Sunday, December 8, 2013 – New Heights Christian Church, Kent, WA – Dr. Daniel FoldenJesus, the lead defender of the Christian faith:

Prophecies that Jesus fulfilled confirming Him to be God; Matthew’s Record of Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled in Jesus

Matthew 1:22-23; 2:13-23Matthew 1:22 (NIV84) 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:-----------

Progressing throughout Jesus’ life is a steady stream of fulfilled Old Testament prophecies about Him. The fulfillment of these prophecies makes for a strong argument that Jesus is exactly who He claims to be. But, why is it important that we establish the connection of integrity between the claims of Jesus and the reality of Jesus?

What I mean by the phrase “connection of integrity” is that A = B. The claim equals reality. The “talk of Jesus” matches the “walk of Jesus.” The word integrity means wholeness or unity or

honesty. It comes from the mathematical term integer, meaning a whole unity or a complete entity. So the phrase “connection of integrity” is saying that all aspects of a person’s life are in agreement; they make for a complete whole without discordant

fragments looking for a home. Christians believe that Jesus has integrity; that His talk matches His walk; that all aspects of

His life are connected in one union. He claims to be the truth and He is the truth. He claims to be the Savior of this world and He is the Savior of this world. But we need evidence of this. And for this reason there is no more important aspect of Jesus’ life then to prove that the Biblical prophetic claims made about Him are being fulfilled as history unfolds; that there have been a sufficient number of Biblical prophecies fulfilled concerning Jesus that it would lead a typically rational person to believe with confidence that the yet to be fulfilled prophecies will indeed be fulfilled.

Today as we consider how Jesus made His defense for who He was and is, we will look more specifically at some of the Old Testament prophecies that Jesus fulfilled that substantiate His claim to be God. Because we are in the season of Advent, our focus on Old Testament prophecies will primarily be on Christ’s arrival to this earth in human form.

The purpose of this sermon is to strengthen your understanding of how Biblical prophecy functions and make you a stronger defender of the Christian faith. In order to gain a broader picture of God’s ministry of prophecy, I will attempt to answer six primary questions.

#1. What or who is the source of Biblical prophecy?I believe it can be argued that prophecy fits into the category of God-initiated, apologetic

conversation. In other words, God initiates a conversation with us through the means prophecy and does so for the purpose of persuading and convincing us that it is He who has spoken the prophetic word and not something made up in the mind of the prophet. Not only does He want to convince us that He has spoken, He wants to convince us that what He has spoken will happen.

Jeremiah 36 gives us one of the clearest examples of the function of Biblical prophecy.Jeremiah 36:1–7 (NIV84) 1 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word

came to Jeremiah from the L ORD : That answers our first question. The source of Biblical prophecy is the LORD, Yahweh.2 “Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and

all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah till now. 3 Perhaps

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when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, each of them (1) will turn from his wicked way; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin.”

The purpose of this prophecy was to stir within the hearts of the hearers sufficiently great concern regarding its fulfillment that they would (1) repent of their sinful behavior and receive forgiveness from the LORD.

4 So Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and while Jeremiah dictated all the words the L ORD had spoken to him, Baruch wrote them on the scroll. 5 Then Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am restricted; I cannot go to the LORD’s temple. 6 So you go to the house of the LORD on a day of fasting and read to the people from the scroll the words of the L ORD that you wrote as I dictated. Read them to all the people of Judah who come in from their towns. 7 Perhaps they will bring their petition before the LORD, and (1) each will turn from his wicked ways, for the anger and wrath pronounced against this people by the LORD are great.”

The means of transmission of this message that God had given to the prophet Jeremiah was to speak the words to a transcriber, his servant Baruch, who would in turn go to the temple and read the prophecy, the message from God, of what would happen if these people continued in their sinful rebellion. In this particular chapter we read what appears to be concluding or summary statements of the LORD’s prophetic message. In Jeremiah, those verbatim statements from the Lord are often identified with the phrase, “This is what the L ORD says.” The most frequent phrase to identify the source of the prophetic message is at the end of the messages and it reads, “declares the L ORD .”

This is true of Isaiah, as well. Sometimes Isaiah leads with, “The LORD says.” Then, the message is given in writing, which was likely originally spoken to the designated receiver, as though God were speaking in first person to the intended audience. It was to be clear that what the prophet was speaking were the words of God. The Lord God was the source. He initiated the message. He authored the message.

When we come to Isaiah 46, Isaiah is in the midst of a long oration by God. These are the direct words of God to Israel through the mouth and pen of Isaiah.

Isaiah 46:9–11 (NIV84) 9 Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me.

10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

11 From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill My purpose. (2) What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.

The source of Biblical prophecy is God Himself.2. But for what purpose was Biblical prophecy given?We’ve already seen from Jeremiah 36 that prophecy was given (1) to entice repentance by

sinful people. In Isaiah 46 prophecy was given (2) to inform God’s people what He had planned to do and to offer assurance that He would do what He planned. And now we’ll see in Isaiah 48 that Biblical prophecy was given (3) to solicit an acknowledgment from God’s people that it was God alone who brought the prophesied event to fulfillment.

Isaiah 48:2–6 (NIV84) 2 you who call yourselves citizens of the holy city and rely on the God of Israel— the LORD Almighty is His name: 3 (2) I foretold the former things long ago, My mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. 4 For I knew how stubborn you were; the sinews of your neck were iron, your forehead was bronze. 5 Therefore I told you these things long ago; before they happened I announced them to you (3) so

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that you could not say, ‘My idols did them; my wooden image and metal god (molded image – niski) ordained them.’ 6 You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not admit them? “From now on I will tell you of new things, of hidden things unknown to you.

There may be others reasons, but from these passages we see that the purpose for giving Biblical prophecy was given (1) to entice repentance; (2) to inform and assure God’s people; and (3) to solicit an acknowledgment.

3. How did God transmit His prophecies about His Son to us?Here’s how Paul answers this question: Romans 1:1–4 (NIV84) 1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus,

called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding His Son, who as to His human nature was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

The same chosen servants God used to entice repentance, inform God’s people and to solicit an acknowledgment of honor to the LORD were the same servants God used to tell us in advance a great deal about His Son’s coming and the circumstances surrounding His coming to planet earth. Those servants of God He calls prophets.

Suddenly I realize there’s a fourth purpose for God giving us Biblical prophecies: (4) to see prophecies fulfilled. And you all say, “dah.”

Matthew uses the Greek word plerao (fulfill) to mean “fill completely, accomplish, make full, complete.” In his Gospel, Matthew applies it to Christ fifteen times.1

I’m going to ring the plerao bell four times. You will hear it in the word fulfill. Here are four pieces of the story of Christ’s birth that ring the plerao bell. Listen for it by answering the question: 4. What do each of these verses have in common?

Matthew 1:22–23 (NIV84) 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will be with Child and will give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.”

Matthew 2:15 (NIV84) 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Matthew 2:17–18 (NIV84) 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled : 18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Matthew 2:23 (NIV84) 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

Why ring a bell at hearing the word fulfill? Because that is a primary purpose of prophecy. For in its fulfillment, it makes more probable that the first three purposes of Biblical prophecy will come to pass. We will have more reason to repent of our sins; we will be informed and assured of God trustworthiness; and we will rejoice to acknowledge the powerful and purposeful display of God’s glory in our midst.

Now, let me ask you a question. 5. To what degree was Jesus aware of the prophecies that He was fulfilling?

Listen to these verses. Does it sound like Jesus was aware of fulfilling prophecies?Matthew 5:17 (NIV84) 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I

have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

1 Norman L. Geisler, The Apologetics of Jesus (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 2009), p.107-108

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These words of Jesus may not fully answer our question immediately, but He assures us that His purpose in coming to this earth was to fulfill what the Law and the Prophets had said about Him. So, it seems quite likely that Jesus was fully knowledgeable of the Old Testament Scriptures no later than at least by twelve years old when He was debating with the Torah teachers in the Temple. So, combining His knowledge of the Scriptures and His knowledge of why He came, it seems quite reasonable to say that Jesus was aware of fulfilling prophecies at least while they were happening.

John 5:39 (NIV84) 39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about Me,

In arguing with the Jewish religious leaders, Jesus made it clear that the Old Testament Scriptures were talking about Him and affirming and confirming Him for who He claimed to be.

Hebrews 10:7 (NIV84) 7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about Me in the scroll— I have come to do Your will, O God.’ ”

The writer of Hebrews attributes the words of David in Psalm 40 to being the direct words of Jesus when He came to this world.

Psalm 40:6–8 (NIV84) 6 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but my ears You have pierced; burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not require. 7 Then I said, “Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll. 8 I desire to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”

Does it make you wonder how much knowledge Jesus brought with Him into His human body? That’s a mystery we can scratch our heads over for a while.

Following Christ’s resurrection, Jesus speaks with His disciples. Notice how He helps them connect the dots between the prophecies and the reality of His life.

Luke 24:27 (NIV84) 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.

Luke 24:44 (NIV84) 44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

Jesus was fully aware of the Old Testament prophecies about Himself by at least age twelve. I personally think it would be speculation to suggest much earlier than 4 years old. But, I’m willing to be instructed. So, even if Jesus laid aside a measure of His intellectual capacity when He took on human flesh, it is highly reasonable to believe that He of all people could connect the dots between His life and the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning Him.

Nor for the remainder of our time, let’s look at some of the Old Testament prophecies that foretold His birth or arrival to this earth.

6. What prophecies of Jesus speak of His birth?Here are eight Old Testament prophecies that speak of or around Christ’s birth to which I

would like to draw your attention: 1. The prophecy regarding the seed of the woman that takes us all the way back to Eve in the Garden; 2. The prophecy regarding the seed of Abraham, that it would be through his seed (singular) that the nations would be blessed; 3. The prophecy that Jesus would be conceived of a virgin; 4. The prophecy that Jesus came from the tribe of Judah; 5. The prophecy that Jesus came from the house of David;

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6. The prophecy that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem; 7. The prophecy that magi from the East would come to worship Him and bring Him gifts; and 8. the prophecy that there would be the slaughter of innocents at the time of Jesus’ birth.

I won’t have time to highlight all of these, but what becomes pretty obvious immediately is that one has to be something of a sleuth to compile and connect all these prophecies. They are found scattered throughout the breadth of the Old Testament. We don’t have the luxury of having all the prophetic details of Jesus’ birth listed in one prophetic message from one prophet. Rather, most are embedded within other writings that may at first not even sound like a prophecy. In my opinion, many of the prophecies have a high degree of hiddenness to them. Stealing a phrase from Micah, not all prophecies are “low hanging fruit for easy picking for the casual observer.” One also has to have an eye for detail to see some prophecies. But, once they are pointed out to us, most of us will go, “ah ha.”

(1) The Seed of the Woman - You may recall in some previous sermons when giving an overview of the entire Bible, we spoke of the prophetic nature of Genesis 3:15. We called it the first proclamation of the gospel. God is speaking words of judgment on the serpent by announcing that there would come an offspring of the first woman who would one day crush the head of the serpent. That is good news foretold. It’s news about Jesus, and thus, Eve is connected with Mary through the seed of the woman.

Genesis 3:15 (NIV84) 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel.”

Jesus is said to have been “born of a woman” in Galatians 4:4, which is not to be limited to its being an allusion to the virgin birth but to call our minds back to Genesis 3:15. Galatians 4:4–5 (NIV84) 4 But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

In Romans 16:20 (NIV84), Paul wrote, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet,” which is obviously an allusion to this passage in Genesis 3.

(2) The Seed of Abraham - At least two places in Genesis get the prophecy watcher looking for the Savior to come from the seed of Abraham. The promise of God to Abraham prods us to ask, “How will all the peoples of the earth be blessed through Abraham?”

Genesis 12:3 (NIV84) 3 I will bless those who bless you (Abraham), and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

In Genesis 22 there’s a fine detail that helps us look for a person rather than a people as our means of blessing.

Genesis 22:17–18 (NIV84) 17 I will surely bless you (Abraham) and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your Offspring (Seed (singular)) all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed Me.”

Paul clarifies this for us in Galatians 3:16 (NIV84) 16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed . The Scripture does not say “and to seeds (plural),” meaning many people, but “and to your seed (singular),” meaning one person, who is Christ.

See that fine detail? These prophecies in Genesis 12 and 22 show that the genealogy of Jesus must include Abraham. Thus Matthew traces Jesus’ adoptive father’s lineage back to Abraham.

Matthew 1:1 (NIV84) 1 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:

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*(3) Conceived of a Virgin - This is basically self explanatory. Isaiah 7:14 (NIV84) 14 Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with

Child and will give birth to a Son, and will call Him Immanuel. Matthew 1:18, 22-25 (NIV84) 18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother

Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with Child through the Holy Spirit. 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will be with Child and will give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus. (cf. Luke 1:26-35)

(4) Of the Tribe of Judah - Genesis 49:10 points to David’s kingship through the lineage of Judah and also to Christ’s kingship as Messiah when He comes to rule over the nations.

Genesis 49:10 (NIV84) 10 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.

So again, in the genealogy of Jesus, we find Judah is included. Matthew 1:2 (NIV84) 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

Luke 3:23, 33 (NIV84) 23 Now Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. He was the Son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli, … 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,

*(5) From the House of David - The prophet Samuel spoke prophetically to David in 2 Samuel 7:12 (NIV84) 12 When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring (seed) to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.

The kingdom that God will establish is Christ’s kingdom; and He does it in through the lineage of David. Thus Jesus is the Messianic Son of David.

Jesus claimed He would build a temple (cf. Matt 26:61; 27:40; Mark 14:58; 15:29; John 2:19–22). He claimed to possess an eternal throne (cf. Matt 19:28–29). Finally, He claimed to possess an imperishable or eternal kingdom (cf. Luke 22:29–30; John 18:36).2

Jeremiah prophesies in Jeremiah 23:5–6 (NIV84) 5 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. 6 In His days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which He will be called: The L ORD Our Righteousness. This speaks of Jesus in the line of David reigning as the coming King.

Matthew 9:27 (NIV84) 27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

*(6) Born in Bethlehem - I need not speak of His prophesied birth in Bethlehem.Micah 5:2 (NIV84) 2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of

Judah, out of you will come for Me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Matthew 2:1–6 (NIV84) 1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the

2 Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 339–340.

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Christ was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of My people Israel.’” (cf. Luke 2:4-7)

*(7) Magi from the East to worship and bring gifts - Isaiah 60:1-3, 5-6 (NIV84) 1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the L ORD rises upon you. 2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and His glory appears over you. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. … 5 …, to you the riches of the nations will come. 6 Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the LORD.

Psalm 72:10–11 (NIV84) 10 The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to Him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present Him gifts. 11 All kings will bow down to Him and all nations will serve Him.

In the New Testament, Paul tells us that every knee will bow and every tongue confess Jesus as Lord (Phil. 2:10–11). He also teaches that Christ “must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet” (1 Cor. 15:25). Therefore, in Revelation the kings of the earth bring their glory to the New Jerusalem, God’s city (21:26).3

Matthew 2:1-2, 10-11 (NIV84) 1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”… 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

(8) The Slaughter of Innocents - This is a sad prophetic reality. We must take note that there is a powerful, spiritual enemy who is enslaving people to do his destructive exploits. When the Hebrew people in Egypt were multiplying and thus creating a threat to Egypt, the demonic solution was the mass murder of baby boys. Given how threatening the coming of Jesus was to Satan’s establishment, it should not surprise us that a last ditch effort to kill Jesus was to slaughter hundreds of innocent boys near His age. And this was spoken of prophetically in Jeremiah 31:15 (NIV84) 15 This is what the Lord says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more.”

D. A. Carson argues that the tears of the exile “are climaxed and ended by the tears of the mothers of Bethlehem. The heir to David’s throne has come, the Exile is over, the true Son of God has arrived, and He will introduce the new covenant (Matt. 26:24) promised by Jeremiah.”33 4

Matthew 2:16–18 (NIV84) 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

3 Donald Williams and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Psalms 1–72, vol. 13, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1986), 523.33 D. A Carson, “Matthew,” EBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984), 95.4 F. B. Huey, Jeremiah, Lamentations, vol. 16, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993), 275.

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1. The prophecy regarding the seed of the woman tells us the Jesus will conquer Satan; 2. The prophecy regarding the seed of Abraham tells us that all nations will be blessed by Jesus; 3. The prophecy that Jesus would be conceived of a virgin was fulfilled;4. The prophecy that Jesus came from the tribe of Judah was fulfilled;5. The prophecy that Jesus came from the house of David was fulfilled with much more to come;6. The prophecy that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem was fulfilled; 7. The prophecy that magi from the East representing the nations of the world would come to worship Him and bring Him gifts, came to pass; and 8. the prophecy that there would be the slaughter of innocents at the time of Jesus’ birth also, but with great sadness, took place.

Here are prophecies regarding Jesus scattered throughout the Old Testament. If you take the time to consider the odds of all of these prophecies coming true for one person, it will stagger your mind. You will not comprehend just how miraculous this is. But the scattered nature of these prophecies should not be seen as a problem because the source is always the same. The Lord God Almighty is declaring these things to be, and because of that they come to pass.

This should strengthen our understanding of how Biblical prophecy functions. And in so doing, these fulfilled prophecies about and surrounding Jesus should make us stronger in being able to defend the Christian faith!

Amen.

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