Christmas Prophecies

When the people question the reliability and authenticity of the Bible. One way of responding. Nothing about a good way is to explain the fulfilled prophecies of the Bible hundreds of years before the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Prophecies were made in the Old Testament Scriptures regarding his birth, his life, his death, his burial and his resurrection on every single prophecy.

Yes every single prophecy in the Old Testament Scriptures regarding the first coming of our Lord Jesus Christ had been perfectly fulfilled recently when some of us were in Israel. We visited Qumran for the Dead Sea Scrolls were found almost 700 almost pictures me almost 70 years ago I Qumran that was a literal treasure trove of ancient manuscripts about 1/3 of them being a manuscripts of the Old Testament writings here writings which scholars all acknowledge when written before the birth of Jesus Christ. These manuscripts would find were probably written about 100 or 150 or 200 years before the birth of our Savior dealing, of course, with prophecies made hundreds of years before that. But here were prophecies finding Scriptures written before the birth of Jesus and yet every single prophecy regarding Jesus was perfectly and fully fulfilled in the person we celebrated Christmas, our Lord Jesus Christ. I think this magnificent doesn't it. In the New Testament. The apostle Paul writes and when the fullness of time. But, God sent forth his son, born of woman, born under the law. That is the coming of Jesus into this world.

The eternal God becoming incarnate coming into time and space was no accident but was in accordance with the eternal purposes of God. That's mine blowing his from all of eternity out great God out all wise God our loving God had planned this brilliant way of salvation. The only remedy for sinners like you and me, prophesied in the Old Testament Scriptures written about in the New Testament and fulfilled in these prophecies a minute: the Christmas prophecies regarding our Savior. I want you to turn with me in your Bible to the first book Genesis and chapters 3 and we will look at a rather cryptic prophecy, but a very important one. The regarding the coming of the Messiah of holiday prophecy of promised seed of prophecy of promised offspring frontier in Genesis 3 verse 15, the Lord God is speaking to the serpent, listen to what he says. Read with me.

He says I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring, your seed and her seed, he shall bruise your heads and you shall bruise his heel. What amazing prophecy whether the contacts of Genesis 3, the context of Genesis 3 is about a great fall in a perfect garden, God designed the perfect garden in the garden of Eden for Adam and Eve who are perfect living in perfect fellowship with God. But no, in Genesis 3. They listen to the serpent, they disobey the command of the Lord, and to eat from a tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Look at Genesis 2 verse 17 for the Lord God says to this couple of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat for the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

That is good and there is evil they choose evil and because of their disobedience because of them disobeying this clear commandment of God.

Sin and death come into our world writing in the New Testament, in Romans five verse 1212, Paul is going to write and say that as by one man, that's Adam sin entered into the world and so death by sin, and so death has passed upon all men, because all have sinned, that is all have sinned in Adam. Adam and Eve like us. They want to live independently of God. They wanted to set their own agenda.

They want to make themselves. Can you understand the utmost pride of it. They want to make themselves at the very center of the universe rather than God who created it and who created them prior to the fall.

They enjoyed perfect fellowship with God and with one another can imagine having a perfect marriage is what Adam and Eve had before the fall.

After the fall. They are alienated from God. After the fall. Tension disagreements arguments come into their relationship. Send into old relationships.

Once they have sinned they hide from God the pointer finger at one another and we been doing that ever since heavenly.

It wasn't my fault list what Adam says to God in chapter 3 verse 12 when God says, have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat. The man said the woman who whom you gave to be with me. She gave me fruit of the tree and I ate all come on Adam, you're a real wimp furniture.

Though this is really saying to God daily life was flying.

I was living in this perfect garden on the perfect fellowship with with with you and now you bring this woman to me and she's the one who gave me the fruit. So in a sense is really your fault.

God is really the fault of the woman is not what we say or if you knew the background I came from, you would understand why I do these things. This person influenced me.

What does Eve do. She says the sentiment deceived me, and I hate the blaming others difficult for them to take personal responsibility of their own action prior to the fall. There is great joy and fellowship.

Now after the fall, as all of us know that it's heartache in life there sweats. The Spain yes and there's that. But that's not the end of the story is in Genesis 3.

Here is a Christmas promise in the midst of sin in the midst of darkness in the midst of that discipline agent on embryonic ray of light shines. Genesis 3 verse 15. This verse is sometimes called the proto-evangelion that is the first preaching of the gospel because here in Genesis 3 verse 15 in the middle of the darkness that shines this brilliant gray of promise. Yes, there will be conflict conflict between the serpent and the woman between his seed and her seed between his offspring and her offspring.

There will be enmity but there's also promise there is a declaration of effect of a perpetual struggle between good and evil you know about that, don't you and your own heart. We know that is really kites at a world where there is the United States with original overseas. We live in a world where there is conflict between good and evil, between the forces of Satan and the people of faith that is this conflict throughout the history of redemption as we know in our Bibles. Satan constantly opposes God. He constantly opposes the people of God. You remember in Egypt in the opening chapter of Exodus Pharaoh that cruel king of Egypt.

He wants to kill all of the little baby Hebrew boys, but in the providence of God. Moses is miraculously spared when the Lord Jesus is born as a baby in Bethlehem there is another wicked king King Herod.

Herod the great and he hears of the birth of this little baby who is come to be the king of the Jews and what does he do, he sends an edict so that every little boy two years old and under his killed Satan himself is trying to eliminate the seed of the woman he's trying to eliminate the royal seats and this Christmas promise we could. Genesis 3 verse 15 in your Bible is that the offspring of the woman will bruise the sentence on the head and the serpent will bruise the seed of the woman on the hill, who's the offspring of the woman in this rather cryptic prophecy, it is of course a reference to our Lord Jesus Christ, the one that we were just singing about that he is the Messiah. Paul right again. Galatians 3 makes it very clear that the seed the offspring is our Lord Jesus Christ, so that is coming a deliver deliver that is coming up Victoire that is someone who is going to come, who's going to defeat the enemy.

He's going to bruise the serpent. The bruising of the heel of the woman's offspring is referring of course to the violent death of our Savior on the cross. He's going to bruise the heel of the offspring of the woman. Yes, the forces of evil, the forces of hell itself. Satan's offspring puts our Savior on the tree yet. Please grasp this in bruising the hill. The serpent will be bruised on the head. Here is a tremendous Christmas prophecy.

The Messiah is going to come and when the Messiah comes, he's going to deliver the deathblow to Satan. That is the seed of the woman. The Messiah is victorious over Satan himself is not what happened.

It's true, our Savior's put on the tree.

He rises from the dead and Paul writes in Romans 16 verse 20 the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

So while our Savior is bruise Satan is crushed and ultimately will be cast into the lake of fire as we know from Revelation 20. The apostle John, I think says it brilliantly in first John three verse 18. He says this son of God appeared for this purpose. I would how would you and how would you conclude that sentence, the son of God, that is, Jesus appeared for this purpose. What was the purpose of our Lord Jesus coming into this world. John tells her, the son of God appeared for this purpose, that he might destroy the works of the devil and the magnificent that when our Savior comes one of his primary purposes is to destroy the works of the devil. So, here in Genesis 3 verse 15 in the middle of disaster in the middle of the fall in the middle of the death itself. Here is a Christmas prophecy, pointing to redemption master.

How do you do with the forces of evil in your own life. How do you deal personally with the struggle between good and evil the good things you want to do and yet the something within you, doesn't want to under four cents within your Bible because of the flasher of the sin nature, the world itself that once the draw as down and wants to defeat us. What is the answer to that self effort, a good education, money, good friends, family, they don't deal with a heart doing it's only our mighty Savior, who is able to conquer the evil of your own heart.

Was mentioned that I was seeing my mother last two days in Scotland.

She's 91 years old and when I was visiting her. Of course I was thinking about this about this passage and other acute here. Here is my mother, 91, give birth to six boys of which I was number two dementia has come into oblivion. Some arthritis in her and her body so she's got to use a walker. She's a bit stupid. Although there is dementia. It's not complete able to talk in the moment for a little bit and then go back to who knows what she was sharp enough when she was speaking to myself and with my brothers to find time that when I was a wee boy was very difficult to bring up and I thought mom please be nice to Mama past that I do good things for their shares in their weakness, and the people looked at her from a worldly aspect.

You would say here is a very weak person brain which function so well throughout the majority of our life. Her beautiful personality that is muted somewhat because of the disease that is entered her life. She suffers from arthritis and when one could say while her life is just about over and that that's a cheap chair the good life. After all, she's 91 but life is coming to end, to the end and I thought of this verse and I thought our Lord Jesus Christ is so powerful and is so victorious that only he can deal with the disease of dementia.

Only he can deal with death itself because our Lord Jesus Christ came and is victorious over sin and death and darkness and disease, and separation in all of the horror of death itself because our Savior came as John said to destroy the works of the devil you know anyone else who can deal with that. Is there anyone else in the universe who can conquer death. Is there anyone in the universe who can get the victory over a disease which takes a vital person and reduces them to someone who has difficulty functioning in life. This is what our Lord Jesus Christ has done this is why we believe that he is the only way of salvation. He's the only one who gives us the victory over sin in our life who not only forgives our sin, but transforms us as he indwells as and even in the frailty of life as you look at the loved one is you look at yourself and you see the disease in the devastation of sin in our loved one, and in a sense it's horrible to see you and yet we look beyond that, to a far better and brighter world as our Savior comes to destroy the works of the devil you get that and would you grasp that as you live your life no was another one.

I want to mention, and in a sense it's anticipated in Genesis 3 verse 15 it's a prophecy of a virgin birth will determine your Bible to Isaiah chapter 7 Isaiah chapter 7 verse 14. By the middle of your Bible. Isaiah 7 verse 14.

No, here is the Old Testament prophet, writing 700 years before the event.

Notice what he says. Therefore, Isaiah 714 therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign over to the be the sign will hold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuelle was a prophecy fulfilled absolutely turned to the first book of the New Testament, Matthew Matthew chapter 1 Matthew one verse 18 the Old Testament Scripture 700 years before the event an incredible prophecy that a virgin is going to conceive Matthew one verse 18 the birth of Jesus the Christ, the Messiah took place in this way I when his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame resolved to divorce her quietly but as he considered these things will hold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in the dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the holy spirit together, she shall bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. This is the seed. This is the offspring of the woman prophesied in in Genesis 315 your call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet but hold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuelle, which means being translated as God with us. The sign promised 700 years ago an incredible prophecy and unbelievable prophecy 700 years before the birth of Jesus is now appearing something which is humanly impossible is taking place.

This Genesis 1 than is the fulfillment of a prophecy, a Christmas prophecy.

Genesis 315 is what I had refers to the seed of the offspring of the woman not the seed of the man. Please understand that it is the seed of the woman. It is the offspring of the woman not the offspring of the man they delivered her this one who's going to come and who's going to crush Satan this one who's going to come and is going to destroy Satan and death itself is going to come from the seed of the woman and I'm sure it is the old testament readers had that prophecy that would think now how is that going to happen no Isaiah says I'll tell you how is going to happen. A virgin shall conceive and shall bear a son, so in this way. Genesis 315 is anticipating the virgin birth.

Isaiah is prophesying that the deliverance the deliverer will come from a virgin virgin is going to bear a son and no ordinary son Emmanuelle caught to get this to grasp that this is what Christmas is about God with us. God is at work. God son enters this world in a unique way he enters through a door marked no entrance of virgin shall conceive us on a unique birth. Yes, we believe in the supernatural.

We believe that God can do the impossible. That gives you and me. Hope doesn't not give me great hope is a look at my father and thinking this is not the end for all of eternity saved by the grace of God that you came to Christ as a 17 or 18-year-old for all of eternity. She will have a perfected body and be forever with the Lord, along with all of the redeemed of course.

We believe in a supernatural God. Of course we believe that God can do that which from a human perspective is totally impossible. That is, help for us is coming from outside of ourselves understand that that salvation comes not from within us as mysticism mas Buddhism, Matthew age that the answer to your problems is all fine within your not at all. The Christian gospel is that the answer comes from outside of you. This is illustrated in the virgin conceiving. Remember, what happens you can read about it in Luke chapter 1, when the angel comes to Mary and Sais to her you're going to conceive Jesus. How can this be, I'm a virgin.

This teenage girl was beautiful young woman this thing up to the jury here. You got it wrong.

How could that be a virgin. What does the answer come to her. The Holy Spirit shall come upon you and the power of the highest shall overshadow you therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called son of God for nothing. Nothing will be impossible with God were powerless to deal with their own failures and difficulties we need help from God's by ourselves, we can produce a Savior. I can't possibly save you. I can't save myself no human solutions will not work. God gives us the sign a miraculous sign. The sign of a virgin conceiving, reminding us that help comes from outside of ourselves and that the entrance of God son into this world as God incarnate, is entirely unique, virgin shall conceive Christmas prophecy fulfilled perfectly as we read in Matthew chapter 1. No notice no new person comes into existence at the conception of Jesus, the pre-existing son of God, the eternal God, the eternal God the son takes something new flash and blood, he becomes one of us. John writes the word becomes flesh and dwells with us, he becomes flashlight costs. Therefore, he is human. He's also different from us. Namely, he is God. Mark says in Mark chapter 1 verse one regarding Jesus. He's the son of God, and then he says in Mark six verse three. He's the son of Mary and the son of God be the son of Mary because he is perfectly and fully man and is perfectly and fully God, he is unique does not take does not inherit Adam's sin, because he is conceived of the Holy Spirit without a trace of Adam's sin as man unique in origin. All fair without all. Within our blessed Lord, he is unique but is none like him, nor will there ever be anyone like our Savior. And this Christmas prophecy of the virgin birth perfectly fulfilled in Jesus Christ points to and illustrates God's pure grace in action. God takes the initiative. It is Jesus who saves us from our sins, he comes on this rescue mission. This reminds us cannot personalize it to you and to me.

This reminds us that each one of us must experience the new birth. Each one of us need help from God we have sin would come shortened week. We need a Savior, one who comes to us, who identifies with us, who, in a sense is a lie because being truly human, and yet he's different from us because he is sin. Last, but he takes your sin on himself and dies on the cross for you and if you will trust him build America forgive you your sin, and he will and to have because God can do the impossible. We sang the holy Child of Bethlehem to send to us. We pray we pray this with me cast out all sin and entered in be born in us today we hear the Christmas angel. The great glad tidings telecom to us abide with us, our Lord, Emmanuelle. There's 1/3 one. Look at very quickly, as a prophecy of the promised offspring. There's the prophecy of the virgin birth, and there's a prophecy of the birth in Bethlehem turned to Micah 5 verse two. Towards the end of the Old Testament to begin fine Jonah. After Jonah is Micah Micah chapter 5.

Here's the prophecy that the Messiah is going to be born in Bethlehem. Amazing 700 years before the events this man Micah writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is saying that when the Messiah comes, is going to be born in the little time of Bethlehem. Micah 5 verse two, but you will Bethlehem FSR who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, for you shall come forth. Sorry from you shall come forth to me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days reading from the ESV set of ancient days, perhaps more literally from the days of eternity. Messiah was prophesied then to come out of a rather insignificant village of all of the thousands of little villages and towns scattered throughout Israel Messiah, the ruler, the king is going to come from the village of Bethlehem. Nothing special but battling the time of Jesus. One village, whatever that wasn't yet the ruler of the Messiah is going to be born in Bethlehem, not Jerusalem the capital, not Tiburon with all of its history, not Beersheba but Bethlehem.

The house of bread.

You know your Bible you know that Beth limit credit history dented one of the patriarchs wives Rachel Jacobs wife is buried in Bethlehem, Ruth the Moabitess present-day Jardin we we drove through more recently when were in Israel and Jordan Ruth the Moabitess, the Gentile is going to come with her mother-in-law and they're going to Germany over the river Jordan into what we call today.

Present-day Israel to a little tiring quite close to the U. Jerusalem Beth limit there she meets boys and there they fall in love and she has a child who has a child and so her great grandson, Israel's greatest king David himself is going to be born in Bethel and that's why Beth limit, sometimes called the city of David, and we know that David left his hometown. There was one occasion when he was fighting far away from home and express a wish to some of these men that he would love a drink from the well of Bethel and when I go home I had guessed I was some you think it's terrible equivalent to David drinking water from Bethlehem I like haggis from Scotland to Munich and you've no idea what haggis is okay, listen, there's a big world out there think of something nasty and you've got it right to be born.

Nothing with Scottish DNA to really and enjoy it. This is really good if you want to dine with whiskey, but I've never tried that. I want to say here is David you know what it is.

If you're away from your home time you like things about your home time and David wanted the water from Bethlehem. And these mighty men running him. These men who love David who were loyal to David. They take their life in their hands and they break through the enemy lying on the go to Bethlehem and the that beautiful water from the spring of Beth women presented to the lurking with his David do.

He posted notes as a drink offering is an act of worship to the Lord is Bethlehem has a great history here is Micah prophesying that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem fulfilled turn back to Matthew looked at Matthew one Matthew two, Matthew two, verse five. By the way, come tonight the wisemen that you are reading about here in Matthew two are going to be present.

If you come, you'll see the wisemen will be here in your whole family have a great night of worship. I'm going to interview the wisemen of a lot of questions about them that they're going to be answered by them and there will be a great time of worship will like the Christmas tree and that have a great evening that notices Matthew to verse five they told him question is where is the Christ to be born. Where's the Messiah to be born.

They told him in Bethlehem of Judea for so it is written by the prophet. Incidentally, the good it would buy there is Dia through the prophet, the prophet is writing under the inspiration of of the spirit of God and use verse 60 Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.

Yes, the Messiah was prophesied he was going to be born in Bethlehem.

And indeed he was now David's greatest son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the son of David when he is born.

He's born in this little time of Bethel and he's born. As we read here in verse six is born a ruler is born a shepherd. The wisemen recognize that he is the king, the ruler of the Messiah, the shepherd, the king not only the king of the Jews. But the King of Kings and Lord of lords.

When he comes in his incarnation of all of the places where he could be born in fulfillment of Micah's profit written 700 years ago is born in Bethlehem in the Scriptures. Marvelous cousin that reassured us of the truth, and the authenticity of the Old Testament Scripture and the Messiah comes as the Angels tell the shepherd in Luke chapter 2 that he comes to be the Savior we could look at other prophecies prophecies of Isaiah that when the Savior comes yes as Genesis 315 predicted he Messiah is going to be bruised is going to be wounded but he's doing that as the sin bearer he's entering into death itself so that we may live forever Messiah comes, bringing salvation and redemption, God is always faithful to his promises side vents on the then we reflect on these Christmas prophecies hundreds of years before the event the deliverer of the Redeemer, the Messiah, the King's promise and he comes, as predicted, born of a virgin born and Beth went on to die as the sinless Savior of the world is the central person of all of human history. The central person of eternity itself, fulfilling all of the Old Testament prophecies perfectly and fully in himself. Therefore, will you trust. There's no other way. There's no other way for you to have victory over this battle between good and evil. There's no other way in which you can defeat death itself. Sin comes into is all so that all have died. That is the message of the Bible, but that's the message of human experience were all getting old.

We all will die, but no into that darkness into a world of disease and chaos and conflict and enmity and dad are perfect Savior comes in this unique way to be your savior in my were going to break bread. What's the that all about.

Why did the Lord Jesus tell us to do this so that we would remember that he comes to destroy the works of the devil, and he destroys the work of the devil by himself going into that taking on the devil and conquering him, giving his life symbolized by the breaking of the bread symbolized by the pouring of the coppers. We think that his blood was shed so that we hear today Boys and Girls Club men and women can humbly bow and acknowledge him as Savior is Lord we do that and remember that our Savior comes to destroy the works of the devil becomes demonstrating that he is the God of the impossible and he demonstrates that he is always faithful to his promises. Therefore trust him. I'm going to give all of our sister a moment or two to make a response before we break bread, you know, this feast of communion is for those who been born again of those who have personally received Christ. So if you're a follower of Christ and seeking in God's grace to live through his glory. We invite you to partake. Whether or not you're a member of Calvary church of your member of the family of God. We invite you if you don't know Christ.

If you're here and you're not sure when you open your heart to the Savior and trust. He says believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Scripture is that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have ever lasting life. Put your trust in Christ. Father God quite in their hearts. We thank you for the magnificence of our Savior, we thank you for his loveliness. There is none like him, nor will there ever be anyone like him is the Lord of glory. We thank you for the fulfillment of the Scriptures we thank you for the holy texts of Scripture. This inspired and inerrant word of God which points us to the Savior and speaks of our Savior, their hearts be warmed.

Father may return from the evil in the sin in their life and the brace the Savior come into our hearts summer not yet saved some of never being born again maybe trust the Savior.

Others here are following Christ. But send this come into the lives maybe come from that meeting. Repent and understand the blood of Jesus your son cleanses us from all sin. We thank you that our Savior crushed and defeated out enemy. He destroyed the works of the enemy. We thank you that he's alive, the great glorious old sovereign Savior help us know as we break bread with a love for Christ may increase. We ask it in his name