All of Scripture – I Came to Fulfill
Pastor Tan Thai · Oct 2, 2011
This sermon explains the relationship between the Old and New Testaments through Jesus' declaration in Matthew 5:17-20, that He came not to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill them. Both parts of Scripture are equally God-breathed and equally valuable for the believer's faith and life.
The sermon opens with an introduction to the structure of the Old Testament, comprising 39 books in the Protestant canon and 24 books in the Hebrew Bible, divided into the Torah, Prophets, and Writings. The pastor emphasizes that the Scripture Jesus read was the Old Testament, and He declared that not one jot or tittle of the Law would pass away until all is fulfilled (Matthew 5:17-18). All of Scripture—both Old and New Testaments—is equally God-breathed, as confirmed by 2 Timothy 3:15-16 and 2 Peter 1:20-21.
The central section explains why believers need the Old Testament. The word 'testament' means covenant or binding promise, not a wish or desire. The OT records God's promise of a Messiah who would come to redeem humanity from sin, while the NT records the fulfillment of that promise through Jesus Christ. The pastor uses the analogy of a child growing up and needing specific guidance at each stage of life to illustrate the role of the OT Law, until the person is mature enough to understand grace and freedom in Christ as taught by Paul in Romans and Galatians.
The pastor presents three ways Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament. First, He fulfilled its doctrinal teachings through His sinless life and atoning sacrifice on the cross. Second, He fulfilled its predictive prophecies, as when He read Isaiah 61:1-2 in the synagogue and declared, 'Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing' (Luke 4:18-21). Third, He fulfilled its ethical demands and replaced the entire sacrificial system; when He breathed His last on the cross, the temple veil was torn in two, opening direct access to God for all who believe.
The sermon also highlights the comfort the OT provides in times of suffering, through figures such as Naomi in the book of Ruth, Job, and David's Psalms. The pastor shares a personal testimony that during recovery from pacemaker surgery, it was the books of Job, the Psalms, and Romans 8:28-39 about the love of God that brought comfort, not doctrine or legal precepts. This confirms that the OT is not outdated but remains a profound source of spiritual nourishment.
The sermon concludes with a warning about the error of Marcion in the second century, who deliberately removed all OT references from the NT and even reversed Jesus' own words. The pastor calls believers today to trust the whole of Scripture, both OT and NT. After His resurrection, Jesus himself 'beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself' (Luke 24:27), and in John 5:39-40 He confirmed that the Scriptures themselves testify about Him.