[Peter Eddington] So what should we talk about
this afternoon? The U.S. election? I'm sure you're all curious as what the outcome will be.
But no, I'm not going to talk about the upcoming U.S. election. I know you're very disappointed.
And no, I'm not going to talk about Halloween. Mr. Phelps did a very good job laying that out for
us. Instead, I'm going to talk about Jesus Christ. Imagine that, if you're at church services this
afternoon. There's no other person in history, whose life has raised so many questions
than that of Jesus Christ. His life, teachings, His works, were of such
a nature that even His disciples and His followers were often confused
by Him, and what they expected from Him. A clear example of this comes
at the end of the Gospel of Luke in chapter 24. Let's take a look at Luke 24
for a moment. See, after Jesus was crucified, His followers were crushed and confused.
They thought He would be the Messiah, who would destroy the tyranny of Rome and restore
the kingdom of Israel right then and there. Notice what He said to His disappointed followers.
Luke 24:25, "Then He said to them,” Jesus said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to
believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ who had suffered
these things and to enter into His glory?” And then verse 27, "So beginning, going all
the way back at Moses and all the Prophets, expounded to them in all the Scriptures
the things concerning Himself." So, He went back through all the old books,
the scrolls, and said, "This one's about me. This one's about me. This one's about me. This
one's about me." And it's kind of a little ding that goes off in everybody's head there as He's
talking to them. Verse 44, "Then He said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while
I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which are written in the Law of Moses
and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me. And so He opened their understanding,” verse
45, “that they might comprehend the Scriptures.” And so, what was written in the law, in the Prophets, in the Psalms concerning
Jesus. Maybe we should take notice too. In the sermon today, we're going to take a look
at how the prophets spoke concerning Jesus Christ, how they foretold His birth, His life, suffering,
death, and resurrection. It's all written in the Law of Moses, the Prophets,
and the Psalms concerning Him. During this time of year, in our society, there's
more focus than usual upon Jesus Christ because of the upcoming Christmas holiday. We
know Jesus was not born in December, and that Christmas is based upon pagan
traditions. And so, we do not participate in those celebrations. But we do not have to
shy away from discussing His life and purpose. In the time we have here, we're going
to look into the ancient Scriptures and examine just nine prophecies of
the Messiah in the Old Testament. The New Testament, the New
Testament writers themselves cite Messianic prophecies from the Old Testament
more than 130 times. And by some estimates, the Old Testament contains 300 prophetic passages that
described who the Messiah is and what He will do. Three hundred different passages, and
of these 60, are major prophecies. We'll just look at nine of what… We could probably
come up with a list of at least 40 exact things that were said would be of the Messiah or
like the Messiah. So we asked the question, is it possible that the Old Testament accidentally predicted the Messiah? What are the chances of
these prophecies being fulfilled in one person? A skeptic might argue that there is a
possibility. So you're saying there is a chance, however remote. But the mathematical
odds that all these prophecies could have converged by chance in the events
of the life of Jesus are staggeringly minute, zero, basically, mathematically, to the
point of eliminating any such possibility. The coming of the Messiah was a miraculous
event planned and announced ahead of time by the Almighty. So let's just
examine nine from a list of many, many Old Testament prophecies that show
the Messiah who was to come. The title of today's sermon is simply "Nine Proofs Jesus is the
Messiah." Not that He was, that He is the Messiah. And as we consider each of these points, keep
in mind, these proofs were recorded centuries before Jesus appeared, before He was declared
to be the Messiah, centuries. And all these prophecies could not have converged upon the
first-century world by chance or coincidence. Now as we go through each of them, think on
why it is important for us to be familiar with and know what Scripture reveals
here to you and me. Why should you care? Why should you care about these
nine that we'll go through today? Well, actually, what we're about
to uncover is no small matter. It's of eternal significance, as
Jesus Himself said to His disciples. So let's just go through them here. Number one,
the Messiah would be born of a virgin. Okay. So nothing, you know, earth-shattering there. But as
we go through these, I hope you'll learn something and start to understand why we're covering
these. The Messiah will be born of a virgin. So here's the Old Testament citation. Isaiah
7:14, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign,” it’s from God, “Behold, the virgin
shall conceive and bear a Son." Notice there's a capital S here. “The virgin shall conceive and
bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” More than most others, this prophecy
has caused seemingly unending debate. Skeptics asked, "Was it fulfilled in
Isaiah's time, or was it for a later time?" Many skeptics say that it was fulfilled
during Isaiah's lifespan. Well, in the book of Matthew, we see definitively
that it was for a later time and was about the birth of Jesus from a virgin woman. So the
New Testament citation is Matthew 1:22-23. Matthew 1:22, "So all this was done that it
might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying," verse 23,
“'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they should
call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’" And as we go through
these points of study, often there are additional Scripture references we could turn to in the
New Testament that say exactly the same thing. But for brevity, we'll usually just look at one
or two for each. But the point is well made in any case here, the Messiah would be born of a
virgin, which is, in and of itself, miraculous. Number two, the Bible prophesied the exact year
the Messiah would appear. Did you know that? The Bible prophesied the exact year the Messiah
would appear. And this particular prophetic proof of the Messiah takes a little bit of mathematics
to figure out but it's not too difficult. We're going to go to Daniel 9. The Old Testament
citation is from the Seventy-Weeks Prophecy. And as Daniel prayed, as recorded in this
chapter, the angel Gabriel appeared to him to bring an announcement. And Gabriel tells
Daniel about 69 sevens or period of 483 years, which we climax in the Messianic age.
The Bible prophesied the exact year the Messiah would appear. And this is
why the Jews were looking for a Messiah at around the time Jesus came on the scene.
Even the Roman authorities were looking for Him. It's an amazing prophecy in Daniel 9:25 that
gives a specific year the Messiah would appear. And the angel Gabriel revealed this
information to Daniel approximately 580 years before its fulfillment. Daniel 9:25, "That from
the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince,
that shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall." So a total of 69 weeks. And the word translated
weeks, he had literally means sevens. You know, the seven days in a week. He's talking
about 69 sevens in the original language. And while it could mean seven day
weeks, it's not the case here. Daniel had been specifically praying earlier in
the chapter about a period of 70 years. You've heard the Seven-Weeks Prophecy, right, which
was 70 years. In this answer to his prayer, he is told of a period of 70 sevens, clearly
meaning 77th of years in this context. That is 77 year periods. But here in this verse,
we have 7 plus 62, giving us 69 of those 7-year periods. That is a total of 483 years, 69
times 7, 69 you know, prophetic weeks or 7s. And those 483 years are from a decree to
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem we're told. And it says that that would be the year
when the Messiah would appear on the scene, the Messiah, the Prince. And so, now we see why the Jews were in eager anticipation
of their Messiah at the time of Jesus's ministry. Now, here's a little bit of
history to add to the equation. After Jerusalem's destruction by the Babylonians
in 586 BC, the Babylonian Empire was later succeeded by the Medo-Persian Empire. And
the Medo-Persian empires kings issued three different decrees about rebuilding Jerusalem, and
they're recorded in the Bible. One was by Cyrus in 538 BC. And you can read about that
in Ezra 1, and one by Darius in 520 BC, describing Ezra 6. But then in Ezra 7, there's one
issued by Artaxerxes, Longimanus. That was in 457 BC. It's in Ezra 7. And that's the one that points
specifically to when Christ's ministry would begin because that's the only decree that talks about
the walls of Jerusalem being rebuilt. And we read Daniel 9:25, that's when the walls also
would be rebuilt. And that's exactly what was in the edict from Artaxerxes, that the
walls of the city of Jerusalem would have to be rebuilt as well. There's no question that
God was involved in the giving of this decree. Because in Ezra 7:27, this
is exactly what is said. Ezra 7:27, "Blessed be the
Lord God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king's
heart,” it was directed by God, that decree. And it is from this decree that we to
date the commencement of the 483 years of the Seven-Weeks Prophecy of Daniel 9,
leading to the appearance of the Messiah. Now if you count 483 years, from 457 BC, the
date of the decree, it brings us to AD 27. That was a very significant year. That was the
year Jesus was baptized and began His ministry, AD 27. Now, looking at a New Testament citation, there's not an exact citation in the New Testament
that we can turn to but instead we know the year when Jesus began His ministry and when His mission
became public, and that was AD 27. If the Messiah was to come, He would have to arrive on the scene
just when Jesus did in the exact year. Yes, the Old Testament, prophesied the exact year Messiah
would appear. So think about that one as well. Number three, the Messiah
would be born in Bethlehem. The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.
Here's the Old Testament citation. Micah 5:2, "But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, 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 going forth are from old, from everlasting." So this is some being that is live forever is
going to be born in Bethlehem to be the ruler. So, once again, it's a supernatural prediction
in birth. So, in agreement with the thought that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, we
find definitively that Jesus was born there, though He grew up in Nazareth. That's
why He's called Jesus of Nazareth. And secondly, the chief priests and scribes cited
this verse in Micah 5:2 in support of the idea. The Jews were acquainted with many
of the prophecies about the Messiah, the chosen, or the anointed one. And they firmly
believe the Messiah will be a strong and glorious earthly King, who would deliver them from the
Roman oppresses. That's what they were hoping for, and that their kingdom would once again be
restored. Let's look at a New Testament citation. Matthew 2, if you want to turn to Matthew 2.
Just read the first six verses here. Matthew 2:1, "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of
Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying,
'Where is He whose been born King of the Jews? For we're seeing His star in the East and have come to
worship Him.'" Verse 3, "When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with
him. And when Herod had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he
inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. And so they said to him," verse 5, “In
Bethlehem” that's where He's supposed to be born, “In Bethlehem, for thus it is written
by the prophet,” of course, the prophet Micah. And that's a quote, verse 6, "But you, Bethlehem,
in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a
Ruler, who will shepherd My people Israel." But notice King Herod in verse 3, who ruled
Judea under the Romans, he clearly understood that the Messiah the Jews expected would be
another king, and that's a rival to himself. These prophecies about the Messiah were
well-known, even amongst the Roman leadership. Notice verse 16 here of Matthew 2, "Then Herod,
when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; he sent forth and put to
death all the male children who are in Bethlehem and in all his districts,
from two years old and under, according to the time which he had
determined from the wise men.” And so, as Micah predicted, the Messiah was to be born
in Bethlehem. And so King Herod tried to eliminate the child. And that's, of course, when
the family fled to Egypt for a while. There are other New Testament Scriptures
citations for this as well if you'd like to do a search for the term Bethlehem and, you know,
they'll pop up there in your Bible tools. Yes, the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Number four, the Messiah
would come riding on a donkey. The Old Testament citation is Zechariah 9:9. I'll
read it to you. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your
King," capital K, once again, "is coming to you; He is just and having salvation,” so
this is a King that will offer salvation, but “lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt,
the foal of a donkey.” And let's look at the New Testament citation in Matthew 21 now.
Matthew 21:1, "Now when they drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives,
then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, 'Go into the village opposite, and
immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring
them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,’
and immediately he will send them.''" Verse 4, "All this was done that it might be
fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet, saying: ‘Tell the daughter of Zion, “Behold,
your King is coming to you lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”’ So
the disciples went, they did what Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the coat,
laid the clothes on them, and set Him on them.” So even just down to the smallest details, how
Christ would ride into Jerusalem, not too long before His crucifixion. So Zechariah 9:9 then
came to be understood as a messianic prophecy, the Messiah would come riding on a donkey. Number five, the Messiah would be forsaken.
And the Old Testament citation is quite long but let's read some of the pertinent verses
in Psalm 22. The Messiah would be forsaken. Psalm 22:1, "My God, My God,
why have You forsaken Me?" And these are passages that we
often read at Passover time, right? "Why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from
helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, You do not hear;
and in the night season, and I'm not silent." Notice verse 7, the description here.
"All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the
head, saying, 'He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him,
since He delights in Him!’" You know, they’re saying, "Let this God save Him. He
believes in that God, let His God save Him." Verse 13, "They gape at Me with their mouths,
like a raging and roaring lion. But I'm poured out like water, and My bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax; it has melted within Me." Verse 15, "My strength is dried up like a
potsherd and My tongue clings to My jaws; You've brought Me to the dust of the earth,
for dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My
hands and My feet; I can count on My bones. They look and stare at Me. And they divide My garments
among them, and for My clothing they cast lots." The first half of Psalm 22 here is the Psalm of a
righteous sufferer, someone who did not deserve to suffer. He was derided by His enemies and felt
forsaken by God. So what's the New Testament citation? Let's turn to one of them in Matthew
27. Matthew 27, notice verse 35, Matthew 27:35, "Then they crucified Him," which, of course,
involves piercing His hands and His feet, right? "And divided His garments," just
like was prophesied in the Psalms, "casting lots that I might be fulfilled
which was spoken by the prophet: ‘They divided My garments among them,
and for My clothing they cast lots.’" Verse 39 of Matthew 27, "And those who passed
by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads," in other words, shooting their lip. Verse 43,
"He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if you will have Him, for You said, ‘I am the Son
of God.’ Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.” Let His
God save Him. Exactly what was said in Psalm 22. In Verse 46. "At about the ninth hour Jesus cried
out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have
You forsaken Me?’” The Messiah would be forsaken. Number 6, the Messiah would be the rejected
cornerstone. The Messiah would be the rejected cornerstone. Here's the Old Testament citation
in Psalm 118:22-23. Psalm 118:22, let me read it to you, "The stone which the builders
rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing." It is marvelous in our
eyes because this is something ordained by God. The New Testament citation is in Matthew 21:42.
Let's turn to Matthew 21, look at verse 42. “Jesus said to them, 'Have you
never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous
in our eyes’?” He said, "Haven't you read that? Don't you realize He's talking about Me," he
says because the disciples were in disbelief. And you can read almost the exact quote
of this in Mark 12:10 and Luke 20:17, Jesus Christ is the cornerstone or
structure or foundation that binds together, that holds together, the entire structure of
the Church, the household, the building of God. Notice how Peter put it in Acts 4, we'll
read verses 8 through 12. Acts 4:8, "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to
them, 'Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: ‘If we this day are judged for a
good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well.'"
See, he was miraculously healed, this man. He was miraculously healed. Verse 10, "let it be
known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.
This," talking of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, "is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders,
which has become the chief cornerstone.’" And then Peter concludes with, "Nor is there
salvation in any other," there in verse 12, "for there is no other name under heaven,
given among men by which we must be saved.” The concept of Jesus Christ being the
chief cornerstone released directly to us, as members of the Church of God,
as part of the household of God. Let me just read one more passage
share with you, Ephesians 2:19, about the chief cornerstone because directly it
relates to us here today, in Ephesians 2:19-22. I'm going to read Ephesians 2:19. "Now,
therefore," Paul tells the Ephesians, "you are no longer strangers and foreigners,
but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built
on the foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,”
just as prophesied, right, “in whom the whole building,” verse 21, "being fitted together, grows
into a holy temple in the Lord,” so the Church is known as the temple of the Lord, "in whom you also
are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." And so Christ being the chief
cornerstone is the chief cornerstone of this very fellowship that we're a part of. It was prophesied
hundreds and hundreds of years before it happened. The Messiah was prophesied to be the
rejected cornerstone of the household of God. Number seven, the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 was the prophesied Messiah. The suffering
servant of Isaiah 53 was the prophesied Messiah. Now, the last part of Isaiah 52
and the first part of Isaiah 53, give a very, very detailed description
of what would happen to the Messiah. And over the centuries, and even millennia
now, Isaiah 52:13 through Isaiah 53:12 has been a very contentious passage
between Jews and Christians. Remember, the Jews don't believe the Messiah has
come yet. They're still waiting for the Messiah. So they say, is Isaiah talking about Israel? Is
it about the Messiah or is it about someone else? And because of this and also because
the passage has been so influential, many Jewish people when reading it, have
come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Let's read a few key verses from this
passage that is known as the suffering servant or the sin-bearing servant. Isaiah 52:13, "Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently;
He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high." This is talking about a God. Verse
14, "But just as many were astonished at you, so He's visage was marred more than any
man, and His form more than the sons of men." This is someone that would be beaten so
that He would be unrecognizable. Isaiah 53:1, "Who has believed that report? To whom has the
arm of the Lord been revealed?” Who is this about? Verse 2, "For He shall grow up before Him must as
a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we
see Him, there's no beauty that we should desire Him." Instead, it's just going to
look like anybody else, nothing special. You wouldn't even, like, recognize Him in a crowd
as being someone out of the ordinary. Verse 3, "But He's despised and rejected by men, a Man of
sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was
despised, and we did not esteem Him." Verse 4, "Surely He has borne our
griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed Him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted." And verse 5, "But He was wounded for our
transgressions, He was bruised for our sins; the chastisement for our peace was upon
Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we
have turned every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the sin of us
all." Is this someone from Isaiah's time? "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet
He opened up His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter." He’d be
known as a Lamb of God, right? "And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so He opened up His mouth.” He let them take Him. Verse 9, "They made His grave with the
wicked— but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was
any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief.
When You make your soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand." Verse 12, "Therefore I will divide Him a
portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He has poured
out His soul unto death, He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors." So this is a very detailed description as
we know of what would happen to Jesus. And it gives us specifics of His crucifixion and the
fact that our sins will be forgiven through Him. So let's look at a New Testament
citation. Matthew 8:16, "When evening had come, they brought
to Jesus many who were demon-possessed, and He cast out the spirits with a
word and healed all who was sick." Notice verse 17, Matthew 8:17, "That it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, 'He Himself took our infirmities and bore our
sicknesses.’" We just read that, right, in Isaiah. And there are numerous passages
here in the New Testament that like this, refer back to Isaiah 52 and 53. Here's just one more, John
12. John 12:37-38. John 12:37, "But although Jesus had done many signs before
them, they still did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the
prophet might be fulfilled,” John 12 and 13, I think I'm reading here. “The
word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which was spoken” and this is a
direct quote from Isaiah 53:1, "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom
has the arm of Lord been revealed?" A direct quote from Isaiah 53:1. That because of these
parallels between Isaiah and the New Testament, with a connection between the Old Testament
prophecies and Jesus Christ had directly made, many Jews have come to see
the Jewish faith challenged. And some then even to stop believing that
Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Messiah. One such example of this is Jay Sekulow.
Mr. Sekulow is an American lawyer. He's a radio and television talk
show host and a media personality. He has been Chief Counsel of the
American Center for Law and Justice, ACLJ, since 1991 for almost 30 years, the lead
counsel there. and he was a member of President Trump's legal team during the impeachment trial.
He served as lead outside counsel for Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate. You may have
seen him on the news at the time, Jay Sekulow. Well, he grew up a Jew, a very devout Jew. Let me
read to you some excerpts from a piece written by Mr. Sekulow on the Jews for Jesus website. So
you can imagine what that website is all about, Jews that have decided to believe in
the Messiah, that Jesus was the Messiah. So the title of the story is "Jay
Sekulow: How a Jewish Lawyer from Brooklyn Came to Believe in Jesus." He's actually
telling his own story. It's by Jay Sekulow. And if you ever want to look it up, it's
jewsforjesus.org. But let me read you a couple of… It's a long piece. Let me read you, you
know, three or four paragraphs from what he says. He said, "I enrolled in Atlanta Baptist College with a competitive determination to out-study and
outsmart ‘all the Christians.’ I did well in my pre-law studies, and attacked the mandatory
Bible classes with a cynical confidence, certain that it would not be difficult to
disprove ‘their’ idea that Jesus was the Messiah. I met a guy named Glenn Borders,
whom I immediately labeled a ‘Jesus freak.’ But Glenn took his religion seriously." And
actually became quite good friends, I think. Oh, yeah, “He was a good friend.” There we go. "It
was partly due to a friendship that my competitive attitude toward the Bible courses I was taking
changed to N attitude of genuine curiosity. Glenn suggested I read Isaiah 53. My
mind was boggled by the description of the ‘suffering servant’ who sounded so much
like Jesus. I had to be misreading the text. I realized with relief that I was
reading from a King James Bible, After all, that's a ‘Christian’ translation. So
the first thing I said to Glenn after I read was, 'Okay, now give me a real Bible.' I grabbed
the Jewish text. The description seemed just as clear… It still sounded like Jesus in the Jewish
Bible, but there had to be a logical explanation." So further down the article, "I began to research
the passage and I started to look for rabbinic interpretations. That's when I began to worry.
If I read the passage once, I'm sure read it 500 times. I look for as many traditional Jewish
interpretations as I could find. A number of them, especially the older ones, the earlier ones,
described the text as a messianic prophecy. Other interpretations claimed the
suffering servant was Isaiah himself, or even the nation of Israel, but those
explanations were an embarrassment to me. The details in the text obviously don't add up to the
prophet Isaiah or the nation of Israel. Did I ask the rabbis? No, I didn't ask the rabbis. I read
what rabbis had written over the years, beginning with ancient times, but frankly, I wasn't too
impressed, and not with anyone I've met lately." Then he says, "I kept looking for a traditional
Jewish explanation that would satisfy, but found none. The only plausible explanation seemed to be
Jesus. My Christian friends were suggesting other passages for them read, such as Daniel 9." Well,
we went through Daniel 9 about 483 years right? "As I read, my suspicion that
Jesus might really be the Messiah was confirmed." This is just one example
of many devout Jews, who have come to see the suffering servant of Isaiah to actually be a
prophecy that was fulfilled in the first century by Jesus of Nazareth, which, of course,
we all believe. It's a very, very powerful testimony to the veracity of the Bible
and God's direction over the course of history. And the prophecies of the suffering servant
cannot be denied as to who they're referring to. And this should greatly strengthen all of our
understanding and faith in the Scripture we have before us. There is no denying who Jesus
was. Okay, see a donkey. That's a little one, right? But you start to add all these up.
You start to realize, this is serious stuff. Yes, the suffering servant of Isaiah
53 was the prophesied Messiah. Number 8, the Messiah would be
betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. This one's simple enough. The Messiah
would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. So Jesus had rebuked the current leadership
of Israel for being false shepherds, yet the true Shepherd, Jesus Himself,
was rejected by His people, and valued as lowly and worthless as a slave. The price
of a slave was just 30 pieces of silver. Here's the Old Testament citation
Zechariah 11:12-13. Zechariah 11:12, "Then I said to them, ‘If it was agreeable to
you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.’ So they weighed out from my wages thirty
pieces of silver." Zechariah 11:13, "The Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter,’
—that princely price they set on me. So I took the pieces pieces of silver and threw them
into the house of the Lord for the potter." Okay. The New Testament citation is almost word
for word. Matthew 26:14, "Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests,"
in verse 15, "and said, ‘What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?’ And they
said, ‘How about thirty pieces of silver?’" Quite a coincidence, right? Matthew
27:9-10 spells it out again. Matthew 27:9, "Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah
the prophet, saying, ‘And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was
priced, whom they are the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter's field,
as the Lord directed me.’" So that man is purchased to go by a field, not just any field,
one that belonged to a potter. Very specific. The Messiah would be betrayed for the price of a slave
for 30 pieces of silver for the potter's field. And now, number nine, my last
one, the Messiah would be pierced. The Messiah would be pierced. Here's the Old
Testament citation in Zechariah 12:10, "And I will pour on the house of David, on the inhabitants of
Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced."
This is God talking. “Then they will look on Me whom they pierced.” It's a capital M. “Yes, they
will mourn for Him as one mourn for his only son, and grieve for Him is one
grieves for a firstborn.” So here in Zechariah 12, we find a prophecy
of Judas victory over the nation's, a victory possible because God has extended His protection
to them. But it also talks of a Spirit of grace as they look on God Himself whom they have
pierced. It's a prophecy of the Messiah and the grace to come upon the descendants of King
David, and ultimately the Spirit of grace to fall upon all nations, the Spirit of grace, the offer
of salvation to eventually be offered to all. New Testament citation, now
let's look at one in John 19. John 19:33, "When they came to Jesus
and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs," which was the
normal thing done to someone who's been crucified. They would finally die after you broke their legs
and they couldn't get up and breathe anymore. But He's already dead. So they
didn't break his legs. Verse 34, "But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a
spear, and immediately blood and water came out." And verse 36 of John 19, "For these things were
done that the Scripture should be fulfilled. Firstly, ‘Not one of His bones shall be
broken.’" We read that in Psalms 34:20, earlier. “And secondly another Scripture
says, ‘They shall look on Him whom they pierced.’" That was from Zechariah 12:10. The
Messiah would be pierced and bleed to death. And as we know from the symbols of the Passover,
this is vital and extremely significant. The Messiah could not die on the cross of asphyxiation
or organ failure. He had to shed His blood. And so we have looked at just nine prophecies
of the Messiah, of which there are many more. Why should you care? Our belief
in our Savior is no small matter. The historic proof of Jesus' life, death, and
resurrection is a cornerstone of our faith. And it was all prophesied ahead of time. On
this, hinges our entire belief in salvation, eternal life, and on these hinges our belief
in all of the future prophecies of our Messiah. Let's be reminded of the miraculous event that resulted in the Word of God dwelling here
on earth, to live, die, and be resurrected, that our sins may be forgiven, and that we too
may be resurrected to mortal life in the future. Jesus is pictured as the one who
is returning to rule the nations of the entire earth, the first time He came to
atone for sin. That's not what the Jews expected. Many are still looking for Him. Many
thought He would rule the first time. But it was not to be and it's not what was
actually prophesied. But the second time He comes, it will be to rule. The prophecies about Him being
a King will to come to pass. You can count on it. You must count on it. We must
know it and we must believe it. Jesus Himself gave us specific prophecies in
the Gospels and in the book of Revelation, which show what conditions will
be like when he returns. And you can read about the Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse and all of that, right? We know what things will be like, shortly before Christ's
return, the Great Tribulation, the heavenly signs. We will not know the exact day or the exact
hour but we will know the general season. We will know when His return is imminent because
of the prophecies He laid out ahead for us, just like when He came the first time. We can read
prophecies of what it'll be like when He returns the second time. We must know and believe
these prophecies too and we must be ready. Jesus' second coming to rule
the world from Jerusalem is perhaps the most important picture
of Christ in the Bible because this is the Jesus Christ that the entire world will
meet sometime in the not too distant future. I want to read you Revelation
11:15. Revelation 11:15, "The seventh angel sounded: And there were loud
voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’" It is prophesied that Jesus will take His rightful
place as ruler of the earth when He returns as the saving Messiah, not as the suffering servant.
Where will you find yourself at that point? We ask ourselves, "Will we be
found faithful and so doing?" Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, of the world-ruling Kingdom He
will establish when He returns. We are preparing as firstfruits to be in that
Kingdom. We must fully grasp the future prophecies of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom, and have faith
and trust in those as well. Jesus Christ is King. He is worthy to rule the entire earth and He will
rule. He's the earth maker and the creator of life itself. He took complete responsibility for
His creation by coming to earth to die for us at our sins. Why should you know this and care about
it? He did not fail the Old Testament prophecies of His first coming, fulfilled them down to the
letter. And He will not fail to complete His mission to return as prophesied to reward the
saints with eternal life in the resurrection and to establish His Kingdom of peace
over the whole earth. You can count on Him.
