Advent Prophezied

[0:00] It says it's recording now. Alright, let's go to the Lord in prayer.! Father God, Lord, we just thank you for all the many things you've blessed us with.

[0:13] ! With the ability to turn those things that need to be said into something that can be looked at and made a little funny just so we can get the point across, Lord.

[0:28] Because we know it comes from you. Thank you for sending your Son to die on the cross for us. Thank you for blessing us the way you do. Giving us family.

[0:39] Giving us loved ones. Giving us friends that are family. Because we know it all comes from you. So, Lord, I'm going to speak, but I want the words to come from you, not from me.

[0:51] So I'm going to sit back down while you take center stage. And you're the one speaking, not me. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

[1:03] Hope. See, the very first Advent candle, the very first day of Advent is about hope.

[1:14] Hope in Jesus Christ. Hope that God's going to send His Son to die on the cross for us so that we can be saved.

[1:28] That's what the first week of Advent is about. Hope. Hope. And you know, as I went through and was studying this and getting it ready, I had to think, you know, which of these Advent prophecies was the right one?

[1:46] Because there's so many of them. Of prophecies of the coming of Jesus. Of the prophecies of our hope in Jesus Christ.

[1:57] There's a lot of them. So, I just, to me, the very first one is the story of Abraham and Isaac. Because as we look at that story and we read that story and we get into that story, we see that there's things in there that tell us this is the foretelling of Jesus dying on the cross for us.

[2:22] And so, that's what I decided to start with. I have some other verses we're going to cover, but I want to cover that first. So, Mark, go to the first slide if you would, sir.

[2:34] So, this is in Genesis chapter 22. And this is verses 3. I'm going to go 3 through, I think, 15 or 16. Something like that. So, it starts out.

[2:46] Early in the morning, Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took two of his young servants with him, along with his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he started out for the place God had spoken to him about.

[3:00] See, the key word there is God spoke to him about it. God told him not only what to do, but where to go. On the third day, and there's that three-day thing.

[3:11] You know, how long was Jesus in the grave? Three days. Abraham caught sight of the place in the distance. So, he said to his servants, you two stay here with the donkey.

[3:24] And while the boy and I go up there, we will worship and then return to you. They said they're going to worship. So, they're going to worship God. Go to the next one, Mark.

[3:36] Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. Then he took the fire and the knife in his hand and two of them walked on together. Isaac said to his father, Abraham, my father, what is it, my son?

[3:50] He replied. Here is the fire and the wood, Isaac said. But where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Key word there is lamb. God will provide for himself.

[4:02] You see that? Abraham knew that God would provide. The same way we should know that God provides for every one of our needs.

[4:14] And that's what this is saying. It's saying God's going to provide for us. God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.

[4:25] Abraham replied. The two of them continued on together. And you see there, again, Abraham knows God's going to provide. It's important that we understand that God provides for us.

[4:39] When they came to the place God had told them about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood on it. Next, he tied up his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood.

[4:49] Now, Mark, I'm going to ask you a question. If I had ever done that to you, would you have allowed me to do that? Okay. So, this son must have really been trusting of his father to allow this.

[5:06] Then Abraham reached out his hand, took the knife, and prepared to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven. Abraham, Abraham, here I am, he answered.

[5:17] Do not harm the boy, the angel said. Do not do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, because you do not withhold your son, your only son, from me.

[5:32] He feared the Lord. Did you fear the Lord? Something to ask yourself. And when I say fear, I don't mean shaking in your boots, trembling.

[5:44] I mean, do you respect the Lord? Do you respect his word? Do you respect what he's done for you? And what he's planning to do for you? The next one, Mark.

[5:58] Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram caught in the bushes by its horn. Remember when Abraham said, God would provide? And here is a ram, which is the adult version of a lamb.

[6:12] So he went over, got the ram, and offered it as a burnt offering instead of a son. And Abraham called the name of the place, the Lord provides.

[6:25] It is said to this day in the mountain of the Lord, provisions will be made. And the reason that reminds me so much of a prophecy is because we see a burnt offering that's a lamb that God provided.

[6:43] And see, Jesus is the lamb of God that was provided to us. So it's a prophecy of what's going to come in the future. It's a prophecy of what we need to have been looking forward to.

[6:58] If we were alive back then, that's what we needed to look for. And if we go, if you go to the next slide, Mark. If we go hundreds of years further into our past, but it's like their future of Abraham's.

[7:16] In Isaiah, because Isaiah didn't live in the exact same time as Abraham. He lived hundreds of years later. Isaiah says in chapter 7, verse 14, Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign.

[7:31] The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Emmanuel. So that's hundreds of years later, right? God is talking through Isaiah to us.

[7:53] He's telling us we have nothing to worry about. Because God's going to provide for us. He's going to provide a Savior. And if we go to the next slide, Mark.

[8:06] In Isaiah 9, 2 through 6. At 2 and 6, it says, The people walking in darkness see a bright light. Light shines on those who live in the land of deep darkness.

[8:17] And in 6, it says, For a child has been born to us. A son has been given to us. His shoulders, responsibility, and is called Wonderful Advisor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

[8:34] So is he talking about Jesus? Or is he talking about the kid next door? He's talking about Jesus. Again, another prophecy.

[8:45] Of Jesus coming to us. To them. Because it happened way back then.

[8:56] Thousands of years ago. And to us. And the people walking in darkness were those that are like the prisoners.

[9:09] Those that have not heard the word of God. They're walking in darkness. Do you know anyone like that? And if you do, do you pray for them?

[9:26] Do you love them? Do you show love to those walking in the darkness? Because you see, Jesus showed his love for us.

[9:40] Number one, God sent him to be our Savior. And then Jesus died on the cross for us. In that skit, we saw Peter the Rock, right?

[9:54] And Peter was a great disciple of Jesus, wasn't he? He followed him around. And he tried so hard to be Jesus' right-hand man.

[10:10] He had faith enough to walk on water for about two steps. For he fell in the water. And he had faith after Jesus came back from the dead.

[10:23] To be there. And to be the rock of the church. Right? But Jesus said, I don't remember you doing that.

[10:38] Meaning he forgave him. Because we know that when Jesus made fish for Peter on the beach. He asked him.

[10:50] He said, Feed my sheep. And what did Peter say? He said, I will. He said, feed my flock.

[11:00] And Peter said he would. So Jesus gave him every chance to say he denied him, but he didn't.

[11:13] Which means Jesus forgave him. That's why Jesus doesn't remember it. That's why he doesn't remember our sins when we ask Jesus for forgiveness. That right there is why.

[11:31] Mark, go to the next slide, would you? In Jeremiah. Which is the next verse after Isaiah. So you got Isaiah, then you got Jeremiah. You have this prophecy.

[11:41] I, the Lord, promise that a new time will certainly come. When I raise up for them a righteous branch. A descendant of David. And we know that Jesus is a descendant of David.

[11:55] Through his mother. He will rule over them with wisdom and understanding. And will do what is just and right in the land.

[12:08] Isn't that what Jesus does? When we are with God. When we accept Christ as our Savior.

[12:19] Does Jesus not move us to do the right thing? Does he not provide us with wisdom? His wisdom, not ours.

[12:30] His. To move us to where we should be. Does he not provide for us in anything we need? Key word, there is need.

[12:41] Need. Not want. Need. And so, this next verse I want to show you is in Luke. But what's neat about it is, Daniel foretold this 490 years before it happened.

[13:01] In Luke chapter 2 verses 29 through 32. Now according to your word, sovereign Lord, permit your servant to depart in peace.

[13:13] For my eyes have seen your salvation. That you have prepared in the presence of all peoples a light for revelation to the Gentiles. And for glory to your people Israel.

[13:25] And this is when one of the priests was holding Jesus the baby in his hand. But yet Daniel said this was going to happen 490 years later.

[13:37] Daniel. so you see the hope that we have in Jesus Christ was foretold time and time and time and time again the question is are we wise enough to see it in Romans chapter 8 verse 25 it says but if we hope for what we do not see we eagerly wait for it with endurance did any of you that are here in this room see Jesus Christ crucified were you there you weren't were you but if we hope for what we do not see see that's just it we're hoping for what we didn't see we didn't see Christ crucified we didn't see Jesus coming back to life did we no but we eagerly wait for it with endurance or in some verses say patience that's your memory verse by the way for this week

[14:54] I'm going to test you next week and see who remembers 825 I'm going to start with Phil too I'm going to pick on Phil because I love Phil to death and I'm going to share this story with you and this is how you need to look at God okay so most of you know Mark from when he was a baby y'all remember Mark crawling under the pews here and all that stuff you probably also remember Mark rode on my shoulders everywhere until he was about 7 or 8 years old okay he was never afraid to ride on my shoulders he'd get up there and we'd go didn't matter I'd have like one hand like right here and we'd go you know all over we'd go to the grocery store we'd come here we went everywhere Mark riding on my shoulders he had no fear he had no he trusted his father explicitly now my granddaughter my oldest granddaughter

[16:01] I tried that with her it did not work she was scared to death she wailed like crazy the difference was Mark had faith in his father Mark trusted his father Kaylee didn't know me well enough to trust me I got to see her when she was first born for about the first year all the time but still she didn't have the faith that Mark had admitted and see and that's the faith we need to have in God in Jesus that we know that no matter what happens he's got us that God's going to be there for us and God will provide isn't that what Abraham said God will provide and he did he provided in his son

[17:07] Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior for us let's go to the Lord in prayer Father God Lord thank you for these words that you spoke thank you for being there for us thank you for loving us and please Lord help us have the faith we need to have in you so that we know you will continue to provide for us as our wonderful Lord and Savior I pray this in the name of Jesus Amen