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Acts 28:23

²³When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.

When in Rome, Paul was held under house arrest. He was shackled to a soldier but was allowed to live in his own rented home. People were free to visit him. He invited the local synagogue leaders over to tell them that he was not opposing the Jewish faith but rather declaring that the Messiah had come (Acts 28:17-20). Those leaders hadn't received any news from Jerusalem about Paul, so they decided to come again and hear what he had to say.

Paul preached a message that lasted all day. We don't have the details of the message, but Luke records that it was about two things: the kingdom of God and Jesus the Messiah. He preached from the Law and the Prophets. The Kingdom is more than a coming day when the Messiah reigns on the earth. It is the reign of Jesus in our hearts today. We are familiar with preaching about Jesus from the New Testament, but could you present Jesus as Lord from the Old Testament? That is what Paul did all day long.

In our churches today, there is an ignorance of the richness of the Old Testament. At times a teacher might pull out a few verses to support a sermon, but he or she might at the same time largely ignore the context and flow of the texts that Paul was preaching from. Take time to learn the chronology and messianic expectation that runs from Genesis to Malachi. Not only is it helpful when sharing Jesus with those from a Jewish background, but it also gives us a clearer picture of the work of God throughout history. We must not be lazy when it comes to studying the Word of God. You can find a twelve lesson overview to begin your study at bible-sermons.org entitled Understanding the Old Testament. It would also be helpful to read about the types and shadows of Jesus in books on typology. I have written one entitled, Jesus Concealed in the Old Testament.

Consider: The Old Testament was the apostles' source text from which they preached Jesus.