At Christmas, we celebrate:

the breaking through of the divine presence of God from heaven to earth
the incarnation of God’s great and sacrificial love for all mankind
the miraculous fulfilment of God’s promises prophesied millennia ago

Jesus Christ fulfilled over 300 prophecies over the course of His life and ministry on earth, just as God promised.

Two things that we must do when we come across His promises for us individually and for all mankind.

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I. Be Mindful of His Promises

A. God's Word Never Fails

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.--- Gen 3:15

the protoevangelium or the first gospel.
fulfilled through Jesus' death and resurrection

God's Word is unfailing:

Cain murdered Abel, but Seth was born
Humanity was corrupt and evil but Noah was rescued.
People wanted to be like God and were dispersed at the Tower of Babel, but God chose Abram
Repeated rebellion and failure by the Israelites

God’s sovereign plan of salvation was always at work over many millennia and at the right time, His Word was fulfilled through Jesus Christ.

B. God’s Word Always Surpasses

1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” --- Gen 12:3-5

Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran with this promise
Isaac was born 25 years later
Abram was 160 years old when Jacob and Esau were born
The Word of God promised surpassed Abraham - the fruition of this promise was going to take place beyond his lifetime.

Many times God’s prophetic word surpasses our expectations.

Jacob, the liar and the deceiver, would take on the blessing given to Abraham and Isaac.
Joseph, not the firstborn son of Israel and was despised by his brothers, would serve as the agent for the preservation of Israel and also a blessing to Egypt and its surrounding nations during the famine.
An inappropriate manger in an unthinkable stable in an unavailable inn in the insignificant town of Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the Son of God, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, ... Even angels long to look into these things. --- 1 Pet 1:10-12

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” --- Isa 55:8-11

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II. Be Watchful For His Signs

A. God’s Revelations Are Illustrative

Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come. --- Rom 5:14

22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” “45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. --- 1 Cor 15:22, 45

“The Biblical narrator does his best to inspire the reader to pay attention to the mirroring associations between the stories, especially those who are set far apart in time from one another.” --- Dr. Yair Zakovitch

“Explicit parallelism between various events is an accepted practice of the Old Testament itself. Quite often we find that various characters in the Old Testament refer to an earlier event in order to ascribe strength and validity to their message.”--- Rabbi Amnon Dov Bazak

It is certainly reasonable to expect illustrative associations and comparisons between some Old Testament characters and the promised Messiah. Can you spot the similarities and contrasts with Jesus Christ?

Adam

Created in the image of God
Filled with the life-giving breath of God’s Spirit
Has dominion over creation
Mediates between God and creation

Isaac

The seed of Abraham
Would have been sacrificed if not for God’s provision of a substitute

Joseph

Despised by his brothers
Stripped of his clothing
Sold to Gentiles for silver coins
Became a servant
Was considered dead
Was considered a criminal
Gave hope to a criminal
Raised to prominence and power at age 30
Unrecognized by his brothers
Ended up as a ruler

Moses

Faced the threat of death as a baby from the king
Was saved in Egypt
Became a prince, then a pauper
Became a shepherd
Tasked by God to redeem God’s people from slavery
Gave God’s law from Mt Sinai
Fasted 40 days on the mountain
Performed signs and miracles
Offered his life to save the people

You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me. --- Jn 5:39

B. God’s Revelations Are Progressive

“Man dwelt with God in Eden, and enjoyed with Him immediate and not merely mediate communion … Had man not fallen, every man would have enjoyed direct vision of God and immediate speech with Him. Man having fallen, the cherubim and the flame of a sword keep the path; and God breaks His way in a round-about fashion into man’s darkened heart to reveal there His redemptive love. By slow steps and gradual stages He at once works out His saving purpose and molds the world for its reception, choosing a people for Himself and training it through long and weary ages, until at last when the fulness of time has come. He bares His arm and sends out the proclamation of His great salvation to all the earth.” --- Benjamin B. Warfield

The identity of the Messiah:

To Adam, the seed of the woman
To Abraham, one of his descendants
To Jacob, from the tribe of Judah
To David, from his royal lineage
To Micah, born in Bethlehem
To Isaiah, born of a virgin

1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. --- Heb 1:1-2

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Conclusion

Jesus Christ already came to the earth over 2000 years ago, just as God promised.

Jesus paid the price for our sin on the cross for you and I so that we who believe in Him can have eternal life, just as God promised.

Jesus was raised to life on the third day by the power of God, and He ascended into heaven and so that the Holy Spirit may be poured out on those who believe in Him, just as God promised.

Applications:

Trust in God and His Word.
Be Ready For His Arrival.

Just As God Promised