The Prophecy Of Christ’s Birth

Temple Baptist Church - 12-4-2011

Matthew 1:18-25 (vs. 22-23)

Introduction:

A. What about the coming of the Messiah? The most prophesied event in the Bible is that of the birth of the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. The first man was given this blessed hope in Genesis 3:15, four thousand years before His birth.

1. He was and is the Hope of mankind. The promised Savior!

2. He was and is the Hope of Israel. The promised King!

3. He was and is the Hope of the Church. The Promised Eternal Bridegroom!

B. The Old Testament saints looked forward to the coming of the promised “Seed” with as much anticipation as the New Testament saints look back to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with exaltation. The Jews still place notes into the “Wailing Wall” and pray for the promised Messiah, realizing that He is their only Hope! We, as New Testament saints look back with thrill and wonder that God so loved us that He gave His only begotten Son to die in our place. God help us to never lose that!

C. There are literally hundreds of prophetic verses that deal with the first coming of Christ with each being fulfilled in the smallest detail. Not one prophecy, given thousands of years before His coming, failed! What a blessed Book the Bible is! What a wonderful God our Heavenly Father is! What a Savior!

D. I want to look at five aspects of the prophecy of Christ this morning.

1. The Prophecy Of His Person – Who came?

2. The Prophecy Of His Purpose – Why was He born?

3. The Prophecy Of His Period – When did He come?

4. The Prophecy Of His Place – Where was He born?

5. The Prophecy Of His Performance – How was He born?


1. The Prophecy Of His Person – HE WAS BORN THE RIGHT PERSON!

a. He Was To Be A Prophet, Priest, And King

1) A Prophet - Deuteronomy 18:15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

2) A Priest - Ezekiel 45:16-17 All the people of the land shall give this oblation for the prince in Israel. And it shall be the prince’s part to give burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in the sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel.

Hebrews 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

3) A King - Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

John 12:15 Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.

b. God In Flesh - Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

c. The Sacrificial Lamb Of God - Genesis 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

2. The Prophecy Of His Purpose – HE WAS BORN FOR THE RIGHT REASON!

Galatians 4:4-5 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

a. To Provide a Savior - Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

b. To Fulfill Scripture - Matthew 1:22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

c. To Give Hope - Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

3. The Prophecy Of His Period – HE WAS BORN AT THE RIGHT TIME!

Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

Daniel 9:24-27 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

4. The Prophecy Of His Place – HE WAS BORN IN THE RIGHT PLACE!

Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Matthew 2:6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

John 7:42 Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?

5. The Prophecy Of His Performance – HE WAS BORN IN THE RIGHT WAY!

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Luke 1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

Conclusion: Again, this morning, all I can say is “Hallelujah! What a Saviour! Have you received Christ, God’s perfect Gift to fallen man?

John 1:11-14 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made 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.