Unwrapping Christmas | The First Christmas

Sunday before Christmas, lets look at what the prophets had to say before the first Christmas.

There are more than 383 Messianic Prophecies in the old testament.

b. Through these prophecies, many have been fulfilled but some still are left to be fulfilled which has to deal with the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

V.  Today, we will look at some of the messianic prophecies detailing the birth of Christ and his purpose.

a. Many of these prophecies were spoken of in a span of 400-2000 years before the birth of Christ..

5 Prophecies that Matthew Quotes in his Gospel.

Why is it important? To see what the prophet said?

TWO REASONS

It VALIDATES that God is faithful to His promises.

Psalm 145:13 ESV

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.

Proves His promises through prophecies

GOD PROMISES US!

Isaiah 46:11 ESV

calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.

If God made promise that weren't true we would question Him. But by speaking through the Prophets, about specific details about the Birth.

It Validates God is faithful to his promises for the Birth, Death and Us today!

It VERIFIES that Jesus is the promised Messiah

Its Mathematically impossible for all prophecies to be fulfilled through one person.

One person fulfilling 8+ prophecies 1 and 100 Quadrillion (That’s 157 zeros)

You have a better odds to be struck by a falling satellite from the sky then fulfilling the prophecies.

Peter Stoner:

Peter Stoner was the Chairman of the Departments of Mathematics and Astronomy at Pasadena City College until 1953. He was Chairman of the science division, Westmont College, 1953-57

Peter Stoner wrotea book called, “Science Speaks”

“Any man who rejects Christ as the Son of God is rejecting a fact proved perhaps more absolutely than any other fact in the world.”

Matthew in the Gospel: A Jew relating to a Jewish Audience.

Matthew 1:18–24 (ESV)

Matthew 1:18–24 ESV

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,

FIRST PROPHECY: He would be born of a virgin.

Matthew is quoting…

Isaiah 7:14 ESV

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

This was written. 700 Years BC

If Jesus was born in the natural way then he would have been born in the natural sin that is passed down to us through the seed of a man.

If he contained sin he wouldn't of been free of Sin to take our Sin on the cross.

Lets go back to chapter 18.

Matthew 1:18 ESV

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

What betrothed mean?

Today we have modernized weddings.

-Change status on Social Media

-Could be years before marriage

BACK IN THE DAY: Betrothal- means one year from wedding

-Betrothal was when the couple exchanged vows and contracts were set.

-Arranged marriages.

-Not necessarily a bad idea? LOL Teen Girl Dads can relate.

-Dads negotiate together to get the Betrothal. (Land, Livestock, Tesla)

-Alimony in Advance (The women can fall back on the Dowry)

-NO Sexual Intimacy

-Groom get Bride then have party and then consummate the marriage

BUT during the waiting period, Mary comes pregnant. Joseph thinks Mary cheated and he could have used the contract against her.

Angel of the Lord appears to Joseph. “Don’t be Afraid”

BEFORE WE MOVE ON, Let’s Talk about Mary…

Did Mary Know???? Lets look at who she was….

Faith and Obedience: Angel Come, she responds in humility and Faith - Luk 1:38

Luke 1:38 ESV

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

She was Righteous and Devouted holding Jewish Laws

Humble: Luke 1:46-55 He has looked on the humble estate of his servant. She understood her blessings came from God. She showed Spiritual Maturity.

Looking Difficulty in the Eye! She faced rejection, misunderstanding, and danger but still submitted to Christ. Not to mention she got her steps in and her apple watch didnt track it!

Two things we can learn from Mary…

-God will use us when we develop spiritual maturity.

-God moves in our storm, Mary was rejected but God’s plan still prevailed.

SO DID MARY KNOW??? Yes, there wasn't any doubting because of her faith and dedication.

Second Prophecy: He would be born in Bethlehem

Matthew 2:1–6 ESV

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 who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

This was written. 700 Years BC

Micah 5:2 ESV

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

The religious people (King Herod’s people) knew the Bible but just didn't believe it.

-Quoted Micah 5:2 correctly.

When Herod was investigating, he summoned the religious leaders. They said Bethelehem.

In Micah is says something about the Origins (whose coming forth)

Ruler messiah will be from Bethlehem.

Ruler messiah Origins will be from old ancient times.

Bethlehem - Birth place of King David (Jesus Lineage)

Produced Grain there = House of Bread., we spoke on importance of swaddling clothes…

The Origins of the ruler are from ancient times.

Hebrew has two expresions of time.

-Calculated

-NOT Calculated (Hebrew word: Yom Alam)

Translates: the days of eternity.

Micah uses this type of language to prove that Jesus is sent by God.

God was at the beginning of time he is the most ancient you can be.

Psalm 90:2 ESV

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

FOR ALL ETERNITY…

Matthew 2:13–15 ESV

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Third Prophecy: He would spend His infancy in Egypt.

Written 700 BC

Hosea 11:1 ESV

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

Harod was coming for Jesus so an angel spoke to Joseph.

*Egypt was a place of refuge.

Abraham fled there when there was a famine in Isreal

-Grandson Jacob fled to Egypt during a famine.

-Jeremiah shows refugees during the times of Babylonians

Now we see it for Jesus as a baby.

He would be the target of infanticide

Fourth Prophecy: He would be the target of infantcide.

Matthew 2:16–18 ESV

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Written 600 BC

Jeremiah 31:15 ESV

Thus says the Lord: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”

Matthew is quoting Jeremiah.

Jeremiah wrote about something that was happening in his time but it was a prophecy of what was to come for Jesus.

-When Bablonian came to take Jerusalem. They took them to prisoners which was RAMAH (Iraq) they would take children from their parents and the staging for this was Ramah.

Ramah was 5 miles out of Jerusalem, where families were getting separated.

“Rachel weeping for her children”

Jacob is the great patriarch for the Jewish nation. 12 sons of Jacob

Rachel and Jacob had two sons..

Joseph and Benjamin (Sarah would die giving birth to Benjamin) EXPLAINS THE WEAPING.

Roman soldiers are killing boys 2 yrs and younger.

Fifth Prophecy: He would be raised in Nazareth; he would be despised and rejected

Matthew 2:19–23 ESV

But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Joseph and Mary were both Nazareth. the only reason they left there town was for the census.

In Nazarine, Jesus born in Bethlehem, Told to go to Egypt…

They were going to go to Bethlehem, but that was part of the Judean Province so it was being ruled by Harods son.

So then they went to Nazareth.

Jesus spent most of his life as a Nazarine.

Whats interesting is there wasn't an official prophet who said this. SO what is Matthew referring to? Two Thoughts

Fufillment of Isaiah 11:1

Isaiah 11:1 ESV

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

Jesse was the father of King David… (Mary was in the same lineage)

Line of King David (Branch is Capitalized which means a reference to the messiah.)

Isaiah 53:3 ESV

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Jesus did this for you!

It VALIDATES that God is faithful to His promises.

It VERIFIES that Jesus is the promised Messiah.

-Candlelight Service - Celebrate Jesus fulfilling a bonus prophecy- Isaiah 9:2: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”

Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would bring light to those in darkness and peace to a broken world.

As followers of Christ, we are called to carry His light into the world. This Christmas, share the hope of Jesus with someone who is walking in darkness.

How can we share the light with the lost if we aren't even inviting them to come attend.

I want to take a second and allow God to move and lay a person on your heart.