The Old Testament Prophets, particularly Isaiah, looked forward with anxious anticipation to the birth of Israel's Messiah. Here are some Old Testament Prophecies which tell us about the baby that they were waiting for.
THE BABY WOULD BE BORN TO SPECIAL PARENTS
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 1:34-35 - Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? [35] And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
This Baby would be born of a virgin and fathered by the Holy Spirit. He would be "Emmanuel", God with us.
THE BABY WOULD BE BORN IN A SPECIAL 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.
THE BABY WOULD BE BORN A SPECIAL PERSON
Isaiah 9:6 - For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
THIS BABY WOULD BE BORN FOR A SPECIAL PURPOSE
Isaiah 53:1-6 - Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? [2] For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. [3] He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. [4] Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. [5] But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. [6] All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
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LUKE 1:26-38 – BABY IS ON THE WAY
COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS #2
GOD'S MESSENGER - Vss. 26-27
The messenger, was the Angel Gabriel
GOD'S MESSAGE - Vss. 28-33
Mary was highly favored - Vs. 28
Mary was not to fear - Vss.29-30
Mary would give birth to the Messiah - Vss. 31-33
GOD'S METHOD - Vss. 34-38
To cause a virgin birth - Vss. 34-35
To give a child to a barren woman - Vs. 36
To do the impossible - Vs. 37
To bless people of faith - Vs. 38
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MATTHEW 1:18-25 – COMPLICATIONS!
COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS # 3
Sometimes when a person is pregnant, they run into "complications". Mary also ran into complications, but the complications were caused by the misunderstanding of Joseph, to whom Mary was betrothed.
A SURPRISE PREGNANCY - Vs. 18
Joseph was the one that was surprised, not Mary.
A SERIOUS PROBLEM - Vs. 19
Joseph loved Mary, and would quietly divorce her, rather than publicly harm her.
A SPECIAL PROCLAMATION - Vss. 20-21
Joseph was told that the conception was the work of Holy Ghost, that this child would be named Jesus, because He would save his people.
A SURE PROPHECY - Vss. 22-23
This birth would be the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14.
A SUBMISSIVE PERFORMANCE - Vss. 24-25
Joseph did as he was told.
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LUKE 2:1-14 – BABY IS HERE!
COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS #4
ADVANCE TO BETHLEHEM - Vss. 1-5
God worked through Caesar Augustus so that Mary was in Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus. Micah 5:2 was fulfilled.
ARRIVAL OF JESUS - Vss. 6-7
ANNOUNCEMENT BY ANGELS - Vss. 8-14
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LUKE 2:15-20 ETC. – THE JOY THAT BABY BRINGS
COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS #5
THE JOY OF PRIVILEGE - The Shepherds - Luke 2:15-20
The shepherds had the privilege of being the first ones to hear the birth announcement and the first ones to see the newborn.
THE JOY OF PROMISE - Simeon and Anna - Luke 2:25-38
Simeon and Anna were both waiting for the promise of the coming Messiah. Simeon was promised that he would not die until he saw Him.
THE JOY OF PRESENTATION - The Wise Men - Matthew 2:11
The Wise Men presented themselves for worship.
The Wise Men presented their gifts.
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LUKE 1:26-56 – JOURNEY OF FAITH
JOURNEYS WITH MARY - Lesson #1 of 4
A COMPLETE SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
I WILL POST THE REMAINING THREE SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS IN THE NEXT SERMON SEEDS
What is the most significant journey or trip you have ever made, and why was it significant?
Why do journeys need not be long in order to be significant?
The most significant step of faith you ever took was to trust Jesus as your Savior. Name another step of faith that God has led you to take.
How is doing something by faith a “journey”?
As we approach the Christmas holiday we want to examine the four journeys that Mary made found in Luke 1-2. They are:
The Journey of Faith – Luke 1:26-56
The Journey of Fruition – Luke 2:1-20
The Journey of Fulfillment – Luke 2:21-39
The Journey towards the Future – Luke 2:40-52
The first journey that Mary made was from Nazareth to “the hill country”. For her it was a journey of faith, accepting what she had been told by the Angel Gabriel as true. So often our journeys in this life are journeys of faith. We must take God at His word, and move forward believing that what He has said is true.
MARY’S CONVERSATION – Vss. 26-37
Vs. 26 - Nazareth was not the “garden spot” of Israel. In fact, it is not even mentioned in the Old Testament. It was a mixed city, of Jews, Gentiles, and soldiers. The city did not have a good reputation.
Vs. 27 – How do you think Mary was like thousands of other poor teenage girls that lived in Israel at the time?
Vs. 28 – Why do you think Gabriel greeted Mary the way he did?
Notice that Mary was blessed “among” women, not “above” women. How do some people wrongly view Mary? How should we rightly view Mary?
Vs. 29 – What troubled Mary?
Vs. 30 – Mary wasn’t to fear, but to be assured that she had found favor with God. How have we Christians found favor with God? Why is faith necessary to enjoy that favor?
Vss. 31-32 – How was Jesus great? Notice His deity. When does He get the throne?
Vs. 34 – Do you think Mary’s question was a question of doubt or simply trying to understand? Why?
Vss. 35-37 – How was Mary’s pregnancy different from Elizabeth’s pregnancy? How were they similar? What was the Angel’s point in mentioning Elizabeth?
Vs. 37 – What impossible things have you seen God do?
What is the basis for believing that God will do the impossible in our lives?
MARY’S CONFIDENCE – Vss. 38-40
Vs. 38 – What was the biggest problem Mary would have had with this pregnancy?
Besides Mary’s faith in verse 38 we see her submission. Why do submission and faith go together?
Can and should Mary’s faith be duplicated?
Vss. 39-40 – How was the journey Mary took an indication of her faith?
How will our actions sometimes be an indication of our faith?
MARY’S CONFIRMATION - Vss. 41-45
Vss. 39-41 – Mary was to receive confirmation of her faith through the inspired words of Elizabeth. Elizabeth would have known only a little of what was going on. It was the control of the Holy Spirit that allowed her to say what she said.
Vss. 42-43 – If you were Mary, how would you have reacted to Elizabeth’s statements? How do we tell that these statements were prodded by God?
Verses 41 and 44 are fulfillments of the promise given in verse 15.
Vs. 45 - Why do you think God gave this confirmation to Mary?
What are some ways in which God confirms our faith?
4. MARY’S CONCERT – Vss. 46-56
Vs. 46 – What specific reasons did Mary have for magnifying the Lord? What reasons do we have?
Vs. 47 – This verse tells us that Mary was not sinless, as some think. Why is it important to rejoice in the God of salvation rather than in salvation itself?
Vs. 48 - We know why generations have called Mary “blessed”. In what ways is a believer “blessed”?
Vs. 49 – Notice that we praise God for the same two reasons that are mentioned here.
Vs. 50 – Who are those who fear him from generation to generation?
The statements made in verses 51 through 55 were certainly true in the past. However, they are probably prophecies stated in the past tense. They are as good as done.
How have each of the prophecies in these verses been fulfilled or how will they be fulfilled by Jesus?
What lessons about faith have you learned from Mary?
