The Christmas
Story Foretold
One of the most fascinating proofs for the inspiration
of the Bible, are the many fulfilled prophecies which have their fulfillment in
the person and life of Christ. We have in Scripture, hundreds of prophecies
which extend over hundreds of years and yet their fulfillment takes place in
the short thirty-year life span of Christ - many being fulfilled in one day –
The first Christmas. No other person
could have nor will fulfill the prophecies of the Messiah in the Old Testament.
Look at the way Matthew and John pointed these out:
John 20:31 “But
these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
Matthew.
26:56 “But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be
fulfilled….”
And
from Christ’s own Words:
Luke 24:25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow
of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
Luke 24:26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these
things, and to enter into his glory?
Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the
prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning
himself.
Luke
24: 44
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was
yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law
of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
I. We See Christ Will Be the “Seed of the Woman”
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and
the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and
thou shalt bruise his heel.
Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was
come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
A. Christmas is
prophecy fulfilled to the letter - Something God told way in advance.
1. It was the
prophecy fulfilled from the time of Adam and Eve
2. Right after
they sinned the promise came in Genesis 3:15.
a. One from their line would come and would crush Satan
b. Satan - the one who tempted them into sin.
B. Certainly Adam
and Eve did not completely understand what was spoken
1. I'm sure they must have wondered each time they had a child if he would be the One.
2. This assurance was the blessed hope of redemption.
3. Each time a great person through
II. We See Christ Will Be Born
Of A Virgin
Isaiah 7: 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give
you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his
name Immanuel.
Matthew 1:18 ¶
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was
espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the
Holy Ghost.
Luke 1:26 ¶ And
in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee,
named Nazareth,
Luke 1:27 To a
virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the
virgin’s name was Mary.
Luke 1:28 And the
angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord
is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
A. He was not to
come through both the man and woman.
1. The sign of a virgin woman conceiving promised in Genesis was later explained
2. Isaiah thousands of years later prophecied that the virgin will conceive.
B. It was almost
another thousand years after Isaiah for this to come to pass
1. Christ was born
2. Satan as the prophecy stated he would bruised his heel (his human nature).
3. By doing this he guaranteed his demise and Christ's victory.
C. What looked like
the ultimate defeat for God and Satan's triumph became Satan's defeat and God’s
triumph.
1. The eventual victory for the Seed of the woman
2. He crushes the head of the serpent – In a unique way the salvation of mankind was brought about by the death of Christ.
3. The serpent would slay Him but He would rise from the dead.
4. Jesus died purposely to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself
5. And to destroy him who had the power of death and sin - the devil.
III.
We See Christ Will Be of the “Seed of the Abraham”
Genesis 12:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee,
and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be
blessed.
Matthew 1: 1 ¶
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of
Abraham.
IV. We See Christ Will Be of the
“Seed of the Isaac”
Genesis 17:19 And
God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his
name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting
covenant, and with his seed after him.
Luke 3:34 Which
was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham,
which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor,
V. We See Christ Will Be of the “Seed of the Jacob”
Numbers 24:17 I
shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come
a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite
the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.
Matthew 1: 1 ¶ The book of the generation of Jesus
Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Matthew 1: 2
Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and
his brethren;
VI. We See Christ Will Be of the “Seed of the David”
Psalm 132: 11 ¶ The LORD hath sworn in truth unto
David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy
throne.
Jeremiah 23 5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD,
that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and
prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
Isaiah 9:7 Of the
increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of
David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and
with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will
perform this.
Acts 13:22 And when he had removed him, he raised up
unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I
have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall
fulfil all my will.
Acts 13:23 Of
this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour,
Jesus:
Luke 1: 32 He shall be great, and shall be called
the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his
father David:
Luke
VII.
We See Christ Will Be of the “Tribe of
Genesis 49:10 The
sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
until
Luke 3:33 Which
was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom,
which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda,
VIII. We See Christ Will Be Born In
Micah 5: 2
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands
of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in
Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Matthew 2:1 ¶ Now
when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king,
behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Luke 2:1 ¶ And it
came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus,
that all the world should be taxed.
Luke 2:2 (And this
taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of
Luke 2:3 And all
went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
Luke 2:4 And
Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea,
unto the city of David, which is called
Luke 2:5 To be
taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
Luke 2:6 And so
it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should
be delivered.
Luke 2:7 And she
brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid
him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
IX.
We See Christ Will Be Born At An Exact Predicted Date
Daniel 9:25 Know
therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to
restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven
weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the
wall, even in troublous times.
Luke 2:5 To be
taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
Luke 2:6 And so
it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should
be delivered.
Luke 2:7 And she
brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid
him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
X. We See Christ’s
Birth Preceded By Slaughtering of Innocent Israeli Children
Jeremiah
31:15 Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter
weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her
children, because they were not.
Matthew 2:16 ¶
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding
wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in
all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time
which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
Matthew 2:17 Then
was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
Matthew 2:18 In
Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are
not.
XI. We See
Christ’s Birth Preceded By A Flight To Egypt
Hosea 11:1 ¶ When
Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of
Matthew 2:14 When
he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into
Matthew 2:15 And
was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of
XII. We See
Christ’s Birth Preceded By His Way Being Prepared
Isaiah 40: 3 ¶ The voice of him that crieth in the
wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a
highway for our God.
Isaiah 40:4 Every
valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the
crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
Isaiah 40:5 And
the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together:
for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Luke 3:3 And he
came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for
the remission of sins;
Luke 3:4 As it is written in the book of the words of
Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare
ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Luke 3:5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
XIII.
We See Christ’s Birth Preceded By Elijah
Malachi 4:5
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and
dreadful day of the LORD:
Matthew
Matthew 11:14 And
if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
Matthew 11:15 He
that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
XIV. We See
Christ’s Birth Preceded By A Forerunner
Isaiah 40:3 ¶ The
voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Malachi 3:1¶
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and
the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger
of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of
hosts.
Matthew 3:1¶ In
those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of
Matthew 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand.
Matthew 3:3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet
Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way
of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Luke 1: 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit
and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the
disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the
Lord.
XVI. We See Christ Will Be of the “Heir To David’s
Throne”
Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order
it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for
ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 11: 1 And there shall come forth a rod out of
the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Luke 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the
Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his
father David:
Luke
XVI.
Our Celebration Of Christmas
A. It is the only time of year that people cannot escape the person of Christ even if they do not acknowledge Him for Who He is.
1. At Christmas time no one will ever really turn down a gift - a Buddhist or even an atheist will receive a gift
2. And they may give others a gift as well.
3. Behind all the commercialization there still is the underlying idea of giving a gift.
4. This points to the true gift of giving which was from God, as He gave His only Son.
B. Christ's
birth, and the details of His life, his death and resurrection were foretold
centuries before by the prophets.
1. No prophecies are found in other so called holy books - none preceded the births of Buddha, Confucius, Muhammad or anyone else.
2. Biblical prophecies provide irrefutable evidence for
God's existence
C. Biblical
prophecy demonstrates that God has a purpose for mankind.
1. History is not merely happenstance It is going somewhere.
2. God has a plan and it is going forward. Just as
3. Today neither does the world do so for his 2nd Advent.
D. We are not to
be in darkness - Peter says
II Peter1:19 ¶ We
have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed,
as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day
star arise in your hearts:
E. The world
celebrates Christmas not knowing that the little baby born is not a child any
longer,
1. He will not be coming back as a lamb, but as a lion.
2. History is moving quickly to this event
F. There are more
than 300 prophecies of the Messiah’s first coming - Why so many?
1. So
2. When in the
fulness of time God would send forth his Son (Galatians 4:4).
a. That fullness of time was much like when they were in
bondage in
b. They were in bondage occupied by
3. Jesus said to
those Jews who believed Him:
John 8:31 ¶ Then
said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then
are ye my disciples indeed;
John 8:33 They
answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how
sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
John 8:34 Jesus
answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the
servant of sin.
John
John
4. The issue was
not physical slavery, but a spiritual one.
Hebrews 10:5
Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou
wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
5. He can only save those who understand their position of bondage and look to Him for the change.
H. Many religions try to find their teachings correlated to the Bible,
1. It is only by
chance that there are some similarities.
2. The Scripture
is all about God and His Messiah Who was God Himself.
3. It was
4.The proof of Christianity lies in the person of Christ.
1. He is not just another man in the long line of religious teachers
2. He is not just another spiritual master enlightened by knowledge
3. He is not just another prophet in the long line of prophets.
4. No prophet ever said they were the express image of the invisible God
5. No prophet said that if you have seen Him you have seen the Father
6. God the Father never said of any prophet that they were the cause for the existence of all things.
I. It is not just the birthday of a great man, but the
celebration of the one and only time God took on a human body.
|
Prophecy |
Description |
Fulfilled |
|
Genesis 3:15 |
Would be the Seed of a Woman |
Galatians 4:4, Luke 2:7 |
|
Isaiah 7:14 |
Born of a virgin |
Matthew1:18, Luke 1:26-38 |
|
Genesis 18:18 |
Promised Seed of Abraham |
Acts Galatians 3:16 |
|
Genesis 17:19 |
Seed of Isaac |
Luke 3:33-34 |
|
Numbers 24:17 |
The Seed of Jacob |
Matthew 1:1-2 |
|
Psalm 132:11, Jeremiah.23:5, Isaiah 9:7 |
The Seed of David |
Acts Luke 1:32-33 |
|
Genesis
49:10 |
From the tribe of Judah |
Luke 3:33 |
|
Micah 5:2 |
Born in |
Matthew 2:1, Luke 2:4-7 |
|
Daniel 9:25 |
Time of Birth |
Luke 2:1-7 |
|
Jeremiah 31:15 |
Slaughter of Innocents |
Matthew 2:16-18 |
|
Hosea 11:1 |
Flight to |
Matthew |
|
Isaiah 40:3-5 |
The Way Prepared |
Luke 3:3-6 |
|
Malachi 4:5-6 |
Preceeded by Elijah |
Matthew 11:13-14 |
|
Isaiah 40:3, Malachi
3:1 |
Proceeded by a forerunner |
Matthew 3:1-3, Luke 1:17 |
|
Psalm 72:10-11 |
Adored By Kings |
Matthew 2:1-11 |
|
Isaiah 9:7,11:1 |
The Heir to David’s throne |
Luke 1:32 |
The
Mathematical Odds of Jesus Fulfilling Prophecy
We Just demonstrated 16 out
of 300 Prophecies to tell the Christmas Story
Coincidence
is ruled out by the science of probability. Mr. Stoner says that by using the
modern science of probability in reference to eight prophecies, ‘we find that
the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled
all eight prophecies is 1 in 1017."
That
would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. In order to help us comprehend this
staggering probability, Stoner illustrates it by supposing that "we take
1017 silver dollars and lay them on the face of
Stoner considers 48 prophecies and says,
"we find the chance that any one man fulfilled all 48 prophecies to be 1
in 10157, or 1 in 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
000,000,000."
(This
information was taken from the book Evidence that Demands a Verdict, by
Josh McDowell.)
The estimated
number of electrons in the universe is around 1079. It should be
quite evident that Jesus did not fulfill the prophecies by accident. He was and
is Who He said He was: the only way (John 14:6).