Run Through the Bible
Week 2
“The New Testament”
November 11, 2018
By Ed Young
In the second part of this two-part series, Pastor Ed Young gives us an overview of the 27 books of the New Testament. And as he moves us from the Old Testament into the New Testament, we discover how the overall storyline of Scripture continues to point to Jesus and reveals the power and ability he has to help us get the most out of life.
Transcript
Good morning! Are you ready to run through the Bible? I am, too. I’ve enjoyed this series. I need this series as much as anyone. If you’re brand new here to Fellowship I’ve been in a series, which means - you know - we do kind of a meal in bite-sized chunks. I decided to go through the entire Bible in two Sundays. So often we sort of pick and choose when it comes to the Bible. It’s like you go through some sort of a cafeteria. OK, I’ll take this. No, I don’t want that. I’ll have this, I’ll have that. And then you never really take a step back and look at the entire menu! Look at the entire restaurant. Look where the restaurant is, and let me see the context of where I am.
ILLUS: This past Tuesday I found myself on a 15-story observation deck with a couple of school administrators looking at a beautiful, massive university. They were pointing out different landmarks. This is the medical school building. OK, that’s a dorm, that’s a dorm, that’s a dorm. And there’s the arena. This university had flown in our creative worship team and also had flown in me and some others to do some speaking before their student body. So, we spoke on Wednesday morning to 11,000 students, then Wednesday night to about 4,000. And it was amazing because Fellowship Church, of course, we have the opportunity now and then to do a lot of traveling, and to spread our DNA to tell others what God is doing. So, it was a great, great trip.
What was interesting about the trip, though, was when I walked around the campus on the ground level I got lost several times. It was like a maze, you know? But when I was able to look at everything from the perspective of this observation deck, even though I’m directionally challenged I got it. I was like, wow! I see it now! I’ve got it now. There’s the football stadium, there’s this building, there’s that building. So, context is everything. Perspective is everything.
And today we’re zooming out, we’re doing the Google Earth thing, you might say. We’re droning the Bible as we discuss what the Old Testament and specifically the New Testament is all about. Hopefully you’ve brought in your message map. Did you see these footprints? Yeah, we’re running through the Bible. We’re not skipping, we’re not jumping. These are very, very important because as I go through this stuff really, really fast you’ll see on these gorgeous LED screens behind me where you can fill in the blanks. And we fill in the blanks for you as I go through, so just pay attention as we do this because hopefully you’re going to go, “Wow! I was able to climb 15 stories at Fellowship Church and see the Bible in a different perspective. As opposed to going to the cafeteria and going, yeah, I’ll have some beans. No, I don't want any tortillas, but I’ll have some chicken, please.” Yeah, you can do that but let’s look at the whole context of it, the context, the content, and the concepts.
The Bible says about the Bible in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, this. Would you read it with me? That means at all campuses. A 1 and a 2 and a 3! “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
This text says the Bible is <breath!> God-breathed. That word is theopneustos. God breathed it. It’s inspired, from Genesis to Revelation. Not revelations, Revelation. The writers from a kaleidoscopic range of backgrounds, of socioeconomic levels, of races inspired by the Holy Spirit of God wrote the Bible. The Bible is a story. Basically, it’s a Him book, a book about Him, Jesus. There’s one hero, Jesus, one villain, the devil, and one message, our Savior rescues. That’s the Bible. That’s the story. That’s the flow. The Old Testament, 39 books, 28 authors, over 2,000 years. Let’s put the light on the Old Testament over there, the light. Why do you have 10 icons? 10 toes, 10 toes down, why do you have 10 icons for the New Testament? 10 toes down. Are you feeling me? OK, I thought you were. The New Testament, 27 books, 9 authors, over 100 years. That’s it. So, it took a couple of thousand years in the Old Testament and only really one generation for the New Testament. If you missed last time, make sure to watch it online. There’s this thing called, as my father says, the in-ter-net. The internet. It’s kind of funny. He’s 82 years old. Gotta show him some love. And you can go online and watch the whole thing and you’ll understand the context, but I do want to bring you up to speed.