The Fulfilled Promise
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Promises can be a great thing and other times they can be less than great. Have you ever promised someone something that you didn’t expect to have to fulfill? Maybe you can relate with me as a parent.
It was a cool morning when we woke up the other day and one that I knew would not make it to 75 degrees. We had just put a pool up in the yard and the kids wanted to swim. As a guy that hates being in cold water I knew that I could not go swimming this day and that I probably should not let my kids swim in this water either. So like any great parent I told my kids that we had a few things to do including going to Walmart and if they could go the whole day without arguing or getting in trouble we would go swimming when we got back. I knew I won this round, there was no way they would last through Walmart without arguing or getting in trouble. We got in the store and I was readily watching for them to mess this thing up. As we got halfway through with our shipping I began to worry. How was this possible that my kids were not already in time out. How was it possible that someone was not in a headlock or crying from a black eye. So just like the rest of you I began to realize what my afternoon was looking like. As any great parent would do instead of conceding defeat I began to play the field. You might be saying that this is not fair and it is not right and you would be correct but my body was not going to touch that 55 degree water! I told Hunter that Aubrey called him a name. I told Aubrey to go hide in the kids clothing section, I told Cam and Rylan that mom said they could not have ice cream. I sat back and waited for the chaos to ensue but sadly it did not happen. My kids looked at each other and without saying a word you could see the pact formed and they understood the fate they would deliver to their dear ole dad. at 5:30 PM I slid into the pool and begged the kids not to splash or jump in and they did both of these. I was shivering so bad it looked like we installed a wave maker in the pool.
While our promises are made and sometimes not followed through on or the hope is that we will not have to fulfill our promises God never makes a promise that he does not intend to fulfill. Today we will see the fulfilled promises that were delivered through Christ. First, The Promise of a Messiah. Second, The Promise of Sins Defeat. Third, The Promise of a Future. Gods promises are never void and will always be fulfilled. Today we will be in the book of Matthew. Matthew 1:18-24
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a 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. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,
Many sermons today will focus on the death of Jesus as the saving grace and they are correct. However the death of Jesus could not have happened unless Jesus first lived.
The Promise of a Messiah
The Promise of a Messiah
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).
The Messiah was the most important promise that God gave His children. The Children of Israel had spent their existence with horrible leader after horrible leader. The history of the Israelites shows us that each king was worse than the last and the continued sin and corruption led the Israelites into captivity every time. This started with their desire to be just like every other worldly nations.
20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
The Israelites started a path and desired that God no longer be their leader. Because of this God instilled a plan that one day they would be given a leader that would deliver them for eternity. Jesus would be the Messiah the one leader that would deliver the Jews from captivity.
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
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.
On the day Jesus died on the Cross he Fulfilled the prophecy to be the ruler the Jews never knew they would need. You see the Jews thought they needed a ruler that would come in and destroy their captors. The Jews were looking for a King that would overthrow their oppressors. Jesus came in and became their king spiritually and would deliver them from the grips of sin. Have you ever gotten something you never knew you needed?
I remember it like it was yesterday. My Brother and I as twins share a birthday. It also aligns with the beginning of summer. I remember one year as we prepared for school to be out we were in middle school. For our birthday our parents got us a bunch of gifts. We were so excited to get home from school and open our gifts. As we begin with the biggest gift we find it is a suitcase. As kids we were not so excited about this. We moved on to our next present and it was a camera. This was pretty cool but not quite what we were looking for. Moving from there we were given socks, underwear, a travel size kit of toiletries. At this point we are a little deflated we wanted something else. Little did we know that our parents not only got us all of these things but they also paid for us to go on a summer trip with the youth group our first trip away from home ever. All the gifts we got didn’t make sense until we found out that there was a destination behind the gifts.
Jesus was the fulfillment of the promised Messiah for the Jews. Jesus was the gift the Jews and the World didn't know they needed. Jesus would provide the Defeat of Sin and provide a destination that no works would get any of us too. Jesus was the promised Messiah but He was also the Promise of Sins defeat.
Promise of Sins Defeat
Promise of Sins Defeat
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Jesus was promised as one that would save His people from their sins. Jesus was not just a good prophet or a great speaker. Jesus was the man through which God would save the world from sin. Jesus would be the ultimate spotless lamb and would finally crus the devils plans.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
In Genesis we are presented with the first Messianic prophecy delivered by God Himself to the Devil. We are given the key to understanding that God had a plan from the beginning to deliver His people. We would not be left to pay the consequences of our sins without hope for deliverance. God informed Satan of his defeat and informed us of our hope.
18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
Isaiah presents us with a view from the old testament about how God would use the shed blood of Jesus to cover the sins of the world. It would be Jesus blood that covers our sins and makes us whole.
25 “I, I am he
who blots out your transgressions for my own sake,
and I will not remember your sins.
7 let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
The worlds bully finally met his fate. The bully was conquered.
A boy who was on vacation at the beach and built a beautiful sand castle. A bully came by and kicked the castle down, laughing at the boy's screams.
The next day, the boy found a concrete block and built the castle on the rock. He left the beach that day laughing at the bully's screams as his destructive ways met an constructable force.
This is the best picture I can get in my head about how God dealt with Satan. For centuries Satan kicked the sand castles over and laughed and ran around with no consequences. Then Jesus stepped on the scene. Satan knew he was in trouble when Jesus passed his testing in the dessert. Satan set in mind then to ensure Jesus was killed not understanding that doing so would seal his own fate. Jesus was the promised defeat of sin.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
The bully can no longer kick your sand castle down! He has been defeated and God built a concrete brick for him to kick and Satan kicked it thinking he would win and found out his demise is sealed. There is no victory for sin and for Satan and in doing so there is no victory in death for Satan because God has delivered through Christ the Promise of a Future.
Promise of a Future
Promise of a Future
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
Jesus was the fulfilled Messiah, the defeater of Sin, but also the provider of a future. Because of Jesus work on the Cross and His Resurrection which we celebrate today we have a future that we did not earn, a future we do not deserve.
2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
Jesus provided a a future and He will be there waiting for us.
The doctor did not think the dying daughter would hear when he said to the mother, "Poor child; she has seen her best days." But she heard him and said, "No, Doctor, I haven’t seen my best days; my best days are still to come when I shall see the King in His glory."
We have been given a future through Jesus. There are those who would say we have been given a hope for a future but in God there is no hoping of the things He says He will give you just a waiting period until you receive it. Thank God for this wonderful weekend we celebrate our Christ and His life and His Death on. Thank God that Jesus was the Promised Messiah, the Promised Defeater of Sin, and the Promised Provider of our Future.