The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Eight - B Jun 24, 2018 by: John Herbert | Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/06-24-18-.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Isa 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. We shall continue looking at the Lord's first advent. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday June 24th 2018 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Part 8B ‘A Son Is Given’ 1). Ga 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. We had seen last time how the Son who had been promised to David in 2 Samuel Chapter 7, the One the prophets referred to as the ‘Branch of Righteousness’, the ‘Root of Jesse’ that we know to be the Seed of the Woman, was sent by God the Father into the world when the fullness of the time had come. a). And we had seen that the fullness of the time had been prophesied in Daniel Chapter 9 to be 69 ‘weeks’, or 483 years from the going forth of the command ‘to restore and build Jerusalem’ – an event recorded in Nehemiah Chapter 2. b). And this One who would come, as prophesied to David, would be God’s own Son – and He would come specifically to the Jewish people - Mt 15:24 But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." And He would come to the Jewish people with a specific message – Mt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And this was a message that looked to accomplish a specific purpose, a purpose which is succinctly stated in the Book of Acts - Ac 3:19 "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 "and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 "whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. A purpose given in Acts which is an echo of that seen in Isaiah - Isa 28:12 To whom He said, "This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest," And, "This is the refreshing"; Yet they would not hear…………..16 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily. 17 Also I will make justice the measuring line, And righteousness the plummet; The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, And the waters will overflow the hiding place. 18 Your covenant with death will be annulled, And your agreement with Sheol will not stand………… c). And it was to Moses, the Lord’s holy prophet who wrote about how the world began, that the Holy Spirit directed the Apostle John to begin his account of the ‘Good News’ concerning the advent of Jesus the Christ – Joh 1:1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 He was in the beginning with God.3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.5 ¶ And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. Ge 1:1 ¶ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 ¶ Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. The first 2 Chapters of Genesis take us through a sequence of days culminating in the 7th day in which the Man and the Woman were to rule together in a marriage relationship and the first 2 Chapters of John’s Gospel take us through a sequence of 7 days culminating in a wedding at Cana of Galilee where Jesus performs the first of 8 signs recorded in John – turning the water to wine. d). And the Lord’s purpose through the pen of John was to demonstrate exactly who Jesus is by revealing His primary role in God’s eternal purpose from the beginning – all with a view to bringing Israel to national repentance so that seen in Acts 3:19-21 would become a reality. 2). We had also noted last time that each of the Gospel writers gave a different perspective in their presentation of the ‘Good News’ concerning Jesus the Christ, John being markedly different from the other 3. a). And as we think about this for a moment let’s be clear exactly what the ‘Good News’ is that they wrote about. b). And it really is very simple – that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God – that Jesus is the One who is David’s greater Son, the One whose Kingdom would be established forever - Mt 1:1 ¶ The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: 2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers……….. Matthew begins his Gospel with the genealogy of Jesus Christ and note particularly, that Jesus is said to be ‘the Son of David, the Son of Abraham’. c). Now we know that the earthly realm of the Kingdom has been covenanted to David, but that kingdom was divided in the days of his grandson Rehoboam and ceased to exist when the Theocracy ended, and so to have begun his Gospel with the reference to the Son promised to David pointed to the restoration of the kingdom that had been lost and the coming of the King to whom the kingdom belonged – Joh 1:11 He came to His own [things – the throne of David], and His own [people] did not receive Him. Mt 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, 2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." Nu 24:17 "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult. And as we read through Matthew’s genealogy we come to - Mt 1:6 and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. 7 Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa……16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. Although Joseph is not Jesus’ biological father, Jesus would from a legal standpoint be seen to be Joseph’s Son and we see through Matthew’s genealogy that Joseph descends directly from the royal line of David through Solomon giving Joseph’s ‘Son’ the legitimate, legal right to the throne of David his father. d). This is not all that Matthew draws attention to in the first verse of his Gospel though. He also points to the fact that Jesus is the Son of Abraham, a statement which adds another layer of significance to the Lord’s advent. And to see why this is significant we can go to Paul - Ga 3:16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ. e). We know that Isaac was Abraham’s son, his seed, to whom the promises were given, and we have seen many times the verse that says – Ge 21:12…………..for in Isaac your seed shall be called. And according to the verse from Galatians, the Seed called in Isaac is Jesus the Christ and He, Jesus, is the recipient of the promises given to Abraham and his descendants. f). And those promises let’s remember determined that Abraham’s Seed would possess the gate of their enemies in both the heavenly and earthly realms of the Kingdom – and Abraham’s Seed possessing those gates would bring to conclusion the work started by the Lord in Genesis Chapter 1 when the light shone in the darkness – the very same work that John had shown was begun by, and would be fulfilled in, Jesus the Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. g). All of this is established through the genealogy at the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel and we can see how it both compliments and adds to that seen in John. 3). Mark begins his Gospel after an entirely different fashion, but still with the same focus - Mr 1:1 ¶ The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the Prophets: "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You." 3 "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.'" 4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5 Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. After beginning with the statement that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, again taking us back to David and 2 Samuel Chapter 7 Mark adds 2 OT prophecies - Mal 3:1 ¶ "Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," Says the LORD of hosts. Isa 40:3 ¶ The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; 5 The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken." Both prophecies have to do with the coming of the Lord and the one who would go before Him to prepare His way – Mark shows this to be John the Baptist, preparing the way for the Christ through preaching a baptism of repentance to which many in Judea and Jerusalem responded positively. a). This was not a message of eternal salvation, but a message of repentance to an eternally saved nation – this was repentance in line with 2 Chronicles 7:14 and the promised healing and restoration that would accompany it. b). Matthew also gives an account of John’s ministry - Mt 3:1 ¶ In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.'" 4 And John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. And the Apostle John also deals with him - Joh 1:19 ¶ Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." 21 And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." 22 Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" 23 He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD,"' as the prophet Isaiah said." c). Luke begins his Gospel with an account of John the Baptist, giving detail of the Divine hand in John’s birth - Lu 1:5 ¶ There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. Barren Elizabeth and Zacharias her husband ‘both well advanced in years’ has echoes of Abraham and Sarah and suggests a couple prepared and reserved for this moment in time to be the recipients of God’s blessing of a son who will fulfill God’s purpose for him – Lu 1:11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 "And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 "And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 "He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Luke adds to the previous prophecies by going back to Malachi, to the last Chapter in the OT - Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. 6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse." But the angel said that John would be in the spirit and power of Elijah, not Elijah himself, and so his quotation from Malachi covers only part of the prophesy and not all of it as a result. d). Jesus also talked about John recorded in - Mt 11:10 "For this is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.' 11 "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 "And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 "He who has ears to hear, let him hear! e). And at his son’s birth, having been filled with the Spirit, Zacharias prophesies - Lu 1:67 ¶ Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: 68 "Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, 69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David, 70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began, 71 That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us, 72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers And to remember His holy covenant, 73 The oath which He swore to our father Abraham: 74 To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. 76 "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, 77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; 79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace." 80 So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel. f). And it is not without significance that we are given the identity of the angelic messenger who comes to Zacharias - Lu 1:18 And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years." 19 And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. Gabriel is named in only 2 Books of scripture, Daniel and Luke, and we will remember from Daniel that it is Gabriel who was sent to Daniel to explain to him about the 70 weeks determined for Daniel’s people and their holy city. g). It was Gabriel who had informed Daniel that there would be 483 years from the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince. h). And when the fullness of this time had come, it is Gabriel who was sent again, firstly to Zacharias to tell him about his son who would be the messenger to go before Messiah the Prince and then sent to Mary to tell her of the Son who would be born to the virgin who would be God’s own Son – Lu 1:26 ¶ Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" And again, in these verses we will note the reference to ‘the house of David’. And as Gabriel continued let’s just listen to what he said - Lu 1:30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 "And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." 34 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" 35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Gabriel, in setting out God’s plan for His maidservant, took Mary straight away to that prophesied to David in 2 Samuel Chapter 7, taking her to the One who would be given the throne of His father David, the One who would reign over the house of Jacob forever, whose Kingdom would know no end – the One who would be the Son of God and he also took her to that prophesied by Isaiah – Isa 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. i). And Gabriel coming to Mary who is a virgin takes us right to the heart of prophecy once again, prophesy we also see referenced in Matthew’s Gospel Mt 1:18 ¶ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." Isa 7:14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. I am sure we have realized by now that as the Holy Spirit moved the Gospel writers to write He took them again and again to the scriptures demonstrating how the prophecies concerning the Christ were fulfilled in Jesus, prophecies that the Jewish people would be so familiar with. We will have to continue with this next time though – If the Lord is willing. The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Eight - B Jun 24, 2018 Speaker: John Herbert Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/06-24-18-.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Isa 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. We shall continue looking at the Lord's first advent. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday June 24th 2018 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Part 8B ‘A Son Is Given’ 1). Ga 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. We had seen last time how the Son who had been promised to David in 2 Samuel Chapter 7, the One the prophets referred to as the ‘Branch of Righteousness’, the ‘Root of Jesse’ that we know to be the Seed of the Woman, was sent by God the Father into the world when the fullness of the time had come. a). And we had seen that the fullness of the time had been prophesied in Daniel Chapter 9 to be 69 ‘weeks’, or 483 years from the going forth of the command ‘to restore and build Jerusalem’ – an event recorded in Nehemiah Chapter 2. b). And this One who would come, as prophesied to David, would be God’s own Son – and He would come specifically to the Jewish people - Mt 15:24 But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." And He would come to the Jewish people with a specific message – Mt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And this was a message that looked to accomplish a specific purpose, a purpose which is succinctly stated in the Book of Acts - Ac 3:19 "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 "and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 "whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. A purpose given in Acts which is an echo of that seen in Isaiah - Isa 28:12 To whom He said, "This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest," And, "This is the refreshing"; Yet they would not hear…………..16 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily. 17 Also I will make justice the measuring line, And righteousness the plummet; The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, And the waters will overflow the hiding place. 18 Your covenant with death will be annulled, And your agreement with Sheol will not stand………… c). And it was to Moses, the Lord’s holy prophet who wrote about how the world began, that the Holy Spirit directed the Apostle John to begin his account of the ‘Good News’ concerning the advent of Jesus the Christ – Joh 1:1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 He was in the beginning with God.3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.5 ¶ And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. Ge 1:1 ¶ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 ¶ Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. The first 2 Chapters of Genesis take us through a sequence of days culminating in the 7th day in which the Man and the Woman were to rule together in a marriage relationship and the first 2 Chapters of John’s Gospel take us through a sequence of 7 days culminating in a wedding at Cana of Galilee where Jesus performs the first of 8 signs recorded in John – turning the water to wine. d). And the Lord’s purpose through the pen of John was to demonstrate exactly who Jesus is by revealing His primary role in God’s eternal purpose from the beginning – all with a view to bringing Israel to national repentance so that seen in Acts 3:19-21 would become a reality. 2). We had also noted last time that each of the Gospel writers gave a different perspective in their presentation of the ‘Good News’ concerning Jesus the Christ, John being markedly different from the other 3. a). And as we think about this for a moment let’s be clear exactly what the ‘Good News’ is that they wrote about. b). And it really is very simple – that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God – that Jesus is the One who is David’s greater Son, the One whose Kingdom would be established forever - Mt 1:1 ¶ The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: 2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers……….. Matthew begins his Gospel with the genealogy of Jesus Christ and note particularly, that Jesus is said to be ‘the Son of David, the Son of Abraham’. c). Now we know that the earthly realm of the Kingdom has been covenanted to David, but that kingdom was divided in the days of his grandson Rehoboam and ceased to exist when the Theocracy ended, and so to have begun his Gospel with the reference to the Son promised to David pointed to the restoration of the kingdom that had been lost and the coming of the King to whom the kingdom belonged – Joh 1:11 He came to His own [things – the throne of David], and His own [people] did not receive Him. Mt 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, 2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." Nu 24:17 "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult. And as we read through Matthew’s genealogy we come to - Mt 1:6 and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. 7 Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa……16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. Although Joseph is not Jesus’ biological father, Jesus would from a legal standpoint be seen to be Joseph’s Son and we see through Matthew’s genealogy that Joseph descends directly from the royal line of David through Solomon giving Joseph’s ‘Son’ the legitimate, legal right to the throne of David his father. d). This is not all that Matthew draws attention to in the first verse of his Gospel though. He also points to the fact that Jesus is the Son of Abraham, a statement which adds another layer of significance to the Lord’s advent. And to see why this is significant we can go to Paul - Ga 3:16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ. e). We know that Isaac was Abraham’s son, his seed, to whom the promises were given, and we have seen many times the verse that says – Ge 21:12…………..for in Isaac your seed shall be called. And according to the verse from Galatians, the Seed called in Isaac is Jesus the Christ and He, Jesus, is the recipient of the promises given to Abraham and his descendants. f). And those promises let’s remember determined that Abraham’s Seed would possess the gate of their enemies in both the heavenly and earthly realms of the Kingdom – and Abraham’s Seed possessing those gates would bring to conclusion the work started by the Lord in Genesis Chapter 1 when the light shone in the darkness – the very same work that John had shown was begun by, and would be fulfilled in, Jesus the Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. g). All of this is established through the genealogy at the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel and we can see how it both compliments and adds to that seen in John. 3). Mark begins his Gospel after an entirely different fashion, but still with the same focus - Mr 1:1 ¶ The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the Prophets: "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You." 3 "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.'" 4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5 Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. After beginning with the statement that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, again taking us back to David and 2 Samuel Chapter 7 Mark adds 2 OT prophecies - Mal 3:1 ¶ "Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," Says the LORD of hosts. Isa 40:3 ¶ The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; 5 The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken." Both prophecies have to do with the coming of the Lord and the one who would go before Him to prepare His way – Mark shows this to be John the Baptist, preparing the way for the Christ through preaching a baptism of repentance to which many in Judea and Jerusalem responded positively. a). This was not a message of eternal salvation, but a message of repentance to an eternally saved nation – this was repentance in line with 2 Chronicles 7:14 and the promised healing and restoration that would accompany it. b). Matthew also gives an account of John’s ministry - Mt 3:1 ¶ In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.'" 4 And John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. And the Apostle John also deals with him - Joh 1:19 ¶ Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." 21 And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." 22 Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" 23 He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD,"' as the prophet Isaiah said." c). Luke begins his Gospel with an account of John the Baptist, giving detail of the Divine hand in John’s birth - Lu 1:5 ¶ There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. Barren Elizabeth and Zacharias her husband ‘both well advanced in years’ has echoes of Abraham and Sarah and suggests a couple prepared and reserved for this moment in time to be the recipients of God’s blessing of a son who will fulfill God’s purpose for him – Lu 1:11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 "And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 "And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 "He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Luke adds to the previous prophecies by going back to Malachi, to the last Chapter in the OT - Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. 6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse." But the angel said that John would be in the spirit and power of Elijah, not Elijah himself, and so his quotation from Malachi covers only part of the prophesy and not all of it as a result. d). Jesus also talked about John recorded in - Mt 11:10 "For this is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.' 11 "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 "And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 "He who has ears to hear, let him hear! e). And at his son’s birth, having been filled with the Spirit, Zacharias prophesies - Lu 1:67 ¶ Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: 68 "Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, 69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David, 70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began, 71 That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us, 72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers And to remember His holy covenant, 73 The oath which He swore to our father Abraham: 74 To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. 76 "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, 77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; 79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace." 80 So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel. f). And it is not without significance that we are given the identity of the angelic messenger who comes to Zacharias - Lu 1:18 And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years." 19 And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. Gabriel is named in only 2 Books of scripture, Daniel and Luke, and we will remember from Daniel that it is Gabriel who was sent to Daniel to explain to him about the 70 weeks determined for Daniel’s people and their holy city. g). It was Gabriel who had informed Daniel that there would be 483 years from the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince. h). And when the fullness of this time had come, it is Gabriel who was sent again, firstly to Zacharias to tell him about his son who would be the messenger to go before Messiah the Prince and then sent to Mary to tell her of the Son who would be born to the virgin who would be God’s own Son – Lu 1:26 ¶ Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" And again, in these verses we will note the reference to ‘the house of David’. And as Gabriel continued let’s just listen to what he said - Lu 1:30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 "And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." 34 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" 35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Gabriel, in setting out God’s plan for His maidservant, took Mary straight away to that prophesied to David in 2 Samuel Chapter 7, taking her to the One who would be given the throne of His father David, the One who would reign over the house of Jacob forever, whose Kingdom would know no end – the One who would be the Son of God and he also took her to that prophesied by Isaiah – Isa 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. i). And Gabriel coming to Mary who is a virgin takes us right to the heart of prophecy once again, prophesy we also see referenced in Matthew’s Gospel Mt 1:18 ¶ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." Isa 7:14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. I am sure we have realized by now that as the Holy Spirit moved the Gospel writers to write He took them again and again to the scriptures demonstrating how the prophecies concerning the Christ were fulfilled in Jesus, prophecies that the Jewish people would be so familiar with. We will have to continue with this next time though – If the Lord is willing.