The Culture The Culture and Times of and Times of

ChristChrist

Why Discuss the Times of Why Discuss the Times of Christ?Christ?

• The more we understand about the life and times of Christ, the more we get to know Jesus.

• The more we get to know Jesus, the more we grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.

• The result of knowledge is action.

Points to RememberPoints to Remember

• Jesus was a Jew.

• Matthew 1 and Luke 3

• Jesus was the son of a Carpenter.

• Matthew 13.55

• Jesus probably took on his father’s work.

• Jesus probably worked with his father.

The Law and the ProphetsThe Law and the Prophets

• Jesus grew up under the Old Law.

• Deuteronomy 6.6-9

• Luke 4.16-20

• He knew the Old Law must pass away

• "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

(Matthew 5:17-18, ESV)

The Law and the ProphetsThe Law and the Prophets

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the

Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the

great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the

Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:36-40, ESV)

The Law and the ProphetsThe Law and the Prophets

• Jesus knew the requirements of the law:

• “…he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her."

(John 8:7, ESV)

• Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.“

(John 8:10-11, ESV)

The Worship of ChristThe Worship of Christ

The Temple:

• The Temple was the main place of worship in the New Testament.

• The temple at the time of Christ was nearly completed approximately 20 B. C.

• Jesus recognized the Holiness of the Temple:

• Matthew 21.12,13

The SynagogueThe Synagogue

• The word synagogue occurs just once in the Old Testament:

• “They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.”

(Psalm 74.8, KJV)

• Other translations render the word to be “meeting places.”

The SynagogueThe Synagogue

• Philo says of the synagogue,

• “…houses of instruction, where the philosophy of the fathers and all manner of virtues are taught.”

• The synagogues were a place of teaching:

• The law and the prophets were read. (See Acts 13.15)

• “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.”

(Luke 4.16, ESV)

A Scary Verse in the BibleA Scary Verse in the Bible

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will

forget your children.”

(Hosea 4.6, ESV)

The Law and YouThe Law and You

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through

endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

(Romans 15.4, ESV)

What Hope?

• Hope of Christ fulfilling the law. (Matthew 5.17ff)

• Hope of a better promise (Hebrews 7.22)

The Synagogue and YouThe Synagogue and You

Do we focus on God?

• “Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.”

(Psalm 107.32, ESV)

• If we had an assembled place of teaching, would we dare to attend and participate like the One we follow?

(Luke 4.16-19)