27th November 2005 AM

AS PROMISED! Pastor Linton Smith

A comment heard the other day: “My parents were perfectly happy. They believed in God and worshipped Him the way their ancestors had for centuries – without any reference to Jesus. I don’t see why we need to bring in Jesus?

With that comment in mind I decided to preach a brief series of Christmas messages that will help us to see why Jesus is important.

We begin today by pondering the fact that God promised to send Jesus long before He came.

Where are these promises found? In the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible.

When were they written down? At least by 250 BC when the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek.. at least 250 years before Jesus came.. and quite likely.. hundreds of years before that.

Who made these promises? God made them to various people and through various people. And He kept them!

Christmas reminds us that God is a promise-keeping God.

Josh McDowell [Evidence that Demands a Verdict] lists 61 promises fulfilled in Jesus!

Let us look at some of them this morning.. We will look at three groups of promises.. and then a promise yet to be fulfilled. First of all we note..

o JESUS CAME AS PROMISED.

About 2,000 years before Jesus came, God promised Abraham that He would bless all peoples on planet earth through his offspring.

Just after Jesus had been crucified.. had risen.. ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit.. Peter spoke to a crowd in Jerusalem .. and made it clear that this promise had been fulfilled in Jesus. He said..

Acts 3:25.. You are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’

Then he went straight on to say.. When God raised up His servant [Jesus] He sent him first to you to bless you. Peter was saying.. Jesus is the fulfilment of the promise made to Abraham 2,000 years earlier!

About 1,000 years before Jesus came.. God promised King David that He would raise up his offspring to succeed him and then said.. I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever [2 Sam 7:13]..

About 13 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus.. Paul was speaking to people in Turkey .. He spoke about King David.. and said..

Acts 13:23.. From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised.

He was saying, Jesus is the promised One.. the long expected King.. Messiah.

When Jesus was born.. wise men came from the east to worship Him.. came to Jerusalem .. and asked where is the one who has been born king of the Jews. King Herod was troubled.. asked the experts.. where the Messiah would be born..

Matthew 2:5,6.. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:” ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’”

They quoted a promise that was made through the prophet Micah 700 years before Jesus came!

There are many other promises.. but these three are like the trunk of a tree running through the Old Testament.. all the other promises are like branches on the trunk. A descendant of Abraham.. will be the means of blessing all nations.. A descendant of David.. will reign for ever.. he will be born in Bethlehem ..

Promises.. that came true.. in Jesus. Jesus came as promised.. and..

o JESUS SUFFERED AS PROMISED.

When Peter spoke to a crowd in Jerusalem .. just 50 days after the death and resurrection of Jesus.. He spoke about Jesus.. and said..

Acts 2:23.. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledg

He then went on to say.. and you.. with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

He spoke to another crowd in Jerusalem soon after.. spoke of the way Jesus had been crucified.. and said..

Acts 3:18.. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer.

Jesus suffered just as the prophets said He would.

Paul drives home this point also. When he spoke to a crowd in Turkey about 13 years later.. he said..

Acts 13:27-29.. The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed.When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.

Many at that time were blind to these prophecies.. promises.. This was the last thing they expected.. but the promises were there.. in the Hebrew Bible.. probably the clearest example is Isaiah 53 especially verses 3,5..

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.. But He was pierced for our transgressions.. the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him..

Jesus suffered as promised. Why? For you and me.. the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him. As one of the modern songs put it.. He took the fall.. for you and me!

He came as promised.. He suffered as promised.. and..

o JESUS ROSE AGAIN AS PROMISED.

When they crucified Jesus they thought they had heard the last of Him. But they were wrong. God raised Him from the dead! In Jerusalem that day.. just 50 days after His death and resurrection.. Peter told the crowd.. You put Him to death by nailing him to the cross.. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

He then went on to say..

Acts 2:25-31.. David said about him: ‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’ Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay.

How much clearer could he be! David.. spoke of the resurrection of the Christ! Of Jesus.. the Messiah.

Paul said much the same to the people in Turkey .. 13 years later..

Acts 13:32,33.. We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus.

That had been God’s plan all along.. He sent Jesus as promised.. Jesus suffered as promised.. and He raised Him from the dead as promised. The resurrection was not an afterthought.. God did not see Him killed.. and say.. Oops.. I had better raise Him.. He had planned it all along!

That can be of great comfort to us.. great encouragement.. when something goes wrong.. the wheels fall of as we say.. to be able to say.. God never says, oops. He is working to plan!

God is a promise-keeping God. He works to plan!

Jesus came as promised.. suffered as promised.. rose as promised.. and

o JESUS WILL COME A SECOND TIME AS PROMISED.

Jesus rose again.. and 40 days later.. ascended to heaven.. and when Peter spoke to a crowd in Jerusalem not long after.. he urged them to repent and turn to God.. so that their sins might be wiped out, that times of refreshing might come from the Lord, and then went on to say..

Acts 3:20,21.. That he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.

Peter was saying.. right now Jesus is in heaven.. and He will remain there.. until the time is right.. and then He will come a second time.. as promised!

About 30 years later.. Peter wrote a letter.. This is what he wrote..

2 Peter 3:3,4.. In the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?

We may be inclined to say the same today.. 2,000 years have passed.. will He ever come? Yes He will.. He came as promised.. suffered as promised.. rose again as promised.. and will come a second time as promised!

And when He comes it will be as King.. in great power and glory!

Jesus came as promised.. suffered as promised.. rose again as promised.. will come a second time as promised.. He is important!

We live in a very dangerous world. Only the other day.. we were warned it is only a matter of time before terrorists use biological weapons..

Do not look around in fear.. look up.. look for the coming of Jesus.. and do as He said.. Occupy till I come.. live in a way that pleases Me.. do what I want you to do.. and keep at it!

Then.. whether I come.. or you die and come home to Me.. you will be ready!

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