The One You're Looking For Series

Acts 17:1-3 – The One You’re Looking For

The book The World’s Worst Predictions lists some of history’s all-time prophetic goofs. King George II said in 1773 that the American colonies had little stomach for revolution. An official of the White Star Line, speaking of the firm’s newly built flagship, the Titanic, launched in 1912, declared that the ship was unsinkable. In 1939 The New York Times said the problem of TV was that people had to glue their eyes to a screen, and that the average American wouldn’t have time for it.

An English astronomy professor said in the early 19th century that air travel at high speed would be impossible because passengers would suffocate. And Frank Knox, U.S. Secretary of the Navy, said on December 4, 1941: “Whatever happens, the U.S. Navy is not going to be caught napping.”

It’s so dangerous to make predictions about what will happen. The economist Edward Feidler said: “It is very difficult to forecast, especially about the future.” But as we continue to look at Jesus being our King, we come to the predictions in the OT speaking of Him – of His life, His suffering, His death, and His resurrection. Today, we will simply look at prophecies written hundreds of years before Jesus was born, describing his life in intimate detail. My goal is that you will have a better understanding of whom the Jews were expecting to be the Anointed One of God – in Hebrew Messiah, in Greek Christ – the Son of God, and Savior.

The apostle Paul made it his life mission to tell others that Jesus was the one the OT prophesied about. Acts 17:1-3 says: “When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ, " he said.” Well, let’s look at just a few of those scriptures.

Way back in Genesis, the very first book of the Bible, Jacob, also known as Israel, blessed His children and grandchildren. And he said this to Judah: “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.” This is the first longing for something or someone better. They wanted a ruler who was worthy to demand allegiance from the nations, not just the children of Israel. And this ruler would come from the family of Judah, so that would make Him a Jew. A Jewish king would one day rule the world.

Now, skip ahead a few hundred years. The prophet Nathan brought word to King David. This promise was made to David in 2 Samuel 7:11-16: " `The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: 12 When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. 15 But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’ " The throne of this King will be established forever. His will be an eternal reign.

But maybe you noticed something in there. V14: “When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men.” Now, Jesus did not sin. He did no wrong. But Hebrews 5:8 tells us that “although he was a son, Jesus learned obedience from what he suffered.” Not that He had been disobedient, but that He wanted to experience all the suffering that we go through. And although it was part of God’s plans, He certainly suffered, inflicted by men.

Isaiah 53 was a prophecy about this suffering king. These are the words written 700 years before Jesus was born: “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.”