The Coming of the Messiah

Introduction:

The apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 1:25-27, “of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God. The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” This mystery revolved around the coming of the Messiah and the salvation of mankind. Teachings and prophecies about this coming of a Messiah had been given by God and recorded in Scripture. These prophecies are what this lesson is about.

Theme:

Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament Messianic prophecies.

Body:

  1. Prophecies in Genesis
  • Genesis 3:15 The Messiah would be born of a woman; would suffer an apparent, momentary defeat; would deliver a fatal blow to Satan. (Discuss fulfillment.) Remember this prophecy was given to the antediluvian world.
  • Genesis 12:3 The world would be blessed by Abram’s descendent, the Messiah.
  • Genesis 17:21 The Messiah would come through Isaac’s line.
  • Genesis 28:14 The promised Messiah would come through Jacob.
  • Genesis 49: 10 The Messiah would be of the house of Judah. (Matthew 1: 3, Matthew 2:6)
  1. Prophecies Concerning the Son of David
  • II Samuel 7:12-13, 16 The Messiah would come through David and establish an everlasting kingdom.
  • Psalm89 3-4, Psalm 132:11 “I will set upon your throne the fruit of your body.”
  • Isaiah 9:6-7 “A child is born who will sit on the throne of David and over His kingdom.”
  • Psalm 110:1 In this psalm of David the Lord will sit at the right hand and make God’s enemies your footstool. (Acts 2:29-35) Peter spoke of this on the Day of Pentecost after the crucifixion of Jesus.
  1. Other Messianic Prophecies
  • Isaiah 40:3-5 The Messiah’s forerunner will prepare the way of the Lord. (Matthew 3:1-3)
  • Micah 5:2 Bethlehem will be the birthplace of the Messiah.
  • Isaiah 7:14 The Messiah will be born of a virgin. (Matthew 1:18-23)
  • Zechariah 9:9 The Messiah will triumphantly enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey. (Matthew 21:5-11)
  • Psalm 69: 8 The Messiah will become estranged. (John 1:11, John 7:5)
  • Psalm 22:14-18 The scene of the crucifixion of Jesus is described. (John 19:24)

Conclusion:

PROBABILITY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

PROPHECIES BEING FULFILLED IN ONE MAN:

Yes, one could possibly find one or two prophecies fulfilled in other men, but not all 61 major prophecies! In fact, the chance of one man fulfilling even eight prophecies is 1 in 10 to the 17th power (1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000). This has been illustrated by imagining placing 100,000,000,000,000,000 silver dollars on the state of Texas which would result in a two feet “sea” of silver wherever you tread! Now this is where the odds get interesting. Mark one of the silver dollars distinctively and throw it into the state. Stir it all up and blindfold a man who has one pick to select the marked coin. That’s the odds against anyone fulfilling only eightprophecies, much less what most authorities feel is something like 330 plus Old Testament prophecies in some way fulfilled in the Messiah. To phrase it another way, these incredible odds just illustrated are the same chance that the Old Testament prophets would have had of writing eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man providing they wrote them in their own wisdom. One can conclude that the fulfillment of even just eight prophecies proves that God inspired the writing of these prophecies to a definiteness which lacks only one chance in 10 to the 17th power! The odds against all 330 plus Old Testament prophecies being fulfilled in one man cannot even be reasonable illustrated, as they are so high!

Read Acts 8:34-35. Philip explains to the eunuch the fulfillment of the prophecy of Jesus, the Messiah.

Bobby Stafford

November 2, 2012