His Arrival Foretold
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· 10 viewsGod's prophets spoke of the Messiah's coming for centuries before His birth.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
VIDEO: Old Testament Prophecies of Jesus [clip 1:39-3:18]
Last week we launched out into our new series for this coming year called “CHRISTOS”, which is the English pronunciation of the Greek word for “CHRIST”. Our plan is to spend this next year diving deeper into the story of Jesus to see how we might better apply what we can learn from His story. We began last week by “re-introducing” ourselves to Jesus from the Gospel of John where he calls Jesus the “Word” and the “Light” and we look at credible testimony that showed Jesus to be God, our Creator and Savior.
John was the last of the Biblical authors to write about the story of Jesus but this morning we are going to look back at the first ones. These writers wrote about Jesus way before John, or even Matthew Mark or Luke. Hundreds of years before the eyewitnesses of Jesus wrote of His life, the prophets of the Old Testament did.
Tension
If you were with us last year we spent a great deal of time unpacking many of these Old Testament prophecies of “the anointed one” who was to come to rescue God’s people.
One of the advantages of this series on the life of Jesus being called “Christos” instead of “Jesus Christ” is that it helps us to remember that “Christ” was never Jesus’ last name. Too many people make this mistake. In fact, even non-believers will sometimes say something like “I don’t believe that Jesus Christ was anything more than a good teacher”…which shows that they don’t understand what “Christ” means because when we call Jesus, Jesus “Christ” we are not using his full name, we are proclaiming his role as “the anointed one” that God’s people have been waiting for ever since the beginning of time.
In the ancient Hebrew of the Old Testament the Word for “the anointed one” is מָשִׁיַח mashiyach, where we get the English word “Messiah”. But in the New Testament language of Koine Greek “annointed one” is “Christos”, which is where we get the English word “Christ”. So Messiah and Christ mean the same thing, and they are directed at the same person.
Last week, in our “re-introduction” to Jesus through John’s Gospel, we learned of the diversity of John’s original audience. How he wrote it to be shared with Jews and non-Jews…or Gentiles like most all of us. So because of his diversity of his audience, at different times John would sometimes clarify terms that the other Gospel writers didn’t feel needed clarifying for their primary audience. Twice in telling the story of Jesus, John made sure that his readers knew that when someone used the word “Messiah” here in the New Testament, they were talking about the “Christ”.
Early on in Chapter 1 when Jesus was beginning to call his disciples, it says of Andrew...
41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).
and later on in John’s telling of the the familiar story of Jesus and woman at the Well...
25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.”
So when we use the name “Jesus Christ”, we are talking about someone whose story reaches much further back than the New Testament. We are telling people that Jesus is the one that the prophets of God spoke of centuries before He was born here. And when you think about it, this may be one of the greatest miracles that Jesus ever performed.
So open your Bibles with me to the book of Isaiah chapter 9, page 573 in the Bibles in the chairs. I’ll pray and we will look back at how one of these prophets spoke of Jesus (the) Christ.
Truth
Well those of you who went through the Gospel Project with us are going to have an advantage here because our text this morning makes references to Old Testament events that we studied in that series. And these events play a significant role in our understanding what the Prophet was saying. In other words, to understand what the Prophet Isaiah is saying here, we have to have some understanding of when he was staying it.
So keep that in mind as we read these first two verses of Isaiah chapter 9:
1 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
Lots to unpack here, but it is easy to see our first theme for the week. That...
God promised to send Jesus as the Light in place of darkness (Isaiah 9:1-2)
God promised to send Jesus as the Light in place of darkness (Isaiah 9:1-2)
This idea of Jesus being the light was a theme that we looked at last week in the Gospel of John, and it is a theme that we find throughout the Old and New Testament, but let’s look at some of the specifics of Isaiah’s description.
At first glance, we can see that Isaiah has mentioned at least three different places in these verses:
1. The land of Zebulun
2. The land of Naphtali
3. Galilee of the Nations
If you have some familiarity with the Old Testament then you probably recognized the first two places as two of 12 tribes of Israel - but the the third place is more of a familiar New Testament reference isn’t it? And that plays a big role in how this prophecy bridges the gap between these “former times” and the upcoming “later times”.
So I have a map to see where the original tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun are found. You see how they are at the upper most part of the land of Canaan, and then I zoomed them out so we could see them up close.
At the time of Isaiah’s prophecy, the Assyrian Empire had successfully conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel and dragged off many of its inhabitants off into captivity. The people of the area had been defeated, they were in “anguish”, yet through Isaiah, God was trying to bring them some level of hope as he points forward to a time when God will make “glorious” this very area. How would that happen? What would that look like? It happened some 700 years later when Jesus...
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
The next slide shows an overlay of the region of Galilee as it was in Jesus’ day.
You see Jesus was known as one who lived and ministered primarily in the region of Galilee. His family was from Nazareth, a city of Galilee. His disciples all hailed from that region of Galilee. Those disciples who were fishermen, fished the sea of Galilee. His calming the storm…was on that same sea - Galilee. And so forth and so on. When looking at the whole of Jesus’ life, if it didn’t happen down in Jerusalem, it probably happened in this region of Galilee.
700 years before Jesus walked the earth, Isaiah says that this very land that now sits in heavy darkness will one day be known for the brightest light.
God promised to send Jesus as the light in place of darkness (Isaiah 9:1-2)
God promised to send Jesus as the light in place of darkness (Isaiah 9:1-2)
Secondly...
God promised Jesus would bring freedom in place of slavery (Isaiah 9:3-5)
God promised Jesus would bring freedom in place of slavery (Isaiah 9:3-5)
Remember that Isaiah is prophesying about future events here, because the people who first heard his message are now a conquered people. They just watched the Assyrian army drag half of their people off in chains. So Isaiah is offering hope to God’s people, that this new thing is just a now thing. It is not the end of the story. There will come a day when all of this will be reversed...
3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
Do you see the reversal?
Half of their population was just dragged away in chains, but Isaiah says God will multipy the nation.
Their enemies are right now dividing up their stuff as the “spoil”, but Isaiah says God will bring the joy of prosperity and victory back to His people.
4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.
As an example of how God has done this reversal thing in the past, Isaiah speaks of the day of Midian. This story is found in the book of Judges, chapter 6 and 7 when it says that
1 The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years.
How did the Midianites overpower God’s people? The Lord allowed it in his judgement, and it was another bleak time in the history of God’s people…until God raised up a simple farmer named Gideon to lead an army of only 300 men against impossible odds to free them from their oppressors. Maybe you remember that story, certainly the Israelites in Isaiah’s day did.
God pointed his people to that story as an example of how God can lead his people into a season of judgment, even as He already has plans to redeem them from that oppression through a particular leader.
But this future deliverer will be much better than anything God did through Gideon. The peace that God brought through Gideon only lasted for a short time - obviously - because here they are again being oppressed by a different nation. Isaiah is prophesying about a salvation that is much greater, because he is prophesying about a savior who is much greater.
This brings us to our third theme for the week...
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
You probably recognize this as a familiar Christmas verse, as well it should be, but don’t miss the King and Kingdom language being used here. The throne of the king is passed only to the next in line, usually the firstborn son.
Have you ever stopped to reflect on the progression that is offered here? Imagine yourself as a part of an ancient Kingdom that had an established monarchy that has gone on for generations. This will take some effort for most of us because we are so used to being able to vote for the leaders of our nation - but imagine that you had never heard of something called a democracy and so you willingly accepted the authority of the royal line of the monarchy.
You would have an invested interest in the birth of a new monarch, wouldn’t you? Just like we all have an invested interest in who is going to elected President in our country right now. That is what those words “to us” mean. That little baby would not just be born to his parents, but to everyone in the Kingdom. He would born King.
And so the question that we would have is “What kind of King will he be?” What would he be called? Not what name will his parent’s give him, but what name will He earn from his display of character, values and service?
His name shall be called:
Wonderful Counselor - Someone with extraordinary Wisdom, who will lead the people to the benefit of every on of His faithful subjects.
Mighty God - Someone with divine power, able to accomplish everything His Wisdom deems necessary in order to lead his people well
Everlasting Father - This new King will be like a Father to his entire Kingdom, leading with balanced compassion and correction. Someone who is always willing and able to be there for his children.
Prince of Peace - Someone whose reign will be marked with purchased peace. It is the young men, the young princes that go out to sacrifice themselves in battle to establish the law and order that brings a kingdom peace.
This King who is to come is nothing like any other King this world has ever known, and there is more...
In Isaiah’s day, the king on the throne of David was a very wicked King named Ahaz. No one thought that this prophecy could be about him. But his son Hezekiah was one of the few good kings after David, so that some Jewish scholars postulate that maybe these verses are about him.
The problem is that while Hezekiah started out really strong, like every other earthly King he eventually failed miserably. So much so that God sent Isaiah to rebuke him and declare the destruction of the Southern Kingdom of Judah as well. Hardly anything that could be described as an “increase of peace that has no end.”
Isaiah’s prophetic description of this coming King would not fit any human king. Even among the few good Kings in Isreal’s history they all had a fatal flaw that eventually brought an end to their reign. So Isaiah must have been talking about another King. A better King. But still one who will sit on the throne of David, just like God promised in 2 Samuel when he told David:
16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”
And it was…through Jesus.
Do you know that beginning part of the Gospels that everyone just skips over? The Genealogy where it says that “so and so” is the father of “so and so” who is the father of “so and so” and on and on. The point of including that part of Jesus’ story is that it shows us how Jesus’ genealogy can be traced back to the royal line of David - from both Joseph and Mary’s side! In his humaness, Jesus was a direct descendent of King David - just as God had promised the Messiah would be. God always keeps His promises.
And so Jesus is, just as we read last week in 1 Timothy,
“...the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. 1 Tim 6:15-16
Isaiah announced God’s promise that He would send a King who would bring light and salvation to the world forever. God was specific about this King’s life and purpose. That Jesus could fulfill even a few of these specific prophecies by accident is mathematically impossible. That He fulfilled all these and so many others should be a bedrock foundation for our faith in Him.
Gospel Application
These prophecies of Isaiah and so many others are evidence that Jesus was who he said he was, and yet some people will still refuse to believe…even if the evidence is standing right there in front of them.
Even Jesus said that these prophecies were about Him:
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
To those who knew these prophecies and yet refused to believe he said:
39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
Even after he raised from the dead he met two men on the road to Emmaus...
27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
All of this evidence that God has provided, even the teaching of Jesus and yet some still refuse to believe.
About three years ago a movie came out based on the bestseller book “A Case for Christ”. It was the coming to faith story of Lee Strobel and this is what he says:
Well for most of my life I was an atheist. I thought the idea of an all loving, all powerful creator of the universe..was stupid. My background is in journalism and law. I tend to be a skeptical person. I was the legal editor of the Chicago Tribune so I needed evidence before I would believe anything.
One day my wife came up to me, she had been agnostic and after a period of spiritual investigation, she decided to become a follower of Jesus Christ. And I thought this was the worst possible news I could get! I thought she was going to become some repressed prude who would be spending all her time serving the poor in skid row somewhere…I thought this was the end of our marriage.
But in the ensuing months I saw positive changes in her values, in her character, in the way she related to me and the children. It was winsome and attractive and it made me want to check things out. So..
I went to church, mainly to try and get her out of this cult she was involved in…but I heard the message of Jesus for the first time in a way that I could understand it. That forgiveness is a free gift and that Jesus Christ died for our sins that we might spend eternity with him.
And I walked out saying…If this is true, this has huge implications for my life.
And so he used his skills as an investigative journalist to prove that Jesus was not who He said he was - only to find himself eternally convinced that He was.
Landing
The thing that strikes me about Lee’s story is that even though the evidence was always there, it was the testimony of his wife that drove him to look for it. Not necessarily the words that she spoke, but the changes in the life that she lived. She was transformed by her new life in Christ, and it showed.
Against the darkness that Lee was living in, his wife’s new life in Christ shone brightly.
Maybe you will never be in a situation where pointing to these ancient prophecies about Jesus would be helpful in trying to convince someone that Jesus is who He says He is. But seeing how following Jesus has changed your life sure could. The question is, has your faith in Jesus gradually changed your life? Or are you living your life with the same character, values and daily decisions of those who don’t know Jesus as the Christ?
Because if that is true, then maybe you are the one that Jesus is still trying to reach with the power of His story is you.
Let’s pray into that together...