Audio - A Look at the Birth of Christ Through the Eyes of the Old Testament Prophecies

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The First Sunday After New Year
January 3, 2010
A Look at the Birth of Christ Through the Eyes of the Old Testament Prophecies

TEXT:  (Isaiah 9:2-5 NKJ)  The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. 3 You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian. 5 For every warrior's sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.
 
These verses are just a sample of the many Old Testament prophecies of the coming of the Christ—when God the Father sent His Son, the prophets had been silent for 400 years—this was a dark time in the history of God’s people—and light was used to announce the birth of the Christ Child to the shepherds in the fields—note the use of darkness and light in the announcement—Scripture is filled with symbolism—and that symbolism is especially present here—the announcement of the birth of Christ comes at a time of darkness—and the message is delivered by a glowing and very bright angel
 
(Luke 2:8-11 NKJ)  Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
 
Both Isaiah and Luke speak of joy—and in each case the joy is interpreted as a reference to the Gospel message—Isaiah uses a word for joy that is usually associated with the victors of a battle—the JOY of collecting the spoils of war—it is interesting to note that the tense of the word for joy in Luke’s writing is present tense—which shows that the action is just beginning and moves into the future—Christ is born—the battle with Satan begins—and the great joy will come at the end with victory over death and sin for each believer—through Christ—by Christ—and to the glory of God forever
 
As we consider these words of prophecy we should be reminded of Peter’s words concerning prophecy—we should also consider that Peter was one of the three witnesses to Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain—Peter knew Christ—and Peter understood God’s plan for our salvation—Peter also knew that it all came through prophecy—the Apostles didn’t make it up
 
(2 Peter 1:16-21 NKJ)  For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
 
Through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit King Solomon also tells us that God the Son was there prior to Creation—the Son was not created—He was always there to delight the Father—and the Son came in the form of man as part of God’s plan—obedience of the Son is glory to the Father—and our obedience to the teachings of God bring glory and delight to the Son
 
(Proverbs 8:22-31 NKJ)  "The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. 23 I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there was ever an earth. …27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there, … 30 Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him, 31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world, And my delight was with the sons of men.
 
The author of the Book of Hebrews wanted the Jews to understand that as the prophets once spoke of the Promised One—Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise—and the brightness of His glory is an indication of the power of God—again we see people in the darkness of lack of understanding receiving the message of bright light
 
(Hebrews 1:1-4 NKJ)  God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
 
Jesus was speaking to those same Jews when He announced that He was the Bread from heaven that came to give us life—much as the Israelites in the desert were given the miracle of the manna everyday for 40 years—Jesus was giving us Christians the Bread of Life—Himself—for all eternity—all we had to do is recognize the Light of heaven sent down from God the Father—which is separated from the darkness of the sin of this world—Christ is the Bread of heaven—the Fountain of Living Water—and the Light of the world
 
(John 6:32-35 NKJ)  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 "For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 34 Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always." 35 And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
 
(John 8:12 NKJ)  Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
 
Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve into sin man has been in darkness—the darkness of sin separates us from God—Jesus, the Christ came to be the light that would erase the darkness of our ignorance
 
Paul was a master of the prophesies and the Old Testament teachings—and he understood the darkness of ignorance and sin—even being a master of the words of the Holy Scriptures, Paul only understood his ignorance of the Word after his conversion by Christ—Paul tried to warn us of losing our focus on the things of God and being obedient so we could be removed from the darkness of ignorance—and we would be brought into the light of knowledge of obedience to God—knowing the Old Testament prophecies—and knowing Christ—Paul was used by God to erase our ignorance and teach us the truth of the Gospel—that’s why his letters to the churches are so special
 
(Ephesians 5:8-10 NKJ)  For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
 
Jesus came to bring peace to all believers—not the peace of this world—but the peace of understanding that we are in this world but we are not of this world—our citizenship is in heaven—another thing well-understood by Paul
 
(Philippians 3:20 NKJ)  For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
 
The Apostle John sums all this up in a few sentences—Jesus is the Light—and the Light is seen through the Word—and the Word became flesh—and that is what Christmas is all about—God—was made in the form of man to defeat the Law—and to defeat death for all eternity
 
(John 1:1-14 NKJ)  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. … 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
 
The Light of the world is Christ—and He came to guide us in the way of salvation—without the Light of Christ, we all sit in the darkness of the shadow of death—Christ is the Way—He leads us on the only path to heaven—Jesus started His journey we ca life in this world in a manger in Bethlehem—and His victory—and our peace—came when He died, was buried, and was raised on the third day—God was glorified—and we were saved—moved from the darkness, into the light of our Lord—the message is clear and appears in many places in Scripture—why Jesus came—and that we are the earthen vessels filled with the power of the Holy Spirit—the power of life eternal through Christ
 
(Luke 1:79 NKJ)  To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace."
 
(1 Corinthians 3:16 NKJ)  Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
 
(2 Corinthians 4:6-7 NKJ)  For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
 
ALL GLORY BE TO GOD!