The prophet Isaiah told King Ahaz that the birth and naming of a son “Immanuel” (God with us) would be a sign that God is coming to deliver and restore his people. Who is the young woman? Who is the child? Is there anything unique about this birth? Are we really to believe that Jesus was born of a virgin? And what difference does it make for us today?
In Immanuel Has Come (5 of 5), Pastor David concludes our series with the virgin birth and the most controversial Messianic prophecy in the Bible.
Many people are familiar with the nativity story involving Mary, Joseph, shepherds, and kings. We can find the birth narratives of Jesus in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. But not everything in this familiar story is joyous and pleasant. We are told that Jesus comes into a world of darkness. Shortly after his birth, King Herod orders that all of the firstborn sons of Bethlehem be killed to prevent the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy. The family of Jesus flees to Egypt and they barely escape death.
In The Untold Nativity Story (A Christmas Eve Homily), Pastor David draws our attention to an apocalyptic nativity story found in the book of Revelation, where spiritual forces of darkness are at work behind the scenes, seeking to stop God's plan of salvation.
In apocalyptic fashion, John the Divine tells us that God's light pierces the darkness and triumphs over evil by Christ's coming and sacrifice. It's in this story that we find comfort and assurance that we are not alone. This is the hope of Christmas.
The Jews of Jesus’ day were expecting a warrior king—a military Messiah to deliver them from Roman oppression and then judge the world from his throne in Israel. Therefore, for the first century Jew, the Servant Songs of Isaiah 42-53 must describe the sufferings of Israel, not their coming Messiah.
In The Suffering Messiah (3 of 5), Pastor David shows us how Isaiah 53 speaks of a dying and rising servant that can only be describing the passion of one man, Jesus of Nazareth.
After Jesus fed the five thousand, the people tried to make him king by force. But Jesus withdrew and rejected their ideas of kingship. According to the major prophet Isaiah, the Messiah would sit on David’s throne and reign forever. So how then does Jesus fulfill this prophecy? After all, many of Jesus’ Jewish opponents didn’t think he fit the description or brought about its claims.
In When God Becomes King (2 of 5), Pastor David explains how Jesus fulfills royal prophecy and will someday come again in glory.
Ancient Words is a series that invites us to see the divine nature of the Scriptures by experiencing the power of the Messianic prophecies that were fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Predictive prophecy is unique to the Bible. The apostle Peter said the prophets were “carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21) as they spoke of things they themselves may not have originally intended or fully understood. It wasn’t until the advent of Christ that eyes were opened to the prophecies and their fulfillment in Jesus. In Ancient Words, we are encouraged to take comfort in knowing that God put signposts in place to direct us to Jesus and trust that he is the promised Messiah. May these ancient words empower our faith and give us hope for the future.
Jesus told the people of his day that the Hebrew Scriptures point to him. He even said that Moses wrote about him. What did Jesus mean? How do the Scriptures prophetically testify to the coming of Christ and to a deliverer that will defeat the enemy and set his people free? In The Coming of the Deliverer (1 of 5), Pastor David encourages us to see how Jesus is the true deliverer of God’s people.