019 - Long Expected

You pick up your Bible and wonder, is there more than meets the is there something here for me. I mean it's just words printed on paper right it may look like just print on the page but it's more than a join us for the next half hour, as we explore God's word together as we learn how to explore it on our as we ask God to meet us there in its pages welcome to more than angry and did you know that at Christmas time. The title son of David need something really shows the Scriptures will find out today more than he had again said that every week, but we are actually very weak and she come back for hope you're following with if you were to start looking at Christmas today. This is a December 5 and entering the Advent season, so it seemed like the right thing to do and since so many times when we talk about studying the Bible we talk about context context context context to the question is, is there really a context that precedes the birth of Jesus historical, historical content yeah wasn't just in a little baby in a manger thing.

I was beginning of stuff. This is actually a culmination of a lot of stuff context wise, culturally we think about that baby in the manger is that he's the whole story. Well, he's the beginning of the story exactly yeah and he's the fulfillment of a bigger ongoing story beginning of the fulfillment right now. In fact, the birth of Jesus is kind of the middle of the timeline instead of the beginning of the timeline so so when it will actually go to the Old Testament today, so get a context meeting with anybody waiting for the Messiah to be born and if they were they waiting for someone like Jesus. So when take a look at all that kind of stuff. And next week will move into moving to the New Testament today when they waiting for over they looking for what was the Messiah supposed to be so were we going to go to start this context, we really need to start with the promises that God made to David so that the fancy title for that is the Davidic covenant and is found in second Samuel seven regular read a whole lot of it but there's just really for versus organ zero in on and this is at the point in David's life. When the Lord had given them peace. They were settled in Jerusalem, and David finally settle right and David was it. It was in his heart that he wanted to build a permanent dwelling for God because up to this point they still had the tent, they still had the tabernacle. Name-calling ran in the wilderness and the architect tyrannical just came into town I think will get to this point.

Well, I can't remember exactly where that takes place in the sequence. I did look fine. Think that comes into town and dances and now David says he wants to build a permanent dwelling permit because he says hey I got house got me to help and so as he's praying that the Lord says to him, now you know I got I would build a house for you, so listen to what second Samuel 712 to 16 says this is what God responds to David when your days are complete, and you lie down with your fathers. I will raise up your descendent after you who will come forth from you and I will establish his kingdom.

He shall build a house for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to me and when he commits iniquity, and will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men in my loving kindness shall not depart from him as I took away from Saul, whom I removed for you and your house and your kingdom shall endure before me, for after your throne shall be established for ever out.

That's a pretty amazing promise. I just wanted to touch on a couple of things that leap off the page to me. God says three or four times in this short passage I'm to do this and I'm to do it. I'm an established his throne.

This kingdom forever. Well David was going to die writing the tomb and that's actually figures a lot of the sermons and acts are like so we must be talking about somebody else but we also know if we really had that Solomon becomes King Solomon.

Well, he was in the immediate fulfillment talking about Solomon, but Solomon wasn't going live forever right right so. But God says in this promise I'll be father to him and he'll be a son to me and then he says punish sin in him. But my love will never depart from him. So those things were evident in Solomon's reign, so there was this immediate fulfillment of the next generation.

So this passage is kind of Solomon, but something else to and it demonstrates a really interesting point about Old Testament prophecies and that is that there is a dual fulfillment about them. Specially the messianic prognoses either or Solomon or Jesus is could be tediously right and what we see that also. When we look at the Isaiah 7 passage about the Virgin conceiving. But right now let's just stick with this one so that saying establish an everlasting kingdom. Well, one that goes beyond just your physical life and to be a kingdom kingdom where my son will rain and immediately start talking that sin. So this is that this is a different kind of the kingdom. It's a much bigger and everlasting kingdom. It's it's based on on the heart.

He says I'm gonna correct sin, but my loving kindness will not depart from him and will make his name great name for him right. I'll build a house for him build a house for me so and we know you know in the New Testament we are referred to, we, the believers, as the house of God, the dwelling place of God in spirit.

So there are hints here all through it that God is promising to bring the anointed the real king through the line of David and so and his kingdom will be an everlasting King that one that transcends anything that takes place at any human timeline and it's important to notice number 16 that it's it's his throne. That'll be established forever. Yes, it's his throne so that that she does start to bring this up to more than just Solomon and how can your throne be established forever like everyone who sits in the in David's room. From that point on, but who has a throne that lasts forever will know exactly is the only one so if you just casually reading the section lightbulbs will be going off in your head like was sound like Solomon kind of but but wait a second there's a lot of forever words in here so maybe there is a king coming who will sit in the throne of David.

This throne which is for ever more languages and why they expected political king write a king would literally come into Jerusalem and sit on physical throne and rule a literal human kingdom right and fulfill this promise.

And he also he also has to be genetically connected right yes to come out the line that is literally the seed of David, so the genetic bloodline from David yeah and it actually says us in many other places.

There's is very famous phrase that you will never lack for man to be on the throne right and so so in talking about the house of David as well, so whoever this king is he has to become. He occupies some forever throne. He has to be genetically biologically connected. David big to make this all work that's actually reminded many many times. Even in Solomon. Jeremiah and so who could this possibly be. If it starts it was Solomon but Solomon is not the forever personality and right that's right. And so this is Jesus one yes and and you know I'll all kinda skip, fast-forward, and you know working a look see what Gabriel talks to Mary. Oh yeah next and it turns out he says explicitly. He will occupy the right of David right so there's just no doubt in our mind. Here what you get that conversation see the next week. There's no doubt that Jesus is the one being spoken of here in seconds till seven, a time of David is roughly thousand years for your iced was born exactly exactly.

So from that point on, the expectations are set pretty strongly that there will be some great king who has some kind of forever context on the throne of David, which is forever and then got himself as one who is doing this so so those expectations are all set a thousand years before Jesus. This is God's kingdom that he's establishing right it's not a human kingdom in any form know as we talk about the kingdom. Perhaps in the next couple of weeks.

It occurred to me when I was setting the parables that the kingdom life in any kingdom depends upon the character of the king right right so we know that David was not a perfect king Solomon was not a perfect king right but they both serve as types this is that word the theologians use our Bible study are used to describe a person or an event or thing that is a picture kinda like it's fulfillment are it's it's a pointer Satan you know. This greater spiritual reality is like this thing and so you'll run across that term.

Type in the New Testament actually often in Hebrews yeah so there's this dualism it's going often in Scripture. You'll say what is this thing is being talked about.

Is it a or B and you can often say well it's actually it's bio simultaneously prefigures the other. Yes, because the were talking about real human people at a real place at a real time in history, and yet they were indicators, pointers they were playing out a greater spiritual reality that we can look back on you and for those of us are a little thick and so it's nice to have examples you can say all this Jesus guy. He's like David right so that's just a hopefully for the rest of us as well.

So one out. There's other places in the Old Testament that point to this one that's coming but don't don't miss the fact that coming out of the bloodline of David is a very important thing and they were still debating it, even at the last week of Jesus life when he was in Jerusalem, teaching, and he actually asked the question know that when David says the Lord says to my Lord set up my right hand was he the son of David having they were still trying to figure that out as I was a subject of much discussion in Jesus and I thought that passage all about David. He says it can't be. And because there was this huge messianic expectation of physical, political, king, and you know we live in a time when a lot the Christian church in our country has placed its faith in the political system and so there are a lot of Lotta places to apply things I like I like to characterize it that special needs elections people have displaced their belief in the divine to a devotion in government and that's just what you down if you think an expectation that we can bring in a human government that will accomplish a solution to a man or man's government is always going to disappoint you. Okay so let's fast-forward. Are there more passages as we work away in time from a thousand years before, there are so many now some of you probably have already played on your musical device. The Messiah right and so you know these passages, but you don't always know where they're coming from you. You know the words you've heard them sung a lot of you know, maybe even been to Messiah saying already this season and use some of these passages you need served to be signposts in the Old Testament to what the Messiah would be and so you know and will put it in the music and there you go, but disciples are important well and were just take the easy ones are so familiar to everybody when you will start with Micah really well. I know well. I love the Isaiah passage. Let's start with that when 74 and the context again here has an immediate fulfillment in the time he same to the king you know something is going to happen right now in your seeing and that's can indicate to you that the Lord is with you, but Isaiah 714 says therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and she shall call his name Emmanuelle, which then the gospel writers pick up and translate for us.

God with us because you missed with that mean right, in case you get it in the historical time of Isaiah that would've meant within the next three years. In this period of time that a child would be conceived, worn and and weaned. It's going to be very evident that God is with you in the event that your expecting is or is not going to happen because of this. Because of this child's birth. It's going to be like a physical playing out of it, but the New Testament writers said all well that could clearly is actually talking about Jesus.

The connected force right in Matthew's gospel. So what is it about this.

That's the sign part. The Lord himself give you a sign in the sign is a virgin shall conceive right in the context of Isaiah. Yeah, I mean that's just a run-of-the-mill word for a young girl exactly exactly and so there's been a lot of debate about this and start look at as well as tips means young girl will then how is it a sign of younger abrasives is that's not assigned right, but it does is the word is also dual use for Virgin as well.

So it's really it's really defined here is virgin because there's a sign in a virgin will conceive and bear a son while that's just craziness well where you talk about that in more detail next week when we talk about Mary and the song that she sings which the article title for it is the Magnificat. But you know that that's a Latin word yet. You might want to pre-think if you were married and you just got spoken to by Gabriel, will everything it's going to happen will be the words on your mouth, and they probably will not match what you read.

It's it's really astonishing is astonishing. But then, but but then you call his name Immanuel.

You call his name God with us. That's sort of an over-the-top title over the top name I want to just call him David two or something like that when it's gone. David, you know, a newer David snow in Tacoma, God with us because this child's very presence will be evidence that God has not to start deserting you he is with you and that was his historical significance of the type of Isaiah. You can just read all of Isaiah 6 and seven and you'll actually just chapter 7 and get the context for that, historically, but this child by his very birth and presence among you would be an indicator that God is near. That is actually with you, and you know that the Jews were reading the Gospels of Matthew or Luke. The Jews were reading and especially Matthew's gospel which seems to be bent toward Jews make a big deal about talking about the fact that Mary is a virgin, big, big deal, so that the readers won't miss it like hello wake up Isaiah 7 virgin actually did conceive and bear a son, so they make sure you don't miss that in passing is your reading to the gospel story for the birth of Jesus, just a big deal because Isaiah 714 says will assist with Gumby after virgin person so when one to the other Isaiah passage Isaiah 9 yeah boy, what set his absolute favorite is way too much to talk about on the but we gotta get to work as this one you if you didn't catch Isaiah 7 in the Messiah handles Messiah. You sure did catch Isaiah 9, so you won't do that.

What you saw unless you heard this song every Christmas Carol we ever sing often is based on this passage I actually begins at the beginning of the chapter, but the part we want to read is from verses 6 to 7 for a child will be born to us, and will be given to us in the government will rest in his shoulders and his name will be called wonderful Counselor, mighty God, eternal father, Prince of peace.

There will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom is to establish it and uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. This is actually a restatement of the Davidic covenant, but it's added more detail about the actual identity of this one and this is five centuries after David and five writers before Jesus right so it's is amazing.

So a couple things we can pick up on the increase of his government. This government is throne of David. Is it we we are expecting it to be forever. It sure seems to be forever here and got himself with his zeal, which means you can't stop is going to establish it.

So this is this is an appointment from God that whatever stop it's is forever, but interestingly enough, it starts out that the fact that a child now China chassis with Isaiah 7 were virgin will conceive a child or son. So were going to start with a summer like to start with a fully grown man just pops out of nowhere starting child human child and the son who is given given well all you know that sin makes me think of well God so loved the world that he gave the sketch is only begotten son, John three air again just three John three John three this is this is God saying what's gonna happen in John 316. Back in Isaiah 9, giving us his son exactly. So this birth of Jesus is actually giving of God son, and we say that, flippantly, but here it says that's what's gonna happen to them when you get to Luke and Matthew is exactly what happened to the discussion with Nicodemus that's exactly. Jesus is going to find boggling that God would humble himself to give his son.

He didn't just appear as an adult exactly entered our human existence and as an infant and it's worth contemplating. When you talk about meditating on what you know in Scriptures and is one of Bible study. Why in the world would God do it that way. The throne to a baby starting with the baby.

Why start with why is that so important and will just gonna let that hang for a while talk about next couple weeks, perhaps. But why start with the baby that's just a remarkable thing on God's part. Just a remarkable thing this look at those for the end of verse six is look at those four titles is get right there because these is really through people for a loop.

A lot of times Jesus the son of God well in their there all together talking about a single person single person.

Wonderful Counselor, mighty God, eternal father, Prince of peace will which is which one. This is our try you got, you know, I presented the Trinity all the time. This is a great place to come back to go you okay with the second were talking about one person here right because in the New Testament we have. Jesus says I'm gonna send you the Paraclete and would send you the counselor, the one called alongside wonderful Counselor will why is he so wonderful well because he's alongside and with you and speaking to you, but he's not flesh and blood bone right right he's a spirit but that also mighty God, which gives a little credence to the Isaiah 7 passage about Emmanuel, God with us right so were not just talking about kind endorsement by God were talking about the presence of mighty God were talking about power. The one who publishes right salvation, right which again gives you a wonderful kind of classroom you will you we said, think about baby and think about this baby, which is helpless is also the mighty God will so you can chew on this at this wonderful counselor who is our mighty God who is able to accomplish right and on this everlasting eternal throne. It is the everlasting father, eternal father and the Prince of peace. That's all ruling kind of kind of titles right there.

While wow wow Prince who rules in peace who establishes peace in this idea of establishing peace runs all the way through Scripture as part of God's original statement is people and establish you in peace that comes from the erotic covenant in number six, so I hope will do an entire conversation about that blessing at a future time. You can't do it today are already running short on time when we need to hit Micah. Well that's about all the time you left. I bet okay little way late on a social Mike is another prophet. He's a sometime center. So after Isaiah and Micah 52. Again, a very famous type and member when you read the story in the Gospels. Remember those wise guys in the wisemen today. They come to Herod and say words one is born King of the Jews inheritances, shrugged his shoulders so he brings guys in the sky. So while he's in.

You know if you hear he's in battle and how to know that Micah 5 to meter that yeah but you owe Bethlehem efforts, who are too little to be among the claim nothing from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days, so this ruling doesn't just begin with the birth of a baby.

He has been ruling right but it seems like he is born as a baby in Bethlehem in this puny little out-of-the-way place but but it's the fulfillment of coming forth from of old, from from the ancient of days, so that's why we say this is kind of the middle of the timeline, not the beginning of the timeline because this is been foreseen and physically a baby will be born. We know that from Isaiah 7, God with us in this God with us.

This God seems to also be a man because he's going to be physically born in Bethlehem of all places, which is historically were David's house. David's hometown rights when you know when you're about stir about David and Goliath and Dave is attending sheet you know where he's tending Sheila right out there and they'll sizing the flow so this is David's family's home.

So that's why this is just disfigured because now that put this back into the throne of David, the house of David, the city of David right there and you know the story how that's not actually where Mary and Joseph lived. They had to go there in order to register for the census that was taken at the time that Jesus was was ordered from Rome so you know they lived up in Nazareth and they had to make the journey down to Bethlehem and Mary probably has a result of three or four days on a donkey goes into labor. There really there, which is a stubborn nation but is so important, I mean Marion. Joseph both have the lineage to qualify for that which is why we have to go to bed, but against but still it's fascinating. We reading John with the people were saying will wait this guy can't be the Messiah because he didn't want Bethlehem right they didn't know that election born there and I located the measure that the raptors born but they knew the prophecy.

So Jesus is born in Bethel and thus again fulfilling the prophecy for the coming of the Messiah, so there it is, and Micah 5 to so we know who he is what he's all about his gum start as a baby and is can be born in Bethlehem. And yet this is the fulfillment of a plan from ancient of days and there's so many beautiful details about Bethlehem and we don't have a lot of time but in any Hebrew Bethlehem band (means literally the house of bread, bread, well we know much later on Jesus life. He said I am the bread which came down from heaven to seems fitting way. I was born in the house where you know John the Baptist played him and said, there is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world will those hills around Bethlehem, where the flocks of sheep that were destined to be sacrificed in the temple were raised and cared for. There's so many beautiful details in this Bethlehem picture. Lots of stuff. I did a whole study well back on the history, what happens in Bethlehem and it is pretty rich so it it and it is a nothing place.

That's why says you will Bethlehem Africa effort that was kind of a regional, family name, but anyway these things were written hundreds of years before the actual birth of Jesus, so people at accurate expectations of what was going to happen.

And then Jesus is born right so we are in a season of expectation looking to celebrate the coming of our Savior, yet so next week and the week after that, we will look at some of statements one by Mary that by Zechariah, the father, John the Baptist insists they both say some amazing things and give us kind of a heavenly context and viewpoint to it looks like just a simple birth filled with hints of these prophecies exactly they will all tie back in the will have much more important effect.

Mary will say things is far beyond her. Her paygrade actually. So we hope you join us next week if you want to read ahead read in Luke 11 for the next two great things so I'm Jim, I'm Dorothy and I'm looking forward to Christmas. We are okay. See next week