[If] preachers wish to preach with divine authority, they must proclaim this message of the inspired Scriptures, for the Scriptures alone have divine authority. If preachers wish to preach with divine authority, they must submit themselves and echo the Word of God. Preachers are literally to be ministers of the Word.
Jesus Christ is the link between the Old Testament and the New. God’s revelation reaches its climax in the New Testament – and this climax is not a new teaching…but a Person, God’s own Son. The Old and New Testaments are related, therefore, not as law-gospel but as promise-fulfillment.
Preaching Christ from the Old Testament, Eerdmans, 1999, p. 49. www.eerdmans.com.
The two Testaments are not two books but one. Since the literary context of the Old Testament in the Christian canon is the New Testament, this means that the Old Testament must be understood in the context of the New Testament. And since the heart of the New Testament is Jesus Christ, this means that every message from the Old Testament must be seen in the light of Jesus Christ.
Preaching Christ from the Old Testament, Eerdmans, 1999, p. 51. www.eerdmans.com.
The conviction that Jesus inaugurated the messianic age enables the New Testament writers to preach Christ from the Old Testament, for this presupposition means that God’s redemptive history reaches its climax in Jesus. In Him all the Old Testament promises come to fulfillment.
Preaching Christ from the Old Testament, Eerdmans, 1999, p. 196. www.eerdmans.com.
The point is that preachers must at all costs do justice to the biblical text and not twist it into responding to a different issue than its author originally addressed… Preachers are like transmission towers who transmit the original biblical message from an earlier generation to the present generation. Their calling is not to invent their own messages but relevantly to pass on the divine message found in the Bible.
Preaching Christ from the Old Testament, Eerdmans, 1999, p. 281. www.eerdmans.com.
For Paul, preaching “Christ crucified” has a much broader meaning than focusing every sermon on Jesus’ suffering on the cross. The cross of Christ is indeed the focal point for Paul’s preaching, but, as Paul’s sermons and letters demonstrate, the cross of Christ reveals much more than the suffering of Jesus. It also provides a viewpoint on the perfect justice of God and the dreadful catastrophe of human sin.
Preaching Christ from the Old Testament, Eerdmans, www.eerdmans.com, 1999, p. 5.
There are many reasons why pastors must preach from the Old Testament:
1. The Old Testament is part of the Christian canon.
2. It discloses the history of redemption leading to Christ.
3. It proclaims truths not found in the New Testament.
4. It helps us understand the New Testament.
5. It prevents misunderstanding of the New Testament.
6. It provides a fuller understanding of Christ.
Preaching Christ from the Old Testament, Eerdmans (www.eerdmans.com), 1999, p. 25.