About 500 before Jesus was born - a man named Buddha came along. He established a religion we know of as Buddhism, and many people gathered around him and tried to live by his teachings. But before he was born, nobody ever said:
“Hey somebody is going to come along and he will come from this or that family. These are going to be his credentials. And this is how you’ll know he is who he said he was.”
Mohammed was born about 500 years after Christ. He established a religion we now call Islam and many people gathered around him and tried to live by his teachings. But before he was born, nobody ever said:
“Hey somebody is going to come along and he will come from this or that family. These are going to be his credentials. And this is how you’ll know he is who he said he was.”
BUT, when Jesus came… He didn’t just pop up in history and say “Hey, I have a great idea!” Oh no. Long before Jesus was ever born, God put His stamp of approval on Him, so that we can know that all of the Old Testament looked forward to the birth of this one little boy in Bethlehem.
And because of that one Child’s birth – miracles of salvation have taken place in the lives of millions of men and women.
Already we have seen prophecies that stated -
- The offspring of Eve, many generations removed, would one day rise up
to crush the head of the evil one who had deceived Eve and caused
Adam to sin. - Genesis 3
- That the stone cut out of the mountain not by human hands in the dream
of Nebuchadnezzar was a reference to the virgin birth of Jesus - Daniel 2
- That Jesus would be born in Bethlehem - Micah 5:2
Buddha and Muhammad came into the world unannounced - no prophecies, no validating signs and wonders, no miracles, just their own word, or, in Muhammad’s case he chatted it up with an angel in a cave somewhere.
Did you know that you can buy a high school diploma or a college or university degree on the internet from Buyrealdegree.com (show PPT image of cat with a GED and dog with an MBA)
No studying. No examinations. No classes. No waiting.
Here’s what buyrealgegree.com says on their website …
The degrees available through us are obtained through the exploitation of legal loopholes, but legally that does not make them of any less worth than a "worked for" degree.
Really???
Oh, by the way, you can also get a transcript telling what courses you took and what grades you got in those courses … for an extra fee, of course …
And … you can also get high honors grades … for an extra fee, of course …
Can you believe that anyone would ever fall for a scam like that???
In 2003 the Government Accounting Office ran a check of eight federal agencies. The investigation uncovered 463 employees who claimed online degrees from fake schools aka diploma mills. At least 28 of those caught in the sting were senior-level employees, including three unnamed managers with security clearances working at the National Nuclear Security Administration.
Is that crazy or what???
In order to graduate from high school or get a college degree a person needs to study.
They need to study the subject material that pertains to their intended degree.
They need to study the subject material from certified textbooks.
They need instructors who have mastered the material.
They need instructors who are capable of teaching the material.
They need instructors who can then certify that the material has been mastered by the student.
Then you get the diploma or degree.
People often get false credentials. There’s an entire black market industry of forgery. What does this have to do with Advent?
Advent is waiting for the time when we remember or try to remember what it must have been like when Israel waited for the Messiah to come over 2,000 years ago.
Here’s the amazing thing! Even though the nation had been looking and longing for their Messiah for centuries many had stopped looking!
Some were looking. Some had stopped. Some were doubting. God was still sending messages!
God was still validating that Jesus was indeed the Chosen One of Israel, the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God.
So, was Jesus the true Messiah, validated by the fulfillment of prophecies or was He just pretending like these people who buy fake diplomas for themselves?
Was the birth of Jesus validated by prophecies?
On the first Sunday of Advent we covered at least two OT prophecies about how Jesus would be born of a virgin - this one is taken by faith as it is unverifiable - and the people of Mary’s home town, Nazareth probably weren’t buying it …
Even Joseph wasn’t buying the story until an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him
Matthew 1:20b-21 (NASB)
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
If we see later on that other verifiable prophecies were fulfilled it should lead us to believe that that prophecy was fulfilled as well.
But, what about a prophecy that was verifiable?
Last Sunday we took at look at where the Messiah would be born - Bethlehem -
Everyone who was a Jewish scholar at the time if Jesus’ birth knew that! They even knew and quoted the exact prophecy!
Matthew 2:4-6
“Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, [Herod] inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:
“And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.”
Validation of origin - Done!
What about the beginning of His ministry on earth? Were any prophecies fulfilled which would validate Jesus as the one, true Messiah?
Isaiah 40:3 (NLT) says:
“Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, ‘Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!’”
Malachi 3:1 (HCSB)
“‘See, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to His temple, the Messenger of the covenant you desire - see, He is coming,’ says the Lord of Hosts.”
These are not talking directly about Jesus but about someone who would arrive very shortly before Jesus and announce the coming of the Messiah!
Matthew 3:1-3 (ISV)
“About this time, John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the Judean wilderness, ‘Repent, because the kingdom from heaven is near!’ He was the one the prophet Isaiah was referring to when he said,
“He is a voice calling out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way for the Lord! Make His paths straight!’”
Oh, and by the way, do you see this little phrase,
Malachi 3:1 (HCSB)
“Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to His temple, the Messenger of the covenant you desire ,,,"
That’s pretty important because the temple was destroyed in A.D. 70 and has never been rebuilt!
So, this little baby whose birth we are waiting to celebrate on Christmas day has been validated by His birth and by the fulfillment of a prophecy concerning someone who would precede the start of His ministry on earth.
What else can we see for validation in the OT which is fulfilled in the NT?
How about His death?
Matthew 27:41, 43a (ESV)
“So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked Him, saying, ‘He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now, if He desires Him.’”
Psalm 22:7-8 (ESV)
“All who see Me mock Me; they make mouths at Me; they wag their heads; ‘He trusts in the Lord; let Him deliver Him; let Him rescue Him, for He delights in Him!’”
Matthew 27:35 (ESV)
“And when they had crucified Him, they divided His garments among them by casting lots.”
Psalm 22:18 (ESV)
“They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.”
Psalm 22:16 (ESV)
“For dogs encompass Me; a company of evildoers encircles Me; they have pierced My hands and feet.”
Now, here’s an interesting thing. The Gospel accounts of the crucifixion do not say that Jesus was nailed to the cross, unless I missed it but it IS revealed in
John 20:25b
“[Thomas] said to [the other disciples], ‘Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into His side, I will never believe.’”
We see the proof of the authenticity of Jesus as the Messiah! He did not send away for a fake Messiah certificate. He IS the real deal! He IS the Christ the Son of the Living God!
So, as we work our way through Advent to once again celebrate the birth of Jesus we desperately need to remember that this world is in desperate need of salvation through Jesus Christ because of the prophecies about Jesus have not been fulfilled.
Yes, absolutely, all of the prophecies about His first coming to earth to be our Savior have been fulfilled but there are more prophecies to be fulfilled about His return to earth.
Just a couple of final prophecies about Jesus in the NT
The first one by Peter
Matthew 16:16-17
“Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”
The second is not so much a prophecy as God that Father validating His Son as the Messiah!
Luke 3:22 (NKJV)
“And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, ‘You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.’”
Just like the people at the time of Jesus’ birth were not ready many in the world today are not ready!
What about you? Are you ready?
Some people are saved. Some are only pretending, like the folks who order fake diplomas over the internet.
When Christ returns, and He WILL return just as surely has He came to earth the first time, when He returns will you be read?
Are you living faithfully for the Lord?
Jesus came to earth to accomplish what God the Father had set before Him.
To show us perfectly who God is
To become the perfect Sacrifice who would take away the sins of the world
To be our Savior
Conclusion and invitation if the Holy Spirit leads …
