle amazing grace of God that arch persecutor That proud Pharisee becomes the great apostle to the Gentiles. And what does he say concerning his desires?

All to know Christ, the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable to his death. he says it there in the third chapter of Philippians but he reminds those Philippians at the end of the first chapter what is given unto them, unto you it is given he says in the behalf of Christ not only to believe on his name but to suffer to suffer for his sake and Paul knew it all he says to the Corinthians are sufferings of Christ abounding us what a cost it was for him to fulfill his ministry and all the problems he had with that church at Corinth. He'd been responsible under God for establishing it in the first place when he preached the gospel amongst them. False teachers had crept in and stolen away the people from him. He writes those two epistles continually defending himself, his ministry.

The sufferings of Christ, he says, abound in us. What do we have then here? We have the sufferings of Christ, be it in his own person as God-man, be it in that church which is his body and the fullness of him that filleth all in all. But let us turn briefly to the second point, the searchings of the Scriptures.

As these prophets primarily speak of the Lord Jesus Christ, so we read of them enquiring and searching, don't we? the verbs that are used here in verses 10 and 11 of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace which had come unto you searching what or what manner the spirit of Christ which was in them did signify.

These are significant verbs. And if we believe that the word of God is plenary inspired and verbally inspired, in fact what does that mean? The very words are the words of God. As I said before, that's the view of inspiration we hold. We don't imagine that God inspired men in their thought patterns as it were, and those ideas that had come from the spirit they then wrote in their own words. No, the very words are God's words. And the great beauty of the literalness in a sense of our authorized version.

So what of these words? Inquiring, searching, I find some profits, and anyone can do this, you can get books that will help to do word searches in Holy Scripture. Now this word, to enquire, it also has the idea of investigating, and investigating, the other word searching means to explore, to trace out a thing. In each case it has this idea, you see, of some real diligence, some real effort, we might say. That's how the Old Testament prophets went about their business as the Lord's servants. Don't think that they were just automatons, that God spoke to them and they just wrote God's words down.

The Lord dealt with them as men, as rational beings. and just think for a while of a man like the Prophet Daniel and what we're told concerning him what moves him to pray? that great prayer that we have in chapter 9 of Daniel Daniel's prayer the confession of sin why does he pray? you can read the prayer for yourselves it's a remarkable chapter Daniel 9 We're told, aren't we, in the first year of Darius, the son of Asuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans, in the first year of his reign, I Daniel understood by books the number of the years whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. He understood by books He's speaking, of course, of the book of the Prophet Jeremiah. He read the Scriptures. Are we those who read the Word of God? And as we read the Word of God it moves us to pray. That's what he did in the case of this man, Daniel. And we're told, aren't we? We have his prayer. Then we come to the latter part.

He's given this assurance, verse 23, "...at the beginning of thy supplications This is the language of Gabriel, the angel, the archangel, who is sent to answer his prayer. And before ever he prayed, you see, at the beginning of those supplications, before they call, God says, I will hear. Or before they call, I will hearken. After they are yet speaking, I will hear. We're not heard for how much speaking in prayer.

When we have that spirit of prayer, this is what this man had, the beginning of thy supplications, the commandment came forth, I am come to show thee for thou art greatly beloved, therefore understand the matter and consider the vision. Thou art greatly beloved. The margin says the Hebrew literally means thou art a man of desires. that was a man of desires oh he had such desires for God and for the things of God and for the word of God that's the sort of man that he was he was one of those prophets you see who would be inquiring and searching diligently into these things he's reading there in the book of Jeremiah and understands the significance of the 70 years was the very thing that God had said you go back to Jeremiah and there in chapter 25 Jeremiah 25 Is it 25? Oh dear.

It mentions specifically the 70 years. Strange, isn't it? We're quite determined to find the verse but we 70 years were to be accomplished in the desolations of Jerusalem. Let me find another reference. Well, it's 2910 of Jeremiah. Thus said the Lord that after 70 years be accomplished at Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word toward you in causing you to return to this place. but it does give a cross-reference to 2512 oh it is, it is there in verse 12 which shall come to pass when seventy years are accomplished that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation saith the Lord for their iniquity and the land of the Chaldeans and will make it perpetual desolation.

These are the words then that Daniel was so familiar with and these are the words that he's praying over in that remarkable prayer of Daniel 9 and what what was it really that the prophets finds at the end of these things when he finds the Lord Jesus Christ that was the vision that was the remarkable vision that was conveyed to him by Gabriel we have it there don't we in verse 23 and following of that 9th chapter that contains his prayer in the form of parts at the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth and I am come to show thee for thou art greatly beloved thou art a man of desires therefore understand the matter consider the vision seventy weeks are determined upon Thy people and upon Thy holy city to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy."

To anoint the most holy, that's the Christ. the anointed, of the Lord, and all that we read there concerning the work of Christ. He makes an end of sin, He makes reconciliation, He brings in everlasting righteousness, He seals all prophecy, because He is the last and the greatest of all the prophets. These are the things that were revealed to Daniel because he was a man of desires. He made it his business to search into these things, Orphans are with those who would seek to understand the Word of God and to search into the Word of God and feed upon the Word of God.

The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. The Lord Jesus himself has said, search the scriptures in them ye think that ye have eternal life and these are they that testify of me. He is speaking to the Jews, yes. but he's also speaking to us there in the gospel surely we're to search the scriptures and in searching we should decide to find the Lord Jesus Christ. I vaguely recollect reading years ago the experience of dear John Warburton and he spoke of the first time he went to hear William Gadsby when he had first gone to the particular Baptist Church in Manchester he became pastor there of course but he despised this man who entered the pulpit did Warburton he looked a bit of a strange character he said and he sat back in his pew and wondered what was going to come and Gatsby announced his text I don't recall what that text was but as he opened his sermon by saying looking at this text he said he was going to ransack the Bible in order to bring Christ out of the text that he'd announced and that really did cause Warburton to pick up his ears here was a man who had come to preach Christ and to preach Christ in all the scriptures or that we might know something of that blessed spirit to inquire and to search diligently the spirit of the Bereans when the Apostle was persecuted, you remember, at Philippi and then at Thessalonica, he goes on to Berea. They are more noble. They listen to what he has to say, they search the scriptures to see if these things are so.

This is the spirit surely that we have here with regards to these prophets of the Old Testament. And the manner in which they search all the word of God, even as they were speaking the words of God, of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven which things the angels desire to look into." The Lord willing, I trust we might be able to go on this evening to say something with regards to that ministry of the apostles who reported and preached that gospel of the grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. The Lord be pleased then to bless his word to us. Amen.

The Old Testament Prophets' Interest in Salvation

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the interests of Old Testament prophets in salvation?

How do we know the sufferings of Christ are important?

Why is the ministry of Old Testament prophets relevant to Christians today?

What role did suffering play in the experience of Old Testament believers?

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The Old Testament Prophets' Interest in Salvation

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the interests of Old Testament prophets in salvation?

How do we know the sufferings of Christ are important?

Why is the ministry of Old Testament prophets relevant to Christians today?

What role did suffering play in the experience of Old Testament believers?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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