Two weeks ago we talked about the wise men seeking Jesus and answered a possible discrepancy about the story that some stumble over. I thought before we go any further, we might just want to prove the Jesus was who he said he was, otherwise the story is just that a story.
As you read through the Christmas story there is lots of detail. Matthew being a tax collector was used to taking copious notes as he had a version of shorthand that he used and Luke was studied by one of the world’s greatest archeologist Sir William Ramsey in his attempt to disprove and discredit the Gospel he found the book exacting after 30 years of study he came to the conclusion Luke was one of the greatest historians of all time and that his account was accurate in every detail which we will talk about some of the detail that is challenged in a future teaching.
The Bible is a combination of 66 books written by 40 authors over a period of thousands of years yet it is an integrated messaging system that tells a story completely connected from first words to the last….let’s take a little quirky things from the first 10 people in Jesus genealogy…their names tell a story from Adam to Noah…there is something important in every word in the Bible including the genealogies
Luke 3: 36b-38
Noah was the son of Lamech. 37 Lamech was the son of Methuselah. Methuselah was the son of Enoch. Enoch was the son of Jared. Jared was the son of Mahalalel. Mahalalel was the son of Kenan. 38 Kenan was the son of Enosh. Enosh was the son of Seth. Seth was the son of Adam.
Adam was the son of God
Let’s take a look at the story that unfolds in the meaning of these 10 names
Adam – Man
Seth – Appointed
Enosh – Mortal
Kenan – Sorrow
Mahalalel – The blessed of God
Jared – shall come down
Enoch – teaching
Methuselah – His death will bring
Lamech – the despairing
Noah – comfort
Man appointed mortal sorrow The blessed God, shall come down, teaching, His death will bring the despairing, comfort
I find that interesting, a prophecy of Jesus inside the names of the first 10 generations names. That is part of what I mean that the Bible is an integrated message system.
Do you believe the main character of the Christmas story is who he said he is? That is truly our first challenge….today I want us to understand Jesus is exactly who he said he was and His story is true history
700 years before Jesus was born, the prophet Micah, as we saw two weeks ago in the story of the Magi, predicted Jesus’ birth city
Micah 5:2
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”
Jesus’ virgin birth and call were predicted by Isaiah 700 years before his birth
Isaiah 7:14
All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’)
At the time of the prophecy God was assuring the King of Judah that his Kingdom would outlast all of the enemies that were coming against him. The Lord confirmed His word when Joseph had found out Mary was pregnant, which was a sin worthy of stoning but Joseph was considering sending her away because he loved her despite what he saw as a betrayal. A messenger from heaven brought this word to Joseph in a dream.
Matthew 1:20-23
As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’”
Yet even though the Father had given us this great sign and rather than accepting him they rejected him as was prophesied as well.
Isaiah 53: 1-3
Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm?
2 My servant grew up in the LORD’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. 3 He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.
John lets us know this part of the prophecy was fulfilled in the way he was received
John 1:10-11
He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.
John 12:37,38
But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in him. 38 This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted:
“LORD, who has believed our message?
To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm?”
I know this is a lot to take in but Christianity and in particular Jesus is coming under fire being rejected by people everywhere and we need to understand that Jesus is who he said he was and that his life was predicted long before he was born…God had a plan from the time Adam and Eve fell to redeem you and me
Genesis 3:15 God pronounces a curse over Satan
And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”
The striking of the heel is in reference to Jesus’ suffering on the cross and Christ crushing Satan’s hold on mankind by going to the Cross is striking a death blow to Satan’s power as referenced Revelation 12 and 20
Forgive me as I am about to rattle off a bunch of scriptures that show Jesus from 700-1000 years before His birth
- The family (my son) came up from Egypt….Hosea 11:1
- He is a King and rides on a donkey….Zechariah 9:9
- Suffers is rejected ….Isaiah 53:1-3
- Tried and condemned….Isaiah 53:8
- Is crucified, pierced….Psalm 22:16 (800 years before crucifixion was invented)
- Lots cast for His clothing….Psalm 22:18
- No bones broken…Psalm 34:19,20 (actually Exodus 12 as well as He is the Passover lamb)
- Given gall and wine….Psalm 69:20-22
- Pierced with a spear…Zechariah 12:10
- Betrayed by a friend….Psalm 41:9
- For 30 pieces of silver….Zechariah 11:12,13
- The silver is cast onto the temple floor then used to buy a potter’s field….Zechariah 11:13
Experts in Mathematics say the possibility of one man fulfilling all of these prophecies is 10 to the 99th or the same as correctly selecting one specific electron out of the all the matter in the universe or essentially zero without divine intervention
What does this mean to you….You can trust that God says what he means and means what he says….there is a divine order to all of creation. God’s hand is on and in everything down to the very precise details. If he ordered the past, he can certainly order your future as you trust Him
Jesus is exactly who he said that he is and if that is true then everything he said and every word in scripture is to be trusted!