Jesus Christ:  Predicated in the Old Testament

 

1)      Imagine being asked to list the following items.

2)      Where we were born, when we were born, and our family history.

3)      Then we are asked to write down the significant things about our life.

4)      We are even asked to record our future – what will happen to us in our later years.

5)      We could write down some of this information, but we would not know all of it.

6)      What if it were not us writing down the material I just described?

7)      Imagine that 250 years ago someone wrote a book.

8)      This book was a book about us.  It made predictions about us.

9)      It predicated that we would be born.  It gave the approximate time of our birth.

10)   It gave the place of our birth.  It gave information about our family lineage.

11)   It told about our entrance into the world, our life on the earth, and specific information on our death.

12)   Literally hundreds of specific facts were written down about us 250 years in advance.

13)   In this book we also find this claim:  the information was given by God.

14)   If all the facts in the book turned out to be true, we could not deny the predictions.

15)   We would be compelled to admit that every single prediction was exactly right.

16)   If we accept that the predictions are right, we would also pay attention to the claim of authorship.

17)   No man can predict hundreds of things hundreds of years in advance with perfect accuracy.

18)   Who would have predicted that a tornado would rip through Nappanee, IN?

19)   The predictive ability being described is beyond our ability; it is supernatural; it is a power of God.

20)   Tonight we begin a rather unusual study.

21)   We want to look at prophecies related to the person known as Jesus Christ.

22)   The plan for this study will be as follows.

23)   We will first look at predictions from Jesus’ early life. (tonight’s lesson).

24)   Then we will look at predictions from Jesus’ adults years.

25)   A third lesson will focus on predictions related to His death.

26)   Then we will go back and examine some qualities in Jesus’ life specifically addressed by prophecy.

27)   Tonight we want to start at the beginning.

28)   Hundreds of years in advance predictions were made about Jesus’ coming.

29)   One of these predictions is that Jesus would have a forerunner.

30)   A forerunner might be thought of as a predecessor (someone who goes before).

31)   In Isa. 40:3 we find predictive words from an Old Testament prophet.

32)   These words were spoken about 700 years before Jesus came into the world.

33)   Isaiah said there would be a “voice” that “cried.”

34)   In our country we find introductions.

35)   “Ladies and Gentleman, the President of the United States.”

36)   “Honored guests, may I present Mr. ______________.”

37)   Ancient people did this same type of thing, only they used heralds.

38)   A person would go before and proclaim that a king or another important official was coming.

39)   Here are the precise words of Isa. 40:3 -  READ

40)   A man would come who would say, “prepare the way of Jehovah.”

41)   Towards the end of Lk. 1 we read about a mom and dad—the parents of John the Baptist.

42)   John’s parents were told that their boy John would fulfill Isa. 40:3.

43)   I want to read just one verse from Lk. 1 and this is verse 76 – READ

44)   Isaiah said someone would go before the Lord’s face to prepare the way.

45)   700 years later we find parents who were told their child would do this very thing.

46)   I want to pause for just a moment and point out this fact.

47)   In Lk. 1 when John’s parents were told about this John is still a small child.

48)   By human standards there was no guarantee that John the Baptist would do what was said in Lk. 1.

49)   John grew and what was said about him did come true.

50)    He did become a herald for the Son of God.  

51)   The Bible becomes even more specific about this matter in Lk. 3.

52)   Of all the texts we want to pay attention to for this first point, this is the passage that really shines.

53)   Lk. 3:3 tells us John the Baptist was a preacher; he preached repentance and forgiveness of sins.

54)   John also preached the message predicated in Isa. 40.

55)   Lk. 3:4 – READ

56)   700 years in advance a prediction was made about John the Baptist.

57)   That prediction was exactly right.  John did precisely what the prophecy said.

58)   How could this prophecy have been just a good guess or sheer luck?

59)   It’s hard to say it was “just luck” because John’s parents were also told what their child will do.

60)   A person may say something once and think he can get away with it.

61)   Saying something twice can increase accountability.

62)   We have another prediction of Jesus’ being preceded by someone.

63)   This prediction is not in the book of Isaiah; it is in the final book of the Bible—Malachi.

64)   Malachi wrote about 450 years before Jesus came into the world.

65)   There is a definite time difference between this additional prophet and Isaiah’s work.

66)   The information we want is found in Mal. 4:5-6.

67)   Here we find a reference to “Elijah” the prophet.

68)   I would like you to keep ready Mal. 4 with Lk. 1.

69)   We want to line these passages up side.

70)   As you are finding the verses, remember that language can be literal and figurative.

71)   A person may say, “This is my mother.”

72)   He may mean it a lady is his biological mother.  His statement may also be figurative.

73)   A person may mean a lady is so kind and wonderful he considers her his mother.

74)   We have a figurative reference to Elijah in Mal. 4:5-6.

75)   Elijah was a very powerful Old Testament prophet.

76)   He was the perfect illustration to describe John the Baptist.

77)   If you have also found Lk. 1, let’s start with Lk. 1:16 – READ

78)   Let’s compare this to Mal. 4:6 – READ

79)   Although written 400 years apart, the prediction and the fulfillment of the prediction match.

80)   It was predicted that a man would come who would be like Elijah; John had the character of Elijah.

81)   Verse 17 of Lk. 1 – READ

82)   Now Mal. 4:5 -  READ.  How could the predictions line up so well with New Testament history?

83)   Are they just good guesses, or did God really make these predictions?

84)   Let’s move away from the forerunner prophecies and talk about lineage.  Descendants.

85)   John said someone would come after him and someone did – Jesus.

86)   The one John talked about had a family history, and predictions were made about Jesus’ family.

 

87)   One of the early Bible characters is Abraham.  Estimates put him at about 4,000 B.C.

88)   The Bible says Abraham received a promise.  This promise is found in many parts of the Old Testament.

89)   For our purposes I will simply use one of them – Gen. 22:18.

90)   Abraham was told that “in his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed.”

91)   Something would happen in or through this man’s family that would affect the entire world.

92)   Take a moment to let the words of this promise sink in.

93)   What if someone said to use, “Your family will somehow affect the entire world.”

94)   What is the chance of that happening?  It is not very high.

95)   This promise made to Abraham is made several times and in many ways.

96)   We also find a fulfillment of this promise.  Jesus was in Abraham’s family tree.

97)   Jesus fulfilled this promise in every way.

a)      The promises and prophecies related to Jesus in this regard go much, much deeper.

b)      If we look at history we see the development of Abraham’s family.

c)       Eventually the nation of Israel came into being.  Within Israel were twelve tribes.

d)      Only one of these twelve tribes was selected to bring the Messiah into the world.

98)   The chosen tribe was Judah.  This is promised in Gen. 49:8-10 and Mic. 5:2.

99)   Let’s think about the promise in terms of odds.

100)  Suppose we had 12 boxes before us.  11 of these boxes contain a million dollars.

101)  The other box contains a deadly toxin that would leave us maimed and crippled for life—no cure.

102)  The toxin box would guarantee us a miserable life for the rest of our days.

103)  Pain, personal deformity, organ damage, vomiting, diarrhea, disability, weariness…a horrible life.

104)  How many of us would accept the offer to open just one box and try for a million dollars?

105)  In this illustration 11 of the boxes are good boxes.

106)  In the Biblical account, the odds were not like that.

107)  Instead of having 11 chances to be right, there was only one chance.

108)  It was said Judah would be the tribe from which the promised seed to Abraham would come.

109)  God was very, very specific.  That prediction turned out to be right on target.

110)  How could that kind of promise be made 4,000 years in advance?

111)  Promises of a forerunner, promises to Abraham, and promises about a tribe, are all fulfilled in just one man:  Jesus Christ of Nazareth.  This is only the beginning of the evidence trail.

112)  We now move to the actual birth of Jesus.

113)  So far all the predictions hundreds or thousands of years in advance were exactly right.

114)  What about predictions related to Jesus’ actual coming into the world?

115)  One such claim is made in Mic. 5:2.

116)  Micah wrote about 700 years before Jesus came into the world.
Listen to his prophecy – Mich. 5:2 – READ

a)      This minor prophet said a “ruler would come” and He would be associated with Bethlehem.

117)  Bethlehem was not the place where great people came from.

118)  Making this prediction more than 500 years in advance must have caused people to laugh.

119)  What kind of silly predictive promise was Micah making some might have asked.

120)  Listen to Mt. 2:1 – READ

 

121)  Mich. 5 was not a general prediction; it is about as specific as a person can get.

122)  If it were the only prediction we had, some might pass it off as a lucky guess.

123)  It is just one prediction that we can use to make a list piled high of predictive prophecy.

124)  It is one more proof that the book called the Bible is really the word of God.

125)  Jesus coming into the world worried some people—political leaders had some concerns.

126)  There was, therefore, early in the Lord’s life an attempt to kill Him.  Some male babies died.

127)  Jeremiah had predicted this 600 years in advance (Jer. 31:15).

128)  Matthew records (2:16-17) how this was another fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

129)  Mt. 2:17 says what happened was the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy.

130)  How could the Bible predict hundreds of years in advance that Jesus would come, predict the family He would come from, predict where He would be born, foretell the events surrounding His birth, and predict that He would have a predecessor?

131)  The answer is that the Bible was authored by God. 

132)  God’s book has some more predictions.  Jesus will one day return.  There will be a judgment day.