Taking Confidence in the Future Through the Fulfillment of the Past

Oh, brethren, we live in a world that is full of challenges. No doubt it's there as we maybe open our eyes in the morning and turn on the news, take a look around. It's a world full of challenges, societal challenges, virtually everywhere we turn. Economic challenges have been in the news more and more recently and certainly has been the case the last couple of years, health challenges. So we live in a world of challenges, in a world that desperately needs solutions. And honestly, not solutions that are more of the kind that man can bring. Because man's solutions often aren't lasting and man's solutions often come with side effects. It's like if you're watching that same morning news show and a commercial comes on for prescriptions, you know, here's something to solve your problem, but it says side effects may occlude and you have this whole long list. And sometimes that list is even more dire than what it is you're treating with the medication. You know, heart attack, stroke, liver failure, death, but your complexion will be clear. And, you know, so there's challenges. A man tries to find solutions to these challenges. The Bible tells us there's becoming a real solution. It will be the return of Jesus Christ in the establishment of the kingdom of God. And so we look forward to that as the people of God. There's prophecies in the Bible of Jesus Christ returning as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and the change for this earth will be dramatic because with time the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. And people will be living according to this standard of God's Word. And life will work. And the solutions will be real, and they'll be lasting.

So again, as I said, there are prophecies which point to those things. It has been predetermined. These things have been spoken in advance. And frankly, brethren, they are guaranteed.

But sometimes we might wonder. There might be a little question mark in our mind. We read the prophecies of the Bible and the age to come and the blessings, but we might wonder, is it as sure as we read in God's Word? How can we know for sure that is indeed what will come to pass? Does saying it in advance automatically make it so?

I hope we all realize God saying something in advance does indeed automatically make it so. And we should have confidence. I think it's important, and it's time for us to remind ourselves of the sure nature of the prophecies that proceed from God. Because if we're going to take confidence in what He's declared for the future, a way to build that confidence is to look at what He has done in the past. To recognize that the Bible is full of fulfilled prophecies.

Things that God has already spoken in advance, and then as the appropriate time came, He fulfilled them. And I believe part of what can give us confidence for what He will do for the future is to, from time to time, go back and look at what He has promised and fulfilled in the past. And we can see that by every detail God does what He promises. And His Word is true. And indeed, we can take confidence in these things. So the title for today's message is, Taking Confidence in the Future Through the Fulfillment of the Past.

Taking confidence in the future through the fulfillment of the past. In today's message, I'd like to go back and look at some of the prophecies that pointed to Jesus Christ's first coming. Old Testament is full of them, pointing to the Messiah who would come and what He would do. Various circumstances as well surrounding His birth, His life, and His death, all prophesied in multiple places throughout the Old Testament. So we're going to look at some of those today, and then we're going to look at the fulfillment as God literally, you know, prophecy fulfilled in action, took what had been declared hundreds of years before, and brought those things to be. I believe it's an exercise that brings confidence and, again, assurance that God's solutions that He's promised for the future will indeed come to pass as He has proclaimed.

On my desk at home, I have a listing which someone put together of 351 prophecies that were fulfilled by Jesus Christ when He walked the earth in the flesh. And I was just kind of glancing through that this week, and I'm honestly, I'm not sure what the source is of the handout it came to me through an email, through an email, but 351. And as I looked at it, I actually had some doubts on a few of them, but the majority I looked at and I said, yo, this is true. This is here, and this is the fulfillment. And whatever the exact number of that would be, it's clear. The Bible record, a prophecy that is given about the Messiah and then fulfilled through Jesus Christ, is, it's numerous. And it is indeed in the hundreds. If someone walked the earth who fulfilled two or three, or half a dozen, you know, here's something that was said, and here was what was fulfilled by this person, we might could chalk it up to happenstance. You know, this person just happened to be born in the right place at the right time. He did a set of circumstances that could maybe match up with a few of these scriptures, but to take hundreds of them, to lay them side by side, and see in detail the fulfillment honestly is awe-inspiring, and shows that it could come by no other way but God's direction in His intervention. Today I want to take 10 specific prophecies declared about Jesus Christ's first coming. I'm going to lay them side by side with their fulfillment, and we're going to see the power of God to fulfill prophecy in action. And again, the hope is, is that it just, it gives us confidence as we look to the future. Because we live in a world of confusion and questions, we need to have it absolutely certain in our mind and heart that God will fulfill what it is He has promised, and we have a track record of a God who does just that.

So the first prophecy I want to look at, prophecy number one, the Messiah would be born from the line of King David. The Messiah would be born from the line of King David. Let's go to Psalm chapter 89, and I would say, warm up your fingers today. We're actually going to do a lot of flipping through the scriptures as we go back and forth from prophecy to fulfillment. But the Messiah would be born from the line of David. Psalm chapter 89, beginning in verse 3. This is God speaking, saying, I have made a covenant with my chosen. He says, I have sworn to my servant David, your seed I will establish forever. And He says, and build up your throne to all generations.

Here God made a promise to King David that a seed would be established forever. His throne would be established to generations. This is something, obviously, that goes beyond His lifetime, goes on out into, you know, the expanse of time, generation after generation. And it's a guarantee that is only made possible by the divine will of God to bring it to pass.

And it's only made possible by, as well, the one whom God would send to be the Messiah, the King, the anointed of God. Isaiah chapter 11 confirms that the Messiah would come from David's line.

Isaiah chapter 11 beginning in verse 1. Again, very, very clear and very specific prophecies.

Isaiah chapter 11 in verse 1 says, there shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse. We know Jesse is the father of David. And a branch shall grow out of his roots. It says, the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of the Lord. And he shall not judge by the sight of his eyes nor decide by the hearing of his ears, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor and decide with equity for the meek of the earth. He shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his loins and faithfulness the belt of his waist. So clearly this is describing none other than the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Here we see that he would come from the rod from the stem of Jesse, the branch growing out of his roots. This is one who would come from the descendants of King David's line. And his prophecy contains elements of both his first and his second coming. And there's many prophecies this way in the Bible that they read almost as a continuous thread, but they understand they're separated by a couple of thousand years, part of it containing his first coming, part of it his second coming. And for us, if we can look at the part of his first coming and say, yes indeed, this is fulfilled, that gives us confidence and belief in the fact that the parts pointing to his second coming will be fulfilled in like manner as well. So again, the question is, does the Bible show that Jesus was indeed born from the line of David?

And as a side note to that, was he born to be king? Can we find that in terms of fulfillment?

What we can very clearly, Matthew chapter 1, Matthew chapter 1 verse 1, we're going to look at the genealogy of Jesus Christ, because again, the prophecy specifically was he would come from the family line of David. And Matthew chapter 1 verse 1 says, the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. And we could just close it right there if we wanted to, but let's see a few more details dropping down to verse 6. We say, and Jesse begot David the king, and David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. And as the verses go on, it trails down through that family line out of David through Solomon. And come down now to verse number 16 in Matthew chapter 1, it says, and Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who was called Christ. And so we see that through Joseph, Jesus' physical father, a line traced back to King David through David's son Solomon. And you have this sure line of descendants from that king to this king. But someone might say, okay, well that's nice and interesting, but if you're claiming that Jesus Christ was the son of God, conceived of the Holy Spirit, then Joseph wasn't really his literal father then, was he? Well, let's take a look. He was his physical father, but let's take a look then at Mary's lineage because we have that listed out as well. Luke chapter 3 and verse 23. Start over just a couple of gospels.

Luke chapter 3 and verse 23. Here we're going to find the lineage of Mary.

Luke 23 says, Now Jesus himself began his ministry at about thirty years of age, being as it was supposed the son of Joseph, the son of Heli. We might say, well that's interesting because back in Matthew 1 verse 16 it says Joseph was the son of Jacob. Here it says Joseph is the son of Heli. The discrepancy is the fact that Heli was Mary's father. And so as you follow this out now you're going to see the lineage of Mary herself going back to King David, but through a different son actually than Solomon. If we go to verse 31, you could read all these names if you wanted to, but get up to 31 it says, The son of Mysla, the son of Minam, the son of Mattetha, the son of Nathan, the son of David. So not only does Jesus' lineage trace back to King David through Joseph, but also through Mary. And you have actually these two lines that go back to David. One through his son Nathan, the other through his son Solomon. And indeed it's clearly established, and it would only be by the divine power of God, that the Messiah would come from this line as he had promised. And also he was born a king. Okay, we understand that's clearly described as well. He was born a king, and that would ensure then David's line on the throne. Luke chapter 1 verse 30, we see Jesus' birth prophesied just shortly before, and what the role is that he would hold in part.

Luke chapter 1 and verse 30, it says, The angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. He says, And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus. And he will be great, and will be called the son of the highest. And the Lord God will give him, notice, the throne of his father David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.

So we see here the fulfillment that Jesus, the seed of David, would be born to be a king. But again, it's here prophecy that will extend even on out into the future in its ultimate fulfillment. But he was born to be king. He was worshipped as a king at his birth. And even as he stood before Pilate, before his crucifixion, and Pilate says, Are you a king then? And Jesus said, You say rightly that I'm a king. So this is not only a title given unto him, it is who he is by birth of the line of David. And he will sit on the throne of David, and that rulership will go on perpetually forever. Isaiah chapter 9, in verse 6, we see a, again, a prophecy pointing in future fulfillment of this. Isaiah chapter 9, in verse 6, For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. And says, And the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. God himself will see that this is accomplished. It is what he has ordained from the foundation, and it is what he will fulfill unto the end of time.

God will see that this is fulfilled in its fullest future context, just as it was fulfilled during the first coming of Jesus Christ. And that is something that we can take confidence in. The prophecy, the fulfillment, and indeed even the latter fulfillment that is yet to come.

Prophecy number two. Prophecy number two, the Messiah would be born to a virgin.

The Messiah would be born to a virgin. Again, we're going through prophecies that man aren't just going to orchestrate, you know, of and by themselves. This is by God's direct intervention.

Isaiah chapter seven contains the Old Testament prophecy regarding the birth of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah chapter seven and verse 14.

Here it says, therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign, behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.

There's actually, if you look this scripture up in commentary, scholars debate whether this was specific to the circumstance that Judah was going through at the time, and God was giving them a light of hope in this prophecy to their immediate circumstance. But when we come to the New Testament, we see the birth of Jesus Christ, and we see the fulfillment of this. We understand its ultimate fulfillment was pointing indeed to his birth.

Oftentimes these prophecies can be dual. Matthew chapter one and verse 18 is the fulfillment.

Matthew chapter one and verse 18 says, now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. After his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. And Joseph, her husband, being a just man, not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he sought about these things, behold an angel, of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you. Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Verse 22, so all this was done, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, behold the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which is translated God with us. Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took to him his wife, and did not know her until she had brought forth her firstborn son, and he called his name Jesus. Again, clearly this is a fulfillment of the prophecy given through the prophet Isaiah. Joseph did not know Mary in a intimate sexual relationship before Jesus was born. This was a miraculous intervention by God, part of his design and purpose. And again, it shows us just very clearly God's will and his power to bring to pass what he has declared from the beginning. And again, brethren, these things should give us confidence in what he will do yet again in fulfillment of prophecy in the future. Prophecy number three, the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, so we're going to have the family line, we're going to have the virgin conceived, and we're going to have the exact place of his birth. He would be born in Bethlehem. Micah chapter 5 and verse 2. Micah chapter 5 and verse 2. Again, many children were born in Bethlehem, right, over time, but how many could fulfill all these exact terms of prophecy as had been declared? The answer is none, apart from the one for whom it was intended, Jesus Christ. Micah chapter 5 and verse 2. It says, but you, Bethlehem, Ephrathath, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to me the one to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from old, from everlasting. Again, it's a very specific prophecy relating to the birth of Jesus Christ. We understand from John chapter 1 verse 1 and 2, the word who became flesh was with God, okay, from eternity, and he is the one who's going forth are from old and from everlasting. But an additional proof as well would be, again, his birthplace, Bethlehem, just as exactly as it was prophesied. If you've followed through, all of us are familiar with the gospel accounts of Joseph and Mary. You'll recall they did not live in Bethlehem. They lived in Nazareth. Nazareth was several days journey to the north. So when somebody is pregnant and about to deliver, you don't just generally, you know, hop on a donkey or take a caravan or start walking for several days journey unless there's a purpose. And we see that God indeed did have a purpose in place to bring them to that place at that time in fulfillment of prophecy hundreds of years earlier. Luke chapter 2 in verse 1, we find the fulfillment. And chapter 2 in verse 1, again, if God was just going to have them stay put where they were at, Jesus would have been born in Nazareth, but Bethlehem was the prophecy. Luke chapter 2 in verse 1, and it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. The census first took place while Quenrenius, right, Quenrenius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. I think, boy, imagine if somebody tried to pull something like that today, what the response would be. Verse 4, Joseph went up also from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem because he was of the house and the lineage of David. And we went there to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, verse 6, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered, and she brought forth her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling clothes, laid him in the manger, because there was no room for them in the end. In the end. So here we are, Bethlehem, birth as prophesied, the delivery comes.

Coincidence? Well, obviously not. Right? This is the Word and the power of God in action. And again, we must all understand that God has both the will and the power to bring to pass what he has declared in advance, and he will do so. He's the one who motivated Augustus to declare the census in the first place, causing Joseph and Mary to come down several days' journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, just in time for the birth of Jesus Christ. And we might wonder why God would even do it this way. You know, why not just allow the delivery in Nazareth? Well, God did things this way, and he does things this way in order that we might be without excuse. You know, that we can't just say, well, that's a coincidence. That's happenstance. Can't really call that prophecy fulfilled. Well, God does things very specifically so that we might have irrefutable proof that he is God. And in this case, he provided, through this birth, irrefutable proof that Jesus is the Messiah, through all these prophecies put together. He did so to show us that he is divine and that he holds the outcome of his plan in his own two hands, and that we might take confidences in the prophecies that are yet to be fulfilled. Because God can motivate leaders, he can direct the course of nations, he can literally move heaven and earth to bring the paths that which he has determined and that which he will fulfill. And again, brethren, Jesus born in Bethlehem, just as was prophesied, isn't just an interesting fact of history. Again, it should boost our confidence in the power of the God we worship. For me, on a personal note, I think it's fortunate that Joseph wasn't so invested in protesting the Roman occupation of Judea that he refused to go down for the census. Think about Judea in that day living under Roman oppression, but what we read in the Bible, they did chafe against that. It was difficult for the people of God, but what God brought out of it was incredible as well. It set the stage in the atmosphere for such a time that then the coming of the Messiah would be born in those circumstances under that place. It was the right time and place at the appointed time in which he would come. And God was working his purpose right in the middle of that system. You know, if the people were revolting to throw the Romans off, you know, Joseph too busy revolting to go for the census as had been commanded by Augustus.

You know, how might the story read? But again, what we find actually is under the Roman oppression, the gospel flourished. The Messiah came, the Word went out, and even through the persecutions that came on the people of God through that entire system and even the Jews, it was the circumstance that God allowed for his will to be done. And I would just say, as we consider the days in which we live and times and events happening around us, I believe Joseph's example is a good one.

I believe the Apostle's example is a good one as well. Obey the laws of the land as long as they are not in conflict with the laws of God. And let God work out what God will accomplish, even in the midst of those circumstances. Because I think we understand things are going to get worse in our day and age before they get better. And there is an ungodly system that will dominate this world, and it will be oppressive to the people of God. And we must not falter in our allegiance to living according to God, but we must also not take our eyes off the fact that God is going to use that system and the occurrence ultimately for his purpose. It will be the catalyst that will bring the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the kingdom of God. So I would just say for all of us, let's keep our nose in the book. Let's keep ourselves walking the straight and narrow in obedience to God. Let's be careful how much we get wrapped up in the system around us or opposing the system around us in terms of active protests. Let us live this way. Let us not be found perhaps even fighting against God and what he would accomplish through all of this. And let us be, as I believe, as Joseph's example, obeying the laws of the land as long as they're not conflict with the laws of God. And God's purpose, his plan, will prevail. Prophecy number four, the Messiah, would be publicly announced by an Elijah like Harold.

The Messiah would be announced publicly by an Elijah like Harold. Malachi chapter three, verse one.

Malachi three, verse one. It's interesting, again, things that are proclaimed that happened hundreds of years before their fulfillment are clearly spelled out and clearly accounted for. Here, 400 years before Jesus' human birth, God raised up a prophet to declare that Jesus' ministry would be announced by another prophet that would come on the scene, again, just prior to his public ministry. Malachi chapter three and verse one, we have the prophecy. Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. He says, And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, he is coming, says the Lord of Hosts.

Jesus Christ is the messenger of the covenant, and he's prophesied to come on the scene, but in advance of his ministry, there would be another. There would be someone who would declare him in advance and prepare the people's hearts to receive him. Isaiah chapter 40 gives more detail into this individual's work. Isaiah chapter 40 and verse 3. Again, the forerunner of Jesus Christ, Isaiah chapter 40 and verse 3, it says, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Verse 4, Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill brought low. The crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough places smooth, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Again, this is a prophecy that needs to be understood as dual in nature. It had a type or a partial fulfillment during the time of Jesus Christ, and there's a fuller, latter fulfillment that is yet to come. The one crying in the wilderness is identified by all four gospel writers as applying to John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin. The purpose of John's ministry was to announce publicly the first coming of the Messiah and to prepare the people's hearts to receive him. So John's ministry came first, and it opened the way. In that sense, he built the spiritual highway for the ministry of Jesus Christ that would follow. Oftentimes, in the ancient world, before a king would travel through his empire, he would actually have a crew that would go out kind of before his entourage came, and they would travel the highways in front of them, and they would move the stones off the road that had rolled down off the hillsides onto the road. They would fill in the potholes. They would make the rough places smooth because the king is coming through.

I didn't go Google it to look it up, but I recall there was a time that one of the former presidents came through Spokane. I can't remember if it was President Clinton or Obama now, but I remember at the time the road work that was done to fill the potholes between the airport and, I believe it was the convention center downtown where the president was coming to speak. And you figure probably all the common right-of-ways along the side of the road were mowed, the bushes were trimmed, you made a good impression, and you again filled in the potholes, and you made smooth the way. Like manner, John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus Christ's ministry by preaching a message of repentance, performing baptisms, and softening the people's heart for the receiving of the Messiah who was coming. Find that in Matthew chapter 3. Let's go there next.

Matthew chapter 3 and verse 1. Again, as I said, all four gospels give testimony of this. Let's look at Matthew 3. Beginning in verse 1, it says, In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make his path straight. Verse 4, Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locust and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all of Judea and all the region around the Jordan went out to him. You know, his word is spreading, and people from a wide region are gathering in to hear what he says. Verse 6, And they were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. Verse 7, But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, Brute of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father. For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear a good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, who is sandaled I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Verse 12, His winnowing fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clean out his threshing floor, gather in his wheat into the barn, and will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. So again, as we see John's ministry was to prepare the way for the work of Jesus Christ, for the sacrifice of Christ, and to direct the people to focus on repentance, to change for heart, and to recognize their need for a Savior. And this indeed was John's work, to prepare the way. In that sense, we could say, pave that spiritual highway for the ministry that Jesus would bring. Now, while John's work is a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 40, it was only partially fulfilled, Jesus later indicated the ultimate fulfillment would come at the end time. Matthew 17, verse 10. Again, to me, when you see partial fulfillment in the past, and you know more remains yet ahead, then the witness of what has already been accomplished gives credibility and confidence in what is yet to come. Matthew 17, verse 10, says, and his disciples asked him, saying, why then do the scribes say that Elijah must first come? Jesus answered and said to them, indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. So he's talking future in time tense.

He is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise, the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands. Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptist. So we understand there's still an in-time fulfillment to this prophecy that is yet to come to pass. John's work of preparation was a forerunner of an in-time work of preparation, preparing for the second coming of Jesus Christ. And that preparation as well is going to be a message accompanied with a call to repentance and the assisting people, baptism, working with people into conversion and ultimately salvation in the kingdom of God. It is an Elijah-type work that the Church of God does today, as it preaches the gospel, prepares a people. And yet, Christ says, Elijah is coming at the end, and this highway again will be prepared. With that backdrop in mind, we need to understand that Christ's return will also accompany what will be a literal highway in that day. There'll be a literal highway that returns the exiles from Assyria and Egypt. The highway that essentially leads right into the Promised Land so that those who are regathered from the scattered nations are brought back in this highway, settled in the Promised Land, established in their covenant relationship with God. And indeed, the future fulfillment of this will be certain. Prophecy number five, Jesus would enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey.

Jesus would enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Zechariah chapter nine, verse nine, Zechariah chapter nine, verse nine, says, Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you! He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on the donkey, a colt the fall of a donkey. First, then it continues on, but now we transition to future prophecy. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations. His dominion shall be from sea to sea and from the river and to the ends of the earth. Again, we see the prophecy here of the Messiah and his first coming riding into Jerusalem on the donkey's colt. So let's see the fulfillment of that. Matthew chapter 21. Matthew chapter 21 and verse 1.

We're just sort of laying these prophecies layer on top of layer on top of layer. Again, these could only apply to one individual, only be fulfilled by one individual by the power and involvement of God. Matthew chapter 21 verse 1 says, Now when they drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethaphage at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent his two disciples, saying to them, Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and the colt with her. He says, Loose them and bring them to me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, The Lord has need of them, and immediately he will send them. Verse 4. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell the daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming to you. He is lowly and sitting on the donkey a colt, the foal of a donkey. Verse 6 says, So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt. They laid their clothes on them and set him on them. He says, In a very great multitude, spread their clothes on the road. Others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying, Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Not only is this a fulfillment of prophecy, this event is a miracle in and of itself. The parallel account in Luke 11, verses 1-10, states that Jesus sat on the colt of a donkey, which had never been sat on before. So, you know, those of you who have had animals, just imagine what would be the response of a green colt would never had anyone sat on them before. And you throw your garments on his back and you put a person on him and you're leading him down the road and people are throwing branches and clothing out in the road that this animal has to walk over and there's people going before and coming behind and they're they're crying out in exuberation. What's the typical response going to be?

Apart from a miracle, it's going to be a rodeo, is it not?

And yet here, you know, you can just ask my wife, the horse trainer. This would be a rodeo, but the fact is this was a fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus Christ, riding into Jerusalem on the back of the donkey's colt during the last week of his life, and he's effectively proclaiming publicly his messiahship. And the people were crying out, you know, Hosanna to the son of David, Hosanna in the highest, behold the king of Israel. And his identity was now clearly and openly expressed. And it was a large part then to what the resentment of the leadership would be against him as these things were acknowledged. But again, brethren, when we place these prophecies on top of prophecies, we see that this is no coincidence. And that things that were proclaimed hundreds of years earlier and then fulfilled in precise detail can be nothing but the work of God. And the joy is the work of God continues.

If you're watching the clock, you'll notice I'm only up to five. I'm going to give you the last five fairly quickly. We'll move through these. Prophecy number six, a close friend of Jesus would betray him. So now we're coming crucifixion. A close friend of Jesus would betray him. Psalm 41 and verse 9. If you have a marker, you might throw it in the Psalms just to get you there. Psalms is a very book full of prophecy. We'll come back and forth a few times to this book and the remainder of the message. But Psalm 41 and verse 9, this is a short passage, would seemingly be set right in the middle of maybe something that a person wouldn't necessarily consider the prophecy of the Messiah. But God had these things interwoven even in the midst of other contexts. But Psalm 41 verse 9 says, Even my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me. It's a prophecy of the one that would betray Jesus Christ. Again, a very close and personal friend. We find the fulfillment in Matthew chapter 26 verse 14 through 16. Matthew chapter 26 verse 14 through 16. It says, Then one of the twelve called Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests, and he said, What are you willing to give me if I deliver him to you? And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray him. He was a close friend of Jesus Christ, one who had eaten and slept and traveled with him. He was one of the twelve. It was Judas Iscariot. And what you'll notice is that thirty pieces of silver was paid out for the betrayal of Jesus Christ. And that amount was prophesied as well. That brings us to the seventh prophecy. Thirty pieces of silver would be the cost of his betrayal. Zechariah chapter 11. You see that prophecy? Zechariah chapter 11 and verse 12. Zechariah 11 verse 12. Then I said to them, If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages, and if not, refrain. So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, Throw it to the potter, that princely price that they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver. I threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter. So a couple specifics here. He threw them into the house of the Lord, and they were thrown down, those thirty pieces of silver, to the potter. We find the fulfillment of this in Matthew chapter 27 verse 3 through 10. Matthew chapter 27 verse 3 says, Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that he had been condemned and was remorseful, brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? You see to it. Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple, and he departed and went and hanged himself. But the chief priests took the thirty pieces, took the pieces of silver, and said, It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood. And they consulted together, and they brought them to the potter's field. They bought with them the potter's field to bury strangers in. Therefore the field has been called the field of blood to this day. Then it was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, and the value of him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me. Again, prophecy and fulfillment.

Prophecy number eight, the soldiers would cast lots for his garments. Soldiers would cast lots for his garments. Jesus Christ was being crucified. He was on the stake. We find that prophesied in Psalm chapter 22 and verse 18.

Psalm chapter 22 and verse 18. We don't always think of King David as a man of prophecy, but indeed, Psalms is full of prophecy. And David was a prolific prophesier by the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit. Again, the soldiers would cast lots for his garments. Psalm 22 and verse 18. Just again, right in the middle of the context. They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. Very specific prophecy. John chapter 19 verse 23. We find it fulfilled. John chapter 19 verse 23. It says, then the soldiers, when they crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts to each soldier apart and also the tunic.

That a tunic was without seam. It was woven from top to the bottom. It was one piece. This was a very quality garment, especially for its day that Jesus Christ wore. It was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. And they said, therefore, among themselves let us not tear it, but cast lots for it.

Whose it shall be that the scripture might be fulfilled, which says they divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. Therefore, the soldiers did these things. These are the Roman soldiers. They're not stopping and saying, hey, let's do this, that we might fulfill prophecy. They have no clue. But their actions and indeed what they are walking through in the circumstance is a fulfillment of what God had declared in advance.

Prophecy number nine, not one of Jesus' bones would be broken. Not one of his bones would be broken. Psalm chapter 34 and verse 20 gives us the prophecy. Psalm chapter 34 and verse 20 says, he, speaking of God, he guards all his bones, not one of them is broken.

As we go back to the crucifixion in John, chapter 19, I turn there to verse 31. I think it's interesting to consider that all that Christ went through, his beating, his scourging, you know, they whipped him, they slapped him with the back of his hand, his flesh was torn away from his body, and yet not one bone was broken. And it's because God was watching over his body. And we might wonder why. Again, the fulfillment here is of the prophecy of the Lamb of God, the one who takes away the sins of the world.

And the Passover lamb was never, its bones were never to be broken. It was never to have a broken bone in Jesus Christ. It was the ultimate fulfillment of that sacrifice. Not one of his bones would be broken. John, chapter 19, and verse 31 says, Therefore, because it was the preparation day, that the body should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath. For that Sabbath was a high day.

I just might point out that God's holy days are also called Sabbaths in a number of places. So when you go back to the Old Testament and God says, my Sabbaths are a sign between my people and me, it's not speaking only of the seventh day. That is an element of that, but it's speaking of the package, including the holy days, which are also God's Sabbaths as well. They are a sign between God and his people. Therefore, because it was the preparation day that the body should remain on the cross, or not be on the cross on the Sabbath.

For that Sabbath was a high day. The Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they may be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with him, the two criminals that were crucified on each side. Verse 33, But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

Verse 35 says, And he, speaking of John, who has seen, has testified, and his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, not one of his bones shall be broken, and also another scripture that says they shall look on him whom they pierced. So we have a couple of fulfilled prophecies being mentioned here. Christ's bones not being broken, but also they would look on him whom they pierced.

And that's the tenth and final prophecy I want to mention today. They shall look on him whom they pierced. We've seen the fulfillment here in John chapter 19, verse 37. Let's acknowledge the prophecy preceding it, Psalm 22. Psalm chapter 22 and verse 16.

Psalm chapter 22, verse 16. King David writing under inspiration of God's Spirit, he says, For dogs have surrounded me, and the congregation of the wicked has enclosed me. They pierced my hands and my feet. He says, I can count all my bones. It's rather descriptive of the crucifixion. Jesus could literally look down. His flesh had been torn away. He could count his ribs. He could see his bones. It was very gruesome what he went through. I can count all my bones. Verse 17. They look and stare at me. Again, they divide my garments among them. But again, it's a very gruesome picture, but it's a picture of true prophecy nonetheless. Prophecy of them looking on the one whom they pierced was fulfilled at the crucifixion. But you know what? This asshole has a fulfillment that is yet future to come again. When we see the future fulfillment that is given in the past, as in is prophesied in Psalms, it's fulfilled in the past at the first coming of Christ. When we see the prophecy extending into the future, we can be confident of its fulfillment once again. At the return of Jesus Christ, they will again look on him whom they pierced. Zechariah chapter 12 and verse 10.

Zechariah 12 verse 10, prophesying of this future fulfillment. Zechariah chapter 12 and verse 10, it says, And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication, again future tense, then they will look on me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for him as one mourns for his only son and grieve for him as one grieves for a firstborn. Again, this is a prophecy surrounding Jesus Christ's second coming, and they will look on him whom they pierced. And, you know, some mourn for him at his first coming, but everybody is going to mourn, especially if you're a rebellious nation, when you see him at his second coming. Revelation chapter 1 and verse 7. Revelation 1 verse 7, the people of God look forward to this day. Those under Satan's influence, not so much. Revelation chapter 1 verse 7, Behold, he is coming with clouds, and every eye will see him, even they who pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him. Even so, amen.

This prophecy was fulfilled in the past that Jesus' first coming at his crucifixion. They looked on him whom they pierced, but it will be fulfilled again at his second coming. And, brethren, we can take confidence in that by looking at what has been and what we will be. We know God is faithful.

You and I, brethren, serve a God who has both the power and the will to declare the end from the beginning and then to bring it to pass. And he brings it to pass in every detail. He prophesies in detail. He fulfills in detail. And his fulfillment is true. He is the God of prophecy. In the future that God intends for all of mankind is certain and secure in his hands. We can take confidence of that because he has indeed declared it to be so. Let's conclude today in Isaiah chapter 46. Isaiah 46, because here Isaiah prophesies not only of future events, but he declares the God whom we serve. Isaiah chapter 46 and verse 8. Again, God is a God of prophecy.

Isaiah chapter 46 and verse 8, Remember this and show yourselves men. Recall to mine, O you transgressors, remember the former things of old. For I am God and there is no other. I am God and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying my counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure. Verse 11, calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes my counsel from a far country, he says, indeed I have spoken it. I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it. I will also do it. Again, brethren, this is the God we worship. A God not only of prophecy, but a God of fulfillment. A God who is true to his word. And a God that we can take confidence in.

I believe a good assignment for us all between now and the Passover would be to go back and find as many of the prophecies pointing to Jesus Christ as you can find in the Old Testament, and then flip forward and find their fulfillment. You will find the unity in the Bible. You will find the agreement. You will find the power of God in action. So look them up, study them through, find their fulfillment, and once you've done that, then start looking up the prophecies that point to the future return of Jesus Christ. Because, you see, there are just as many statements of prophecy pointing ahead to that time, and yet that is yet to be fulfilled. And once we have looked back, and we have confirmed that God has done what he has promised, we can take confidence in the fact that he will indeed fulfill what is true and what is his purpose. Brethren, let us take confidence in the future through God's faithful fulfillment of the past.