Live with Lon - The Power of Fulfilled Prophecy

Everyone this is Lon Solomon and we are going to continue today with our Bible study entitled live with long before we begin our life. Your week was at all like my week. We had some good things happen and we had some not so nice things happen and that's just the way life is almost taken some of us to take a moment and let's all pray and get our hearts right before we go to the word of God to someone if you dog. With me. I want us just to take a moment and take a deep breath and think about the things that set that happened this week that have heard us have frustrated us have made us angry have made us question, God. Now I want us to take a moment and lay them down at the foot of the cross and healed them to the Lord Jesus, and to his will and his plan for our life more Jesus as hard as it is to lay down things at the foot of the cross and yielding to you, especially things we don't like and that things that we don't want to happen and things that hurt us in anger us and disappoint us more. Jesus I pray that you would help us release them now to you the all sovereign God and let you be the one who takes care of them. Lord I pray that you would listen from our hearts, and that you would replace them with the sweet peace of God that passes all understanding. Philippians chapter 4 when we flew when we when we give things to you.

So Lord make that trade for us in our hearts are problems for the sweet peace of God, and open our hearts now to hear and understand and be encouraged by your word and we pray this would in Jesus name. And everybody said a man okay now were ready. Well I have a lot of people who got in touch with me last week and said while it's wheat really enjoyed having you back live and you are going to continue to do this right and I said that yes I am and so but I have to ask you all a question. And here's the question you know when you go to Starbucks you get the tall or grande day or Venti and so I need to know what kind of Bible study. We want this to do. We wanted to be tall and weak, just hit the main points in and apply to our lives that we wanted to be grande day of going a little bit deeper or do we wanted to be plenty where we really dig deep in the word of God and of course still have a so what.

Well, there's no way for me to take an actual vote so I'm just going to say that that I and I'm excited about because sometimes when I was pastoring. I didn't have time to do Venti with people because of everything else that was going on so the sermons are going to be long, but were not working to seek to go deep and really dig out of the word of God.

Some of the richness that there so I hope that's okay with you. I decided after much prayer that I want us to begin by studying the Gospels Matthew Mark Luke and John.

You say how long is this going to take a week two weeks a month six months. I don't know where going to march through the four Gospels and you know when were done were God, but what differs is a mate or studying the eternal Word of God every week so praise the Lord okay so a little bit of introduction is the entire eight introductions are so boring well and I'm going to be with me, so let me tell you little bit of introduction of the four Gospels Matthew Mark Luke and John had been since the earliest days the accepted Gospels gospel means good news. The good news of Jesus Christ has been have been accepted. Gospels accepted our compiled stories of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now there are other gospels out there.

The Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, the gospel of Judas in all of these others that we have found fragments of but the early church fathers rejected all of them as spurious as noncanonical as not inspired by the Holy Spirit meant to be in the Bible and we have a list Matthew Mark Luke and John from as early as around 100, 225 A.D. the Victorian Canada which list the early the earliest list we have of the books of the New Testament and it lists the four Gospels Matthew Mark Luke and John. This was followed finally canonized all the bishops in the world agreed on it several centuries later but we have the listing of the floor from right around the hundred A.D. and the question is where did these four Gospels come from well it even a casual reading of Matthew, Mark, and Luke will not indicate that the three of them are related to one another, they they tell the same basic set of stories and they they tell him. For the most part, in the same order so one of three things happen with these Gospels either one was dependent upon one, which was dependent upon one or two were dependent on one or all three were dependent on some original that we do not have today. Now I am of the opinion that it is the latter that all three of them were dependent on a earlier copy of the gospel that we don't have today and we have evidence that there was such an earlier copy of the God of the Gospels written by Matthew four Jewish people in Hebrew/Aramaic we have evidence of this from PPS from around 120 A.D. he was friends with John the apostle and others of the apostles and he tells us in his writings that Matthew wrote an original copy of the Gospels in Hebrew then also Ira Naess, the Bishop of Gaul and 180 A.D. tells us the same thing with famous her church historian Eusebius of the fourth century tells us the same thing. So I am of the mind that Matthew Mark and Luke in Greek in the Greek New Testament all go back to an original that we don't have that was written by Matthew in the Hebrew language and then of course there's John's gospel which is different in much of its content from the other three and John according to all sources wrote this.

Towards the end of his life somewhere around the time of A.D. to nine DAD. Now these four Gospels are from the earliest time of the church of church history, considered and recorded to be the four canonical Gospels before gospels that were meant to be in the Scripture with the earliest list we have of the books of the New Testament is a work call them your Taurean Canon written around 120 A.D. in this canon before gospels are listed as Matthew Mark Luke and John. Yes, there are other gospels that have been discovered like the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary and the gospel of Judas, but the early church fathers rejected these as spurious, meaning they were not meant to be in the New Testament.

They were not inspired in that way and so of from the earliest times of church history. These are our four Gospels. In fact, the earliest copy we have of any of the four Gospels is the Ryland papyrus is a very small piece of papyrus, upon which we have a little bit of the gospel of John. This is that the man is in Manchester, UK right now in the library. The Ryland library. There and dates to around 100 A.D. so these are our Gospels and we are going to approach these Gospels of the way we should approach anything in the Bible, which is the Bible means what it says and it says what it means and we are going to interpret it accordingly and that's how were going to move through the passages in the four gospel accounts you say what I want to study going to take. We two weeks among six lines. Well I don't know it'll take as long as it takes for us to cover the gospel. What there is is a mate or studying the word of God each and every week, and this will be an exciting study now today were going to look at the beginning of the gospel of of Matthew and I'm going to be using the new King James Bible is a translation if you want to follow in that translation or in whatever translation you choose, it will probably be very close okay Matthew chapter 1. Not every single verse, read the verses that are appropriate for what I want to point out to you today okay. The angel appears to Joseph after it's discovered that Mary is pregnant and the angel says to Joseph because he was thinking about not marrying up Mary. He says no he says do not be afraid to take to you Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. All this was done. Matthew writes that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, behold, Isaiah chapter 7 of Burton Wilkins will be with child and will bring forth a son, and they will call his name Immanuel, which is translated God with us and so jealous of Mary as his wife.

Here we have a messianic prophecy from the Old Testament. Isaiah chapter 7 written 650 BC or thereabouts regularly or even 700 BC and the Lord Jesus's birth fulfills. Now let's get on a little bit. The wise men come looking for Jesus and they go to King Herod admitted that they are asking where the king of Judea is going to be born, and after they leave. Herod calls in the Jewish rabbis and says where is the Messiah going to be born, and they said to him. Matthew chapter 2 verse five in Bethlehem of Judea. For thus says it is written by the prophet Micah chapter 5 and you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah. You are not the least among the rulers of Judah for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel, and so this is messianic prophecy number two Micah chapter 5, verse two, the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem. Now let's move on.

As you know, but a pilot sent the wisemen to look for Jesus there and they did not come back to pilot and report and pilot as a result, wanted to hunt down and murder this trial and so of the Bible goes on to say when they the wisemen had departed. Matthew chapter 2 verse 13, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, arise, take the young child and his mother flee to Egypt and stay there until I bring you word for Herod will seek to destroy the young child and so Joseph arose and took the child and his mother and departed to Egypt and was there until the death of Herod watch that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet. This is Hosea 11 one out of the job. I have called my son this is the third messianic prophecy that Matthew records Jesus fulfill on we go. Then Herod, when he saw that the wisemen had that car not come back to him had every child every meal in Bethlehem under the age of two killed and Matthew says, then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, a voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great morning, Rachel weeping for her children and she would not be comforted, because they are no more. The reason Rachel was mentioned here, of course, the wife of Jacob is because Rachel was buried in Bethlehem and so this is a reference to her in Bethlehem really weeping for these children. That's messianic prophecy number four. Now let's go on after Herod dies, the angel reappears to Joseph and says Herod is there, you can come back to Israel now and so the end of Matthew chapter 2 tells us that Joseph and Mary returned with the Lord Jesus as a child and went and settled in Galilee in the city of Nazareth and listen. Chapter 2 Matthew verse 23 and he came and dwelt in the city of Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet Isaiah chapter 9 verse one. He will be called a Nazarene. This is our fifth fulfill prophecy from the Old Testament. Finally, in those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness same repair for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he John the Baptist who was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, saying, before someone crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord make his paths straight. So what do we have we have six messianic prophecies count 123456, all within Matthews chapter 1, two, in the very beginning of tree Matthews gospel and these are among 3232, depending upon how you categorize them with the 30+ Old Testament prophecies of the Lord Jesus Christ, that he fulfilled in his life. Now let's talk about this apartment. Matthews gospel more than any other, makes a point of all the prophecies from the Old Testament that Jesus fulfill the reason for this is that Matthew's Gospel was originally written for Jewish people and the point. Matthew wanted to emphasize again and again and again to these Jewish people is that Jesus fulfilled all the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. So even when Matthew was translated into Greek, emphasis continued in Matthew's gospel.

This is why when Bob Eckardt, the man who led me to the Lord gave me a Bible and said to start reading and I started up the gospel of Matthew. This was perfect for me as a joyous person because I Hearing that it might be fulfilled in might be fulfilled, and it might be fulfilled all these prophecies. The question is how did the writers of the gospel. How did they know that all these prophecies were man to point to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now you say well they sat down they started to write, and the Holy Spirit guided them in some supernatural way.

I whispered in her ear. Who knows what happened when they wrote the Bible and inspiration was happening, but somehow, someway, the Holy Spirit showed them what these 30 some prophecies were. Is that possible, absolutely. But I think there's a much simpler explanation friends if you remember after the Lord Jesus was resurrected in Luke chapter 24 the Bible says that he met with the early apostles and he opened their mind to understand the Scriptures that spoke of him putting that together with Luke would loose the authorship of acts chapter 1. When Luke says in acts chapter 1 that the Lord Jesus spent 40 days between the resurrection and his ascension back into heaven.

40 days he spent meeting with the apostles in the early church so for 40 days putting these two passages together. Luke 24. Acts chapter 1 comparing Scripture with Scripture, which is how we interpret the Bible correctly.

What we see is that for 40 days.

These apostles met with the Lord Jesus Christ and he taught them where he was taught them the messianic prophecies there were in the Old Testament is like they were going to resurrection theological seminary every single day for 40 days handout that had you like to do that and sit at the feet of the Lord Jesus and let them teach you the Old Testament before he went back to heaven and so I really believe the answer to how they knew all these were messianic prophecies is the Lord took the Bible and he said hey fellas. You see right here in Isaiah chapter 9 about Galilean and a light has shown upon other people in Galilee. This is talking about me. You see here word says out of Egypt God God has called his son as talking about me. You see here in Psalm 22, they pierced my hands and my feet as talking about me. They cast lots for my clothing that's talking about me and so this is where they got their hermeneutic where they knew which one of these verses in the Old Testament were messianic in speaking about the Lord, the Lord Jesus himself is currently taught them what these verses were in that wonderful how that's wonderful, but it was interesting to me is that some of these verses they could probably have figured out themselves.

For example, Isaiah 7, a virgin shall conceive and have a child and you know and the whole story Mary. I think the apostles might've been able to figure that one out themselves. The Jewish rabbis could figure out Micah chapter 5 verse two that are out of Bethlehem would come the Messiah of these were easy then there were some that were, in the middle like they pierced my hands and my feet. They cast lots for my clothing. Okay, maybe after the events of the cross. The apostles can figure them out.

And then there are some verses like Hosea 11 one out of Egypt I called my son, which, if you read it in context in Hosea 11 it appears to be talking about the excellence and God bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt. There seems to be no indication whatsoever that this goes and applies to the Messiah. So these more secure versus where I don't think it apostles would ever figured it out on their own.

How did they know for certain. These were talking about the Lord or Psalm 16 I will not allow my holy one to see corruption. How do they know that this was talking about the resurrection, because I don't think it's that clear at first reading the Lord Jesus Christ himself taught them hey fellas this is me, these are verses about me. That's wonderful. Now I friend who I knew a mathematician that worked at the Pentagon and he asked this mathematician about the probability that all these 30 some verses could apply the same person and she told him that the probability of all these verses applying to the same person was 1×10 with 100 zeros after Knoxville got the letter he wrote me my good friend Richard Park who served at McLean Bible church with me for over 30 years, my dear brother I still got the original letter he wrote me without telling me that 1×10 with 100 zeros after amazing friends. That is a such a massive probability that if indeed the Lord Jesus fulfill all of those prophecies like the Bible says friends 1×10 with 100 zeros behind it can't possibly be wrong. We can't possibly be misled. Number following a probability number like that and you know this is how the apostle Paul, in particular proved to Jewish people everywhere he went in the world that Jesus was the Messiah.

You can read about it in the New Testament.

In acts 13 and acts 1411. The Bible says that Paul proved her from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah. How can you prove from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.

There's only one way to make that the do that and that is to take Jewish people back to the Old Testament back to these messianic prophecies back to the Scripture show them these prophecies show them what happened in the life of Jesus and say okay fellas. Let's compare.

Here's what it says. Here's what he did. Here's what it says here is what he did. 30 of them and say who else would Jesus be the Messiah. Do you understand that's how Paul proved to Jewish people.

That's how he that was his apologetic and how he tried to convince them that Jesus indeed was the Messiah, the power of fulfill prophecy. The power of fulfill prophecy is the greatest proof. We have that Jesus indeed is the Messiah as he claimed, they say, wait a minute, wait a minute look your smart: haven't you figured out what happened here is luck Jesus was a smart guy too hee hee look back in the Bible.

He looked at all the messianic prophecies in the Bible and and he saw that there is a you know he was supposed to be crucified with his hands and his feet. He was supposed to ask for the Roman soldiers were supposed to cast lots for his clothing and so he read about all of these things in the Old Testament, and then he orchestrated his life so that it yet with all these prophecies but blonder to understand.

It was the it was fraudulent and he only did it to make himself look like the Messiah you say you see what happened while yeah I understand that possibility, but it's not is not possible, is that women are values and it's possible is not possible.

Well, this is live, you get what you get. No, it's not possible is a one well okay so you really think think about this now you really think Jesus when he stood in front of pilot big pilot to crucified because he knew the Messiah decrease what you really think he said by the party please please please I beg you, do me a big favor crucified me and I need to be crucified. I have to be crucified really think that's what happened or how about when Jesus was hanging on the cross. Anyway, he looked down and said the Roman soldiers hey fellas hey fellas, would you do me a big favor would you cast lots for my robot really need somebody to cast lots.

Remember what you do that for me, what are you kidding you think these Roman soldiers were going to do this because Jesus asked him to her giving call of vinegar to drink because that has to happen to fulfill a prophecy on is a well could happen could offer him money to do that. Okay.

Well folks, if you really believe this is possible, then tell me how did Jesus while inside his mother's womb convince Caesar Augustus to have her senses that made everybody return to their hometown so that married nine months pregnant had to pick up and ride on a donkey with Joseph all the way from Nazareth to Bethlehem. This is like a five day walker so so that Jesus could actually be born in Bethlehem to fulfill Micah chapter 5 verse two and nodded. Nazareth, where they happen to be living.

How did he convince Caesar Augustus to do that while he was still in his mother's womb.

The last thing look at the impossible Excel table okay okay okay met also but maybe it's the other way around would mean well then maybe Jesus lived his life. Okay. And then what happened is the apostles went back and changed the Old Testament to fear the life of Jesus, so when they saw that he was crucified on the cross. They train Psalm 22, two they pierced his hands and his feet when they saw that the soldiers cast lots for his clothing.

They change Psalm 22 to say they cast lots for my clothing when they saw he was born in Bethlehem. They change Micah chapter 5 verse two to say he be born in Bethlehem when they saw I was a descendent of David, a change second Samuel seven and on and on and season that possible, they retrofitted the Old Testament to the life of Jesus friends. That is not possible you say all you will have to you be so sure. The oldest copy we have of the Old Testament is the Aleppo codex from 975 ADA how can you be so sure where the oldest copy we have of the entire Old Testament. Indeed, in Hebrew is the Aleppo codex bar. We with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls have found books of the Old Testament.

Everybody but Esther and I believe that will be found.

Eventually, because they're just starting to work through all the fragments were 50 years those fragments were held by six scholars who wouldn't share them with anybody until a class-action lawsuit a few years ago for spam to make all these fragments 10,000 fragments available will find Esther don't worry but in the meantime, we have a full scroll copy to of Isaiah full copy of the song scroll. We have a full copy of Jeremiah's prophecy and all of these scrolls date to before Christ, the big Isaiah scroll at this big around dates to 150, give or take 20 years BC Jeremiah scroll one of dates to 250 BC.

The song scroll all these scrolls were written at the banner before the time of Christ, so friends we go back to Isaiah chapter 9 about being in Galilee and reads just like Isaiah 9, Isaiah 7 about being born of a virgin, the cognitive Dead Sea Scrolls copywritten 150 years for Jesus was born, reads just like your English Bible Psalm 22 reads just like your English Bible. They pierced my hands my feet. They cast lots for my clothes.

Micah chapter 5 reads the exact way yours goes in Bethlehem. Second, all of the second Samuel seven. These copies that we have of the Old Testament from before the time Jesus was ever born read just the way your English Bible messianic prophecies read they were not retrofitted they already read like this before. Jesus was ever born or ever took one at so Serrano's point is the point from give Jesus wasn't able to do a retrofitting of his life to everyone on the messianic prophecies. For example, make Caesar Augustus have a senses while he was inside the womb and if the apostles were able to go back and retrofit Jesus's life to the Old Testament by changing the Old Testament. If neither one of those things could've happened in friends we are back to 1×10 with 100 zeros after it. This is how Paul approved her Jesus was the Messiah.

This is how we can still prove today that Jesus is the Messiah, my friends, with a probability number like this on our side.

We can not be wrong about who Jesus is along the Peterson. He said we are not followed cleverly devised fables this thing Christianity in our belief in Jesus is not cleverly devised hoax now. He went on to say we were eyewitnesses to his glory friends, you and I are not eyewitnesses to his glory. We've never seen the Lord himself on the earth, but we can see messianic prophecy 30.

Some of them and we can see how Jesus fulfilled them and this is not a cleverly devised hoax is the truth now will continue on in the gospel story of the birth of Jesus.

Next week, but this leads us to ask our most important question and you know what I most important question is are you ready now. Come on now, you need that we need to get into this.

I want to hear you. I want to hear your I want to hear your through screening here. Are you ready to go to sell what house we sell sweetie it is okay you say Alonso friends. So what, so why my gosh everybody wants to know for sure how to go to heaven. Everybody wants to know which is the true way everybody wants to know what's the correct path to follow to get eternal life and and spend eternity in heaven.

Folks, we can tell them with absolute order of confidence hundred percent hundred and 10% that we have the true way because 1×10 with 100 zeros after it cannot be wrong.

We cannot be wrong. You know, a few years ago you want take trips to Israel. In fact, praise Lord Quiktrip organ take this October 2020, Lord willing, and this will be my 56 56 during the holy land may praise the Lord as a wonderful God. Let me go them anytime and take people but anyway, back in the early 2000. Some talking 2000 100,000 to 2003 when Yasser Arafat was still alive and he was stirring up trouble and getting people to you no more buses and and you know, set themselves often. All this, crazy will we went back in those years because I'm a partner lives right in Jerusalem and we were convinced that we could take the tour and we could avoid trouble spots and still give people greater element, which is what happened but it was in those years. I'm not sure which of those two or three years. It was, I think it was 2000 and more where we stopped in Rome on the way over.

As we were flying all Italia but while we were in Rome that one day the airport and in Tel Aviv shut down with a labor strike, the baggage handlers reduced work and so the airport shut down for that and so we can going that way.

So we had to fly to Cairo and then bus across Sinai and we came into the southern border of the country where the lot is where Taliban is in in Indonesia so all of the group is online there and get ready to go through passport control come in the country. But what they do the Israelis do not have and they have their own separate security procedure, not just TSA or the airline date you know. But they have their own that's run by their agents so they always want to talk to the group leader and so I came up, I am the group leader, my name you know she looked at my passport. She said what your name is your name. Psalm and I said that's right. She said well that's a Jewish name and residence right and as she said you're Jewish and I said yes I am. I'm Jewish, but I believe in Jesus. She looked at me should probably early 20s and she says your you're Jewish and your priest and I thought pass not worth the trouble. So I said yes I said yes I'm Jewish and I'm on the current project. Okay and she said what possible evidence could there be to support something like that who baby that that's the $64,000 question. I think you really want an answer. That's enough for second spotlight you know there was a huge line and so we sat down and I talked to about messianic prophecy and I told her about 1×10 100 zeros after it and she said you're going to Jerusalem and I said yes we are.

And she said you're not afraid and I said no I'm not, as I have eternal life. And I said I know I'm going to heaven when I die and and so what difference does it make where I want from if I wants to heaven from New York on March the heaven from Jerusalem. What difference does it make a launching pad, and she's looking at me like I was not competent.

Cannot anyway.

I told her all about the hundred zeros and everything are using the exact same strategies. The apostle Paul, proving to her. Jesus is the Messiah from the Old Testament and finally she said okay and she semi-passport it. I started walking away and she's called out to me and she said Rev. Solomon and I turned around and maybe eight or 10 feet from her. She said doesn't it ever occur to you that you need me just may be you might be wrong and I said ma'am when I have 1×10 with 100 zeros after it on my side. I can not be wrong.

Praise Lord. Amen. Praise the Lord… I can't be wrong and I am not wrong and if you believe in Jesus you are not wrong and so I gave her a Hebrew Bible and and I told her what I earmarked for these prophecies were and I told her the reason for herself. Man I don't know if she ever came to Christ but friends. I hope she did. We cannot be wrong. We can't with 1×10,000 hundred zeros. So I want to assure you today. Your plan to go to heaven is that you are trusting Jesus and what he did for you on the cross, shedding his blood to pay for your sins in the side of a holy God then you know what you're going to heaven and that is written in stone and will never change as you Brenner said in the movie the 10 Commandments, so let it be written, so let it be done and that's what God said when you came to Christ that you have eternal life. So let it be written in the halls of heaven, so let it be done. Let me also say that if you're trusting anything else to get you in the heaven. Your good works, your religious activity you're trying to be a nice person you're trying to keep the 10 Commandments. I don't care what it is. Friends is not going to work because the Jesus of 1×10 with 100 zeros said I am the way the truth and the life. No one here that no one John 14 6 pounds to the father except through me not to his good works. Not to minimize person not to his religious activities, not by 2010 Commandments.

To me, and personal faith in me and what I did on the cross while now. This is the empty empty lot going in there and figure it out, and this is what were gonna do again next week as we continue in our study of the gospel friends be confident in your faith be as sure as Peter said, we have not followed cleverly devised for all praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. This is no hopes. This is no gimmick. We trusted Christ, our sins are covered with the blood of Christ, and we are on our way to spend eternity with the living God. Maybe you don't get better now. The spring dear heavenly father, thank you so much for writing these prophecies in the Old Testament so that we could compare the life of our Savior, the Lord Jesus to them and be sure beyond the slightest doubt that he is who we claim to be and our faith in him will do what he says it will do, it will cover our sins in the side of a holy God, so that we can enter and spend eternity in heaven, Lord Jesus, I thank you for fulfilled prophecy and I pray that our faith is a result of talking about it today will be that much deeper that much stronger that much more secure that much more stable and trustworthy in our minds and our hearts and we love you Lord for giving us this empirical way to indeed be sure that this is not a stable is truth encourage our hearts today.

Lord, with this great truth and help us remember no matter what goes wrong this week. If we are trusting Christ for our salvation than something is right this week and that is the Lord Jesus Christ has forgiven us and we are his helpers, rejoicing that in Jesus name we pray.

A man hey – it is for being a part of my Woodlawn and Lord willing and the creek don't rise. See you