Your Old Testament Sermon Needs to Get Saved: A Handbook for Preaching Christ from the Old Testament

By David M. King

Every good sermon proclaims the gospel—even those from the Old Testament.

From the miracles of the Gospels to the teachings of the Epistles, the New Testament is saturated with the saving work of Jesus Christ. But where is He in the poetry, prophets, and history of the Old Testament?

Your Old Testament Sermon Needs to Get Saved is a practical handbook for preaching Christ from the Old Testament. The book provides a comprehensive but simple hermeneutic for discerning how Jesus is present on every page of the Hebrew Scriptures. You’ll learn why and how to preach Christ from the Old Testament while experiencing the beauty of discovering and teaching how the saving work of Christ permeates the first two-thirds of the Bible.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Moody Publishers
• Release date: May 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9780802499554

David M. King

 David M. King (DMin, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) has served over twenty years as senior pastor of Concord Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He is the author of Your Old Testament Sermon Needs to Get Saved. David and his wife, Natalie, have three children. 

Book preview

King gives a stirring and convincing defense for preaching Christ from the Old Testament, but it gets even better than this because King explains how we can proclaim Christ from the Old Testament. Preachers are busy, and it is difficult to find time to read another book. King’s book, however, is succinct and marvelously clear. Take up and read!

THOMAS R. SCHREINER, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation, Associate Dean, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY

This short book bears the marks of a long gestation. Its brevity is owing to years of faithful preaching and careful thought about preaching. It is clear, to the point, and ideal for reading as you come up for air between sermons. Here you’ll find a guide to genuinely preach Christ from the Old Testament, alongside a warning against narrowness, quickness, and laziness. Both are needed. David King has weathered the pendulum swings of moralism and gospelism, and he presses us both to help our people see Christ and to not elbow the text out of the way or be loose with the details of the passage. To preach a freer holiness, and a holier freedom. Here is an invitation, and accessible guide, into the journey of preaching the whole Bible to the whole church for a whole lifetime.

DAVID MATHIS, executive editor and senior teacher, desiringGod.org; pastor, Cities Church, Saint Paul; author, Habits of Grace: Enjoying Jesus through the Spiritual Disciplines

This practical handbook fills a much-needed gap in the recent discussions on Christ-centered preaching. It offers a compelling, robust, and balanced Christ-centered hermeneutic that does not overshadow the essential nature of the triune God as Father, Son, and Spirit.

JACOB M. PRATT, Assistant Professor of New Testament and Hermeneutics, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

David King is an experienced, competent preaching pastor. This volume is a pastor speaking to pastors using the language of a pastor. Every preaching and teaching pastor will gain insights and practical guidance in bridging the message of the testaments. He rightly shows that the connection between the testaments is not one model fits all but different interpretative patterns according to the kind of specific OT passages. He shows how preaching Christ in the OT can be achieved without sacrificing the original message in the OT’s historical and theological contexts. The volume’s teaching is plainly presented and is clearly explained. As a handbook to preaching Christ from the OT, it will make a significant contribution to every preacher’s wrestling with this critical question in the life of a preacher.

KENNETH A. MATHEWS, Professor of Divinity, Old Testament, Beeson Divinity School

Your Old Testament Needs to Get Saved offers a faithful strategy for moving from reading the Hebrew Bible to heralding the Old Testament as thirty-nine books revealing Jesus as the Christ. Those seeking a means of discerning Christ on every page of Scripture and proclaiming His lordship from all the Law and Prophets will find a strong theological and methodological approach contained herein. Gospel preachers will enjoy this work.

ERIC C. REDMOND, Professor of Bible, Moody Bible Institute

Following the pattern of Jesus in Luke 24, Pastor King shows us how to preach the Old Testament with the person and work of Christ constantly in view. As a wise pastor, King shows us why we should preach from the Old Testament, and how to do so. He also helps the reader understand the kinds of problems one should avoid when preaching from the Old Testament, as well as the benefits one derives from preaching this portion of Holy Scripture. I will be handing out Your Old Testament Sermon Needs to Get Saved to many others in hopes that we may saturate churches among the nations with the good news revealed in all of Scripture.

TONY MERIDA, Pastor for Preaching, Imago Dei Church, Raleigh, NC; Dean of Grimké Seminary; author, The Christ-Centered Expositor

Twenty-first century preaching, at least for evangelicals, has seen a renewed interest in preaching Christ from the whole Bible. What David King does in this handbook is provide the working pastor with a unified method for getting it done, and getting it done well. Drawing on the good work of others, he gives those of us who preach solid stuff and a simple approach. This work will help many.

DAVID HELM, Senior Pastor, Christ Church Chicago; chairman, The Charles Simeon Trust

David King has given preachers a gift in this book. It is comprehensive enough to be persuasive and clear enough to be practiced. This is a book that is as approachable as helpful for both preacher and parishioner alike. King is honest about his own failings in preaching Christ from the Old Testament. He thus comes across as a repentant practitioner coming alongside those who will hopefully become like him in the serious and surprising task of preaching like a Christian. King scatters practical examples throughout that demonstrate how to connect to the gospel in preaching, helping the reader understand how this all might actually work in preaching. He raises potential problems with simplistic and poor understandings of how to do this work and how to avoid them, leading to preaching that is better, not just different. As a preacher who is also an ethicist I was particularly encouraged by King’s insistence that we do not connect to the gospel to eradicate, but rather encourage, obedient discipleship.

JEREMY MEEKS, Director, The Chicago Course on Preaching; host, Preachers Talk podcast

Christians are people of one book, but sometimes forget that the Bible they love has two testaments. Those who preach can be similarly one-sided, preferring to stick to the more familiar landscape of the New Testament and neglecting the Old. Others find it hard to reconcile the two, so that their Old Testament sermons either connect awkwardly to Jesus Christ or ignore Him altogether. In this book David M. King offers concise and helpful advice to help you to preach Christ from the Old Testament. He will both persuade you of the need and show you how to begin. I highly recommend it.

JOHN KOESSLER, general editor of The Moody Handbook of Preaching and author of Folly, Grace, and Power: The Mysterious Act of Preaching

This is an excellent resource for all pastors! If you are not sure about preaching Christ from the OT, David King will help you see why this is necessary, valuable to your people, and possible for you. If you are already convinced that you should preach Christ from the OT, King will provide you with a very accessible guide to achieving this goal consistently and faithfully. And, this is a book for preachers, from an experienced preacher and pastor. His empathy for those engaged in this significant task is clear, and he gets right to the heart of the issue in practical terms. His pastoral heart also comes through, guiding the reader to care faithfully for the flock by preaching Christ to them from all the Bible. This may be the most helpful book you could read on preaching this year.

RAY VAN NESTE, Dean of the School of Theology & Missions, Union University

While there is much being said and written these days about preaching Christ from all of Scripture, there is not as much being offered about exactly how to do it. We preachers need help, and David King’s book provides a clear way forward. The self-announced aim of the book is the provision of a simple and practical methodology. The quality of a book is measured by the value of its aim and its effectiveness in accomplishing it. King’s book scores high on both points. While one still wants to preserve the importance of preaching the doxological and ethical force of Scripture, King reminds us it is dangerous, even a failure of duty, to do so apart from the all-encompassing Word of Christ.

MIKE BULLMORE, Senior Pastor, CrossWay Community Church, Bristol, WI; founding member of The Gospel Coalition

© 2021 by

DAVID M. KING

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Some content in chapter 6 was previously published on 9Marks.org: David King, How (Not) to Preach the Pentateuch, March 31, 2020.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV ® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Edited by Kevin Mungons

Interior design: Ragont Design

Cover design: Erik M. Peterson

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: King, David M., author.

Title: Your Old Testament sermon needs to get saved : a handbook for preaching Christ from the Old Testament / by David M. King.

Description: Chicago, IL : Moody Publishers, [2021] | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: Your Old Testament Sermon Needs to Get Saved is a practical handbook for preaching Christ from the Old Testament. You’ll learn why and how to preach Christ from the Old Testament while experiencing the beauty of discovering and teaching how the saving work of Christ permeates the first two-thirds of the Bible-- Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020056668 (print) | LCCN 2020056669 (ebook) | ISBN 9780802423276 (paperback) | ISBN 9780802499554 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Bible. Old Testament--Homiletical use. | Preaching. | Typology (Theology) | Jesus Christ--Biblical teaching.

Classification: LCC BS1191.5 .K56 2021 (print) | LCC BS1191.5 (ebook) | DDC 251--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020056668

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020056669

Originally delivered by fleets of horse-drawn wagons, the affordable paperbacks from D. L. Moody’s publishing house resourced the church and served everyday people. Now, after more than 125 years of publishing and ministry, Moody Publishers’ mission remains the same—even if our delivery systems have changed a bit. For more information on other books (and resources) created from a biblical perspective, go to www.moodypublishers.com or write to:

Moody Publishers

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Chicago, IL 60610

To Sidney, Graeme, and Bryan, who were among the first to take my fragmented Bible and hand it back to me whole.

Contents 

Introduction: The Rock in My Shoe

Part 1: Why Should I Preach Christ from the Old Testament?

1. Exegetical Necessity

2. Theological Necessity

Part 2: How Do I Preach Christ from the Old Testament?

3. The Preaching Text

4. Fulfillment in Christ

Prophetic Promise:

The Identity of Jesus in Promises and Prophecies

Ethical Instruction:

The Lifestyle of Jesus in Law and Wisdom

Fallen Humanity:

The Burden of Jesus in Sin and Suffering

Typological Revelation:

The Shadow of Jesus in Pictures and Patterns

Narrative Progression:

The Backstory of Jesus in Threat and Resolution

Theological Theme:

The Preview of Jesus in God’s Acts and Attributes

5. Case Studies in Fulfillment

6. From Christ to Us

Part 3: What Happens When I Preach Christ from the Old Testament?

7. Problems to Avoid

8. Benefits to Enjoy

Conclusion: Two Paintings, Two Pointings

Appendix A: Functional Questions for Interpretation

Appendix B: The Hebrew Bible

Special Thanks

Scripture Index

Notes

Friend,

Thank you for choosing to read this Moody Publishers title. It is our hope and prayer that this book will help you to know Jesus Christ more personally and love Him more deeply.

The proceeds from your

Reviews for Your Old Testament Sermon Needs to Get Saved

[Josiah Howard · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Faithful to scripture, Christ centered and radically impactful to any believer who reads the Old Testament, this book is excellent. Not only does it aid in sermon preparation, but also in seeing Christ during a personal quiet time with the Word. A must read for anyone who preaches from the pulpit and a high recommendation for anyone who reads their Bible.