It's good to see each of you here this evening. Look forward to our time of fellowship together around the word, exalting our Lord Jesus Christ. That's what we're here to do. Let's begin with hymn number 293 in our hymn book, The Lord's My Shepherd, taken straight from Psalm 23. Lord's my shepherd, I'll not want. He makes me down to lie. In pastures green he leadeth me. the quiet waters by. My soul He doth restore again, and me to walk doth make within the paths of righteousness, in for His own name's sake. Yea, though I walk through death's dark veil, yet will I fear no ill. For thou art with me and thy rod and staff me comfort still. thou as furnished in presence of my foes. My head thou dost with oil anoint, and my cup overflows. Goodness and mercy all my life shall surely follow me. And in God's house forevermore my dwelling place shall be. about the shepherd, shepherd's psalm, Christ. Let's take our Bibles and look together in Genesis chapter 15 as we continue our reading through this first book of the scriptures. Reminded that the word Genesis means the beginning. So everything that we have today began here. This is the seed form and From here, God has worked out in history his purpose of redemption for sinners that he has chosen and came to save and did save at the cross. But it begins here with God confirming his covenant with Abraham or Abram. We're still using that part of it because he doesn't have a child yet. Once he does, then it's Abraham because that means the father of many. But at this point, he's the appointed father. And we read in verse one, after these things, the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision saying, fear not Abram, I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. This was after Abram had gone and conquered those kings and brought them back and he encountered Melchizedek. So when it says after these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram. The word of the Lord, we're not sure exactly how it came to Abram, whether in a oral voice audible or in his heart as the spirit of the Lord would have directed him, but either way, it was the word of the Lord that came to Abram in a vision. I can attest as a preacher of the gospel that even while I'm preaching, it's not an audible voice I hear, but the Lord will bring a word to mind that I didn't even put down in my notes, but relates to what I'm preaching on. And so many times I'll cite it or have you turn to it And it's by the spirit that that word has been brought, not an audible voice necessarily. There were times when certainly God caused an audible voice to be heard. Sometimes we know it says that Moses received the law through the intermediary of angels, but in all of it, it's the working of the spirit of God. And here's how he reassured Abram, do not be afraid. It's amazing to hear it. Abram had gone out and won a great victory and yet a reminder that he was in the flesh and subject to like passions as anybody. And so the Lord comes to reassure him. He said, I'm your shield and you're exceedingly great reward. There was good reason for God to say this to Abram, even after he had defeated such a large army made up of a partnership of these four kings, thinking that perhaps now they would seek retribution and come back and attack him after he had pillaged them. So the Lord is reminding him, and it's a good reminder for all of us, whatever the enemy, It's God who directs all things. There's not one thing that can touch any one of us, but what it comes through the hand of God himself. That's what Paul writes about there in Romans chapter eight. But here he speaks of himself as being Abram's shield and his reward. Abram needed a shield because he needed the Lord's defense and protection. We live in a fallen world with many enemies. We need the Lord as our shield. And that's who Christ is. If he paid our sin debt, he is our advocate. And he stands between us and the enemy. But also, he says, the exceeding great reward, not just a reward, but exceeding great reward. Abram had denied himself any personal reward when it was offered by the King of Sodom. We saw that last time in Genesis 14, 21 to 24. He refused that Sodom should, the King of Sodom should have any part in saying that he helped contribute to Abram's success. And here we see why, because the Lord himself would be Abram's reward. And so God told Abram that even though he had gone up against these enemies and the enemies were still there in the land against him, yet the Lord himself would be his stay and would be his reward. We don't talk about rewards like religion does. Our one reward is Christ. And when we pass from this world, That's the one hope of those that Christ has redeemed and God has chosen, the spirit called is that Christ himself is that reward. And so the Lord says to him, do not be afraid. How many times did the Lord say that to his disciples? As he prepared them for the onslaught and the persecution and tribulation that they would most certainly face for his namesake, yet he said, fear not. And verses two and three, that's what I love about scripture, that Abram here expresses honestly his doubts. Verse two, Abram said, talk about Abram being a father of the faithful, man of faith. And yet here, Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me? See, and I go childless and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus. That's where Abram was from originally, Syria. And Abram said, behold, to me, thou has given no seed and lo one born in my house is mine heir. That's the way it would be. If he didn't have an heir himself, then it would go to one of his servant's children. Certainly Abraham believed God's promise. And yet at the same time, there's a, sense here in which Abram, I would say, rather than doubting, wondered about how God would work it all out. We know that all things work together for the good of them that love God and them that are decalled according to his purpose. We know that, and yet we go to bed at night and wake up every day wondering about how God is going to fulfill that promise in our lives day in and day out. And so I believe that's the sense here. He's looking around at his options. And Eleazar of Damascus, that was Abram's chief assistant, his main servant, because each household had a main servant that was faithful to the master, and therefore loyal to Abram. And Abram was thinking that that's all he had, but he was like a son to Abram. And that's what he says to the Lord. Look, you've given me no offspring. Abram is just simply having this conversation with the Lord, repeating back to the Lord what the Lord has promised, and then wondering about the outcome. You've given me no offspring. And yet, as we read on, it wasn't that Abram was doubting God. but he was wondering how God was going to work it all out. And that's part of our flesh and our thoughts as we read the word even, how is the Lord going to work out his will and providence even in our lives? And that's where verses four and five, God speaks to Abram concerning his question. He says, and behold, How does the Lord reassure any one of us? It's with his word. Behold, the word of the Lord came unto him saying, this shall not be thine heir, but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad and said, look now toward heaven and tell the stars if thou be able to number them. And he said unto him, so shall thy seed be. Notice seed, not seeds. So one that would be Abram's heir would not be from this particular servant. Abram needed here the reminder of the promise of God. And it would be one that would come from his own body that would be that heir. You have to remember he's old now, his wife's up in years. And so this promise repeated was to reassure Abram was such clarity and certainty that it would be exactly as God said it would be. And whenever we have questions, that's what we come back to, read the word. What has God said? What has he promised? In the chronology of Abram's life, the fulfillment of this promise was actually still 15 years away. He was already old when the Lord promised it to him and he went another 15 years without a seed. It's no wonder that the writer to the Hebrews wrote there in Hebrews 6, 11 and 12. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end that you don't become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherited the promise. And he's speaking there, of course, of not only Abram, but that whole chapter 11 of Hebrews, but that's mentioned in Hebrews 6. The Lord said it would be from his own body. And the Lord explained it again to him without giving him the timing. But this seed would be his own actual flesh and blood descendant. Because it would be from this seed that our Lord Jesus Christ would be brought into the world those hundreds of years later. And when he, to prove it to Abram, he took him outside, told him, look up and count the stars if you're able to number them. I remember as a little kid thinking I can count these stars and I'd go out there and said, I'd get counting for a little bit and then I'd forget where I was and I'd go back and start. And I thought, now who can count the stars? That's only what we can see. But God not only told Abram, the promise again, but he confirmed it with this illustration. The stars in the sky would show how vast the number of Abram's descendants would be. And I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. I don't believe he's talking about physical descendants because Paul said to the Romans, they're not all Israel that are of Israel. I believe he's talking here about the spiritual descendants of Abraham that would be those elect from every tribe, nation, and tongue for whom Christ would come and pay their sin debt. And when you get over into the book of Revelation, it speaks of a number that no man can number. See, we have very narrow view because we meet in small numbers and we think, well, I guess there aren't many that the Lord has chosen. We don't know how much longer time was going to go on. It could go on for another million years. I just know that everyone that God has purposed to save and for whom Christ came and paid the sin debt, they'll be called to him before this whole thing is wrapped up. So be thankful that you're one of those that he has called in your lifetime, but don't think this is it. Story's not over. And then we see Abram's response there in verse six to what the Lord said. And he believed in the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousness. This is one of those verses like John 3, 16 that men have misquoted. They quote it as if, okay, it was Abraham's believing then that was counted for his righteousness. That's not what it's saying. Break it down. He believed in what the Lord had taught him and said to him that there would be that seed that would come from his loins. That's what he believed. He believed God's promise. And when it says he counted it to him for righteousness, it could be said he revealed it to him. That's how Paul writes about it in Romans chapter four and verse nine. The faith that was granted to Abram was when it says for righteousness, it's the word unto righteousness. He's not saying this faith, Abraham, is gonna stand for your righteousness, no. That faith was given to look forward to that righteousness that would come and from whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed. You can read that in Romans chapter four, particularly in verses nine and 10. So it wasn't that believing was accounted to him for righteousness. It's like preachers say today, well, if you just believe, God will count you righteous, no. Any that believe God has already counted them righteous in his son, the Lord Jesus Christ and his death and what he accomplished there at Calvary. And that's why they believe. Before Christ came, they were granted faith to look forward to that seed that should come, which is Christ and lay down his life. Since the cross, those that God has chosen are granted faith to look back to that time when Christ laid down his life. But it's the same focal point. It's the same object of faith, whether Abraham or anybody that the Lord has chosen today. That's where our justification is. It's not in our believing, but it's in that righteousness that the Lord Jesus Christ came and earned and established. And upon completion of that work, God was satisfied and imputed that righteousness to the spiritual account of every single one that he purposed to say from the beginning of time all the way to the end. And there's where God continues to speak to Abram's questions about this covenant. Verses seven and eight, he said unto him, Reminding Abram again, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees to give thee this land to inherit it. And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? You can point the finger all you want to at Abram and say, well, how come he keeps doubting? The Lord keeps telling him. But the Lord is the one that grants the assurance. And so the more he questions and asks the Lord, the more the Lord reassures him of the faithfulness of his promise. I dare say how many times we have asked the same question. How shall I know even that I'll be one of those heirs of salvation? One of those that will spend eternity with Christ? Well, according to God's promise, that is for everyone for whom Christ paid the debt. And so that's the answer. If Christ died for me, then that is all my salvation. That's all my plea before him. And we know that Abram received that word from the Lord. You see, it takes the grace of God to receive this promise. And we read that in verses nine through 11. He said unto him, take me and Heifer of three years old. and a she-goat of three years old and a ram of three years old and a turtle dove and a young pigeon. That's a lot of animals to sacrifice. And he took unto him all these and divided them in the midst and laid each piece one against another, but the birds divided he not. And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away." Here's where we see where God confirmed again His covenant with Abram. It wasn't just in word, but it would be through a sacrifice that represented the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ that would come from Abram's seed. So all of this is intertwined. That three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtle dove, and a young pigeon. Some think that the three-year-old represents the time of our Lord's ministry leading up to the cross when he would then lay down his life and pay the sin debt. But Abram took and cut them in two and placed each piece opposite the other. Everything was put in order. Abram knew exactly what to do with these animals. Who taught him? It was the Lord. And he understood that according to the custom of the time, That would be as a contract, like we sign a contract today, this would be like a contract ready for signing that God himself would put his name to. In these days, contracts were made by the sacrificial cutting of animals. In fact, the word covenant in scripture means to divide in two. That's where we get that word covenant. And so with the split of the carcasses of the animals, The covenant was made when the Lord purposed that these should die and that Abram should walk in between the animal parts together. And the Lord repeated the terms of the covenant. It's very clear here. It says the Lord made a covenant. See that in verse 18, a little bit later on in the same day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram. That's the only way any of us can have any hope of having any kind of relationship with God is that God himself has made the covenant. Literally, the Lord cut a covenant is what that means. Jeremiah 34 makes reference to this same practice of a covenant. You can read that at your leisure in Jeremiah 34, 18 to 20, by cutting animals and repeating the oath of the covenant as one walks through the animal parks. You know, the covenant of salvation was done between father and the son. It's been the son and the father and son that the work was done. We, if we're part of that covenant, are merely beneficiaries of it. But you can see the care that Abram had for this covenant, the solemnness of it. You know, it's so different here from the easy believism, just believe in Jesus and you can be sure of salvation. No, it doesn't have anything with what you do. This is a covenant between the father and the son, And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. There were fowls that were seeking to devour these animal parts that had been offered unto the Lord. And Abram knew that these were fowl beasts that would have no part in this sacrifice. And so he had to wait and fight off the vultures until God appeared to complete this covenant. that he had made of which Abram was to be part. And so verses 12 through 16, we have somewhat of a prologue here. And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram and low and horror of great darkness fell upon him. See the solemnity of this? And he said unto Abram, know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them 400 years. And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge, and afterwards shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace. Thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation, they shall come hither again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." So as the sun was going down, evening approached, God had not yet appeared unto Abram to confirm to him what he would do with this sacrifice. He's waiting on the Lord. But the Lord said that Abram would see his, not see them, but his descendants would be strangers in a land that was not theirs and have to serve them. He's talking about their time in Egypt. They'd be afflicted, it says, for 400 years. So specifically, God told Abram of the slavery and the hardship that Israel would endure in Egypt that we read about in the first chapter of Exodus. You see how the flow of redemptive history is going here? The promise. But then the slavery, the bondage, and then out of that, the Passover lamb, it's all a picture of how God would deliver his people through the Lord Jesus Christ. But that Abram would know that that land was given to him and his descendants as part of his promise to Abram. And so that covenant is made. In verse 17, it came to pass that when the sun went down, And it was dark. Behold, a smoking furnace and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. And in the same day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram saying, unto thy seed have I given this land from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates." That's a long piece. that God promised Abram. The Kenites, the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Gergesites, and the Jebusites. So when the sun went down, that's where we see God confirming his covenant with Abram with the fire. There again, it represents his justice. falling on the sacrifice and not on Abram. Abram was just as guilty as a fallen sinner as anybody and yet God showed his mercy in causing this fire to burn through the sacrifice, pass through the sacrifice and not on Abram. That's a picture of Christ who bore the wrath in his day on the cross on behalf of his people. And it says on the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram. God here is represented by that smoking oven and the burning torch. God's a consuming fire. You don't want to meet him apart from the sacrifice of his son. These were given as an atonement, a covering, but it looked forward to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. But this is a unilateral covenant. It's not that Abram had to do anything. There weren't any conditions put upon Abram. This is God making that covenant with him. And that's the way it is in salvation. It's not that here God done his part, now the rest is up to you. If you'll just sign on the line here, then you can be sure. No, that's man's way of thinking. But here God, he did both aspects of it. He furnished that which was necessary in the sacrifice and then he approved it unto himself when the sacrifice was complete. That's the way it is with Christ. It's according to his will that Christ came into this world and laid down his life. So the Lord made that covenant with Abram and by entering into this covenant, God was saying, that it didn't in any way depend on Abram. He would die and be gone, but God would still fulfill his promise to that seed that should come. And he says, I've given this land all the way from the river of Egypt, the Nile, to the great river, the river Euphrates up there, what we know as Iraq today, and That's been accomplished. A lot of people say, well, Christ hasn't come back and we got to see this fulfilled. It's already been fulfilled. He gave him that land. And for a brief time under Solomon, you can read about it in first Kings and possibly again under Jeroboam the second, the children of Israel actually ruled all this territory as a token of the final permanent possession that would be theirs. So we're not sitting waiting for the Lord to still do something in Israel to fulfill his promise. It's done. It's been fulfilled. There's not one thing that God promised Abraham that hasn't been fulfilled, and particularly in the bringing of his son into this world from Abram's seed that God should justify once for all those for whom Christ came. Gracious Father, I thank you for your word, how precious to read it, how profound It is, as we consider it. I pray that you would bring your word home to our hearts and to see that in all that you've purposed, it is to the glory and honor of the Lord Jesus Christ alone. And we give you the thanks and praise in his precious name. Amen. Let's take our hymn books and sing one more hymn for the next part of our service. This is going to be hymn number 176. Break thou the bread of life, dear Lord, to me. Christ the bread. 176. Break thou the bread of life, dear Lord, to me, as thou didst break the loaves beside the sea. on the sacred page, I seek Thee, Lord. My spirit pents for Thee, O living Word. Bless Thou the truth, dear Lord, to me, to me. As Thou didst bless the bread by shall all bondage cease. And I shall find my peace, my all in all. Thou art the bread of life, O Lord, to me. Thy holy word, the truth, that saveth me. me above teach me to love thy truth for thou art love oh send thy spirit lord now unto me that he may touch my eyes and make me see Let's turn in our Bibles to Daniel chapter 9. My text to begin with, and I'm certain one that we will come back to because it'll be difficult to cover all of this in one message, but we're looking at Christ the Messiah. We're going through the M's as far as the titles of our Lord Jesus Christ. And what I want us to consider now is Christ the Messiah and what that means. And this was revealed to Daniel back when Daniel was in Babylon nearly 500 years before Christ actually came in the flesh. But the coming of Christ as the Messiah was foretold and has been foretold throughout the scriptures. And I can't think of one portion of scripture more fundamental to understanding God's providence and working all things, just like we saw with Abram, God promised a seed that should come. And there was a lot about that seed that wasn't initially revealed, but as you go on progressively through the scriptures, through the types and pictures and prophecies and promises, just like we're doing with the titles of Christ, it becomes clearer as to how that seed was Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, come in the flesh, God in the flesh, and born under the law, made under the law, made of a woman. All of these things that as time unfolded became more evident that it pertained to that Jesus of Nazareth. That's why that title was such an offense to the Jews because They couldn't fathom that a man that came in the flesh could be none other than the Son of God. But here in Daniel chapter 9, as Daniel was praying and considering the scriptures and the times, the unfolding of them, here it says in verse 23, we'll begin there, At the beginning of thy supplications, the commandment came forth. And I am come to show thee for thou are greatly beloved. Therefore understand the matter and consider the vision. So this is the Lord now using his messenger to show Daniel the things that should follow. And it says 70 weeks are determined upon thy people And upon thy holy city, he talks about thy people, he's talking about the Jewish nation. Of course, the city would be Jerusalem. It was called holy because it was consecrated, it was set apart, it was sanctified to be that place where the Lord Jesus Christ should come and lay down his life. It was hundreds of years later. But you can see here, he says, to do what? 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 what? Anoint the most holy. The meaning of Christ, we use it as the Greek name for Christ. The Hebrew is Messiah. or Mashiach would be the way that the Hebrews would pronounce it, but it literally means the anointed one or the chosen one. And that's the equivalent in the Greek, Christos, Christ. That's not his name, that's his title. And so here, the Lord sends his messenger to show Daniel who's in prayer and from what we read, reading the prophet Jeremiah that had written concerning these things that should come to pass and did in Jeremiah's day with Babylon coming and taking Israel into captivity, Judah particularly. And he says, no, therefore, and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem." Notice, unto Messiah, the Prince. There's the word we're looking at, Messiah. He's the Prince of glory. He's the Prince of life. It says, shall be seven weeks and three score and two weeks. Well, you can take seven and three score and two weeks. It comes out to 69 weeks. that all of this was to take place. The street would be built again and the wall, even in troublous times. We read about that in Ezra and Nehemiah when we were studying through those two prophets. But then it says after three score and two weeks. So there would be the 69 weeks that Messiah would be cut off. We just talked about the word covenant mean a cutting. And that's the sense that we have here that Messiah would be cut off. It says, 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 under the end of the war, desolations are determined. So after the Messiah is cut off, it says there that there'd be those that would come and destroy the city and the sanctuary. When did that occur? In 70 AD. So all of this was foretold, just like we read in our reading in Genesis, that God told Abram he would die, but the people would spend 400 years in Egypt. How does the Lord know that all this would take place several hundred years ahead of time? He determined it. It's already predetermined. Now, when it says, he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week, who's it talking about here? Well, it goes back to the Messiah, who would be cut off. It's talking about his death, but through that death, he would confirm the covenant with many for one week. Here, the week is in a prophetic understanding. 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." That's why I want to come back to this and look at this a little more carefully next time. But for now, we want to see what the scriptures have to teach us about Christ as the Messiah. So number one, as I said, the meaning of the word Messiah in the Hebrew, it means the anointed one. It's the same as the word Christ in the New Testament. So when he's called Jesus the Christ, he's called Jesus the anointed one. The only ones in the scriptures that were anointed were prophets, priests, and kings as they entered into their offices. And so for Christ, Jesus to be the anointed one. It's not as if he had oil poured upon his head, but we know at his baptism when he presented himself publicly to Israel, it says the Holy Spirit came down. Well, that's the anointing. That from that point, he was about the ministry that the Father gave him to do. Up to that time, he'd been hidden from Israel, but from that time forward, he would be publicly revealed unto that nation as that one that the scripture said should come. So he's the Messiah. And in that vein, number two, what I can say about it is that all of the Old Testament prophecies, and there are numerous prophecies in the Old Testament that point to this coming one. You know where it all begins? Go all the way back to the fall in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15. Let's turn back there because this is vital. This is where God set forth, if you will, the history of redemption that should flow out of the fall. Adam and Eve had fallen. What was the hope? What was the promise? Well, Genesis 3, 15, Lord said and I will put enmity between thee and the woman," Talking about the serpent and the woman. "...and between thy seed and her seed." So there's a seed of the serpent and there is the seed of the woman. They would always be at enmity and it says here, "...it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel." That's what Christ did. This is the foretelling with promise of what God said should take place. Here's where God begins, and through this, all of the other prophecies of the Old Testament, anything that pertains to the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed in the Old Testament in the types of the prophets, priests, and kings. That's why when we study the Old Testament, We see them as types of the Lord Jesus Christ. But here specifically is seen the first prophecy, I believe, in all of scripture concerning the Messiah. Here's one who would come with God, the Father's blessing, and what would he do? He would crush the serpent's head. Where is all the venom in a serpent? It's up in his head. Now it says there that he, the serpent, would bruise his heel And certainly we see that in Christ's ministry throughout his earthly ministry, Satan dogged him when after his baptism, the spirit led him out in the wilderness that he would be tested and tempted by Satan. You say, well, why did God do that? Because Christ to be the Messiah, to be the one who would fulfill in every aspect where Israel had failed, It was necessary that he himself be tested and tried in every one of those temptations. And he came through perfect. He's the one that rendered the perfect obedience. Had it been that there was any man that existed that could have given that perfection unto God the Father, then Christ wouldn't have had to come. The fact that he came indicates that there wasn't any. there isn't any. And anybody that thinks that somehow by their own personal obedience they can somehow do what Christ hadn't already accomplished, then they're fools. No, it's in the work of Christ. So all the Old Testament prophecies, and really if we took this study on the Messiah to the nth degree we'd probably never leave this particular title because it's just everywhere in scripture. But what a blessing to be able to go back and read the scriptures just like here in Genesis 3 15 and see how it all pertains to the promised one Christ. The Old Testament it was given in promise and picture and type and the New Testament fulfillment. That's what it's all about. And so that leads me to the third point with regard to the Messiah. It means the anointed one. Secondly, all the Old Testament prophecies were written, foretelling his coming. That's where the Pharisees missed it. They were theologians. They studied the scriptures. And Christ said, you study the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life. He's talking about their knowledge of it. But what did he tell them? They are they that testify of me. I don't care what the portion is, from Genesis 1 all the way to the end, it's all about the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you miss that, you've missed Him. But the third point is to show that Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfillment of these prophecies. It's not that He was, He came in the world and fulfilled some of them, but The scriptures say that in Christ, all of the prophecies are yay and amen. And we see that, for example, in his birth, being born of a virgin. There it said he would be the seed of the woman in Genesis 3.15. And you remember, as you go on and read in scripture, all of this becomes clearer as you go through. But if you look over in Isaiah chapter seven, and verse 14, you'll see where this was revealed to Isaiah. In Isaiah 7 and verse 14, it begins there in verse 13. He said, hear ye now, O house of David, is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? Sometimes you get around some people and you finally just have to tell them, you are wearing me out. And David says, or Isaiah says, if it's not a small thing for you to weary men, how about wearing God? It's not that God gets weary or is forced to change his ways, but it's a manner of speaking. But he says, therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name, what? Emmanuel. A virgin shall conceive. A lot of people wanna translate it into just a young maiden. No, it's the word virgin. One who had never known a man. And that's how Paul wrote about it to Timothy. He was made under the law, made of a woman. He's talking about one who had never known a man. And she shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel. What does Emmanuel mean? God with us. That was God's name for his son. I don't read anywhere where any man ever called him Emmanuel, but God did, because it means God with us. So you can see how our Lord fulfilled these prophecies in the Old Testament. concerning him as the Messiah, that he would be born of a virgin. Then you go forward to Micah, down toward the end of the Old Testament, in chapter five and the verse two, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah. That's the way I go through it to get to him. And in Micah chapter five and verse two, what do we learn again? Here's some more revelation. that thou Bethlehem Ephratah thou thou be little among the thousands of Judah yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me." So in the fullness of the time God sent forth his son, this was to satisfy God the father, it was unto him that is to be ruler in Israel whose goings forth have been from of old from everlasting. So Christ coming in the flesh, that was not his beginning. His goings forth are from old, even from everlasting. There's no beginning point. He was ever with the father. That's what John wrote about. He was with the father. He was with God and he was God. But specifically, even down to the place of his birth, not only the manner, but the place, all of this was foretold. but also his suffering. He didn't come here to show people the way into the kingdom if they just would do what God said. Now that had already been proven they couldn't. And so Isaiah 53, and if we had the time, we'd read all the way down through Isaiah 53, but that's what this is about. Not only the Messiah who was to come, but the suffering Savior, the suffering Messiah. This was what was an offense to the Jews because they couldn't see a savior who would come and actually die in the manner that's described here in Isaiah 53. And yet it says there in verse 10, it pleased the Lord to bruise him and put him to grief when thou shall make his soul an offering for sin. And he shall see his seed That's the father shall see his seed. That's the Messiah. And he shall prolong his days. When Christ died, that wasn't the end. He raised from the grave and he ever lives today forever. And the pleasure of the Lord, it says, shall prosper in his hand. I love that. Everyone for whom Christ paid the debt, he's gonna have. So you can see as we go through the scriptures, how all of this foretold the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, born in Bethlehem, but born to suffer, to pay the sin debt of that people that the father had given him. But not only in his coming in the flesh, but all throughout his ministry. That's the fourth point I would point out here that our Lord Jesus revealed himself all throughout his ministry as that Messiah who should come. He didn't hide it. And it was proven by his teachings. It was proven by his miracles. And in fulfillment, how many times does it say through the gospels that the scriptures might be fulfilled? Concerning Christ, he didn't come to do anything on his own. but to fulfill what the Father had given him. For example, and I love this, what about the woman at the well in John chapter four? And I'm just picking and choosing some highlights here, but this is one we all know, John chapter four and verses 25 to 26, when the Lord said that he must needs go through Samaria. The Jews didn't even consider the Samaritans to be within the realm of being part of that kingdom that they looked for. And yet here was this Samaritan woman and the Lord said, he must needs pass through. And it was to meet this woman right there where she was. He didn't wait for her to come to him, but he came to her, which is the way it is for any of us. But look in verses 25 and 26. when the Lord had revealed himself in her, what did she say? The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah's cometh, which is called Christ. When he has come, he will tell us all things. And what did the Lord say to her? Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am. He is an italic cause it's not an original. What does it mean for him to be the Messiah, the anointed one of God? It means that he is the I am. who's coming to flesh. And that's why he came to bring us to God, the father, none can bring us to God, but God. And yet he had to be a man in order to lay down his life and pay the sin debt with his shed blood that God might be just to justify. And then you go over one other example in Luke chapter four. And I know as you read through the new Testament from here forward, even the old Testament, you're going to begin to look at the importance and significance of this title. It's not just a title, but it pertains to how God purposed that his son should come into the world to be the savior, to be prophet, priest, and king. As a prophet, he spoke on behalf of the father. As priest, he interceded on behalf of that people that the father gave him with the sacrifice of himself. And as king, It says he rose from the grave and he is seated in the heavenlies where he rules and reigns. He's not coming back in order to rule and reign. When this all is said and done, he's coming back to, to wrap this whole thing up. And this whole world, as we know, will be gone. And only those that he has redeemed will be, will remain. and enjoy his presence forever. But here in Luke chapter four, you can see in verse 16, when he came to Nazareth, this is where he grew up. Born in Bethlehem, but grew up in Nazareth where he had been brought up. And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on a Sabbath day and stood up to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written. They didn't have chapter and verse. So he unrolled the scroll and it says book there. It's really the scroll. And the spirit of the Lord is upon me. He's reading now from Isaiah because he hath anointed me. Here's the word Messiah. To preach the gospel to the poor, he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." That was the year of Jubilee. The year of Jubilee, everything that was a debt or was owed went back to its original owner. Well, that's what Christ did. He came to reclaim those elect that had fallen in Adam. And now they would be rightfully reestablished back to their owner, which is God himself. And that's a particular people that he did that to accomplish. And he closed the book and he gave it again to the minister and sat down and the eyes of all of them were that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. This was the acceptable year of the Lord, of which all the Old Testament spoke. So you have our Lord Jesus Christ. And like I said, I encourage you to continue to read through everywhere you can, look for the Christ, the Christ, the Christ, because he's the anointed one. And then fifthly, and I'll conclude with this, you have all the Messianic Psalms. I would say that's all the Psalms because that's how the Lord Jesus Christ himself interpreted the scriptures. You remember there on the road to Emmaus when he was conversing with those disciples, he told them beginning with Moses and with the prophets and all of the Old Testament, he showed them how these things pertain unto him. It's all about him. The Psalms, when you read them, don't go there and try to figure out, well, what kind of personal promise can I come away with in this Psalm? Right from the very first Psalm, when it says, blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in that law doth he meditate day and night." I'll dare say there's not a one of us has ever stayed awake long enough to be able to meditate day and night in the word and somehow find acceptance with God. No, that has to do with Christ. So everywhere you read the Psalms, that's the church's hymn book. It's all about him. And so as we read it, that's what we see, how those Psalms You know, you read some commentators and they consider certain Psalms to be messy. They all are. And I would ask you when you begin to read, start every Psalm, what does this have to teach me about Christ? And don't get off track. Follow it all the way down through. Somewhere, somehow, every verse was fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ. It had to be because that's why he came. Well, there's a lot more that I'd like to, talk about here, I told you this is a full subject and we want to come back to it because we haven't touched on Daniel 4, 24 to 27, but that's what we're going to do next time. See how Christ, the Christ, is the fulfillment of all that God purposed with regard to the salvation of sinners. Let's take our hymn book and we'll sing one final hymn. This is going to be 103. Hymn number 103. Think about the words as we sing them pertaining to Christ's coming in the flesh. One day when heaven was filled with his praises, one day when sin was as black as could be, Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin, dwelt among men ♪ And my deliverer is He ♪ Living He loved me ♪ Dying He saved me ♪ Bearing He carried my sins far away ♪ Rising He justified freely forever ♪ One day He's coming, O glorious day One day they led Him up Calvary's mountain One day they nailed Him to die on the tree Suffering anguish, despised and rejected Buried our sins, my Redeemer is He Living, He loved me. Dying, He saved me. Buried, He carried my sins far away. Rising, He justified freely forever. One day He's coming, O glorious day. One day they left Him alone in the garden. One day He rested from suffering free. Angels came down o'er His tomb to keep vigil. Hope of the hopeless, my Savior is He. Living, He loved me. Dying, He saved me. Buried, He carried my sins far away. Rising, He justified freely forever. One day He's coming, O glorious day. One day the grave could conceal him no longer. One day the stone rolled away from the door. Then he arose over death he had conquered. Now is ascended my Lord evermore. Living, He loved me. Dying, He saved me. Buried, He carried my sins far away. Rising, He justified freely forever. One day, He's coming, O glorious day. One day, the trumpet will sound for His coming. One day, the skies with His glory will shine. Wonderful day, my beloved one bringing. Glorious Savior, this Jesus is mine. Living, He loved me. Dying, He saved me. my sins far away. Rising, He justified freely forever. One day He's coming, O glorious day. Amen. What a great hymn. With that, we'll be dismissed. We'll look forward to the next time. Lord willing.