Christ: Wrapped in Prophecy

---

https://vimeo.com/653749552

---

As we shop, look up, seek out or ask for gifts in this season of the year — let’s do ourselves a favor and REMEMBER the GIFT of the Savior we were given that first Christmas! A gift wrapped like none expected or delivered like any thought, but wrapped in prophecy that delivers a foundational certainty to our faith.

Sermon begins at 32 min.

Preached at Elements Church, Tucson Arizona.

Luke 2:3-7 NIV

3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the

town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he

belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who

was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there,

the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She

wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room

available for them.

(740 years before Jesus’ birth)

Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore Jehovah himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin will be with

child and bear a son, and she will call his name God With Us."

The Virgin Birth is the birth of none other than God himself.

The Virgin Birth was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

The Virgin Birth is a critical piece of God's plan for salvation.

**the Apostle's Creed (341 AD) states, "I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of

heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, born of the Virgin Mary."

**the Nicene Creed (325 AD) goes to great length to make the point that Christ's birth

was altogether different from anyone else's birth: ==he was begotten of God, not

made. The word "begotten" means fathered by God.

QUOTE:

"When you beget something, you beget it after your own kind." -C.S. Lewis

It is absolutely critical for our salvation that Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully

man. Jesus alone is the mediator between God and fallen man. He is the Savior of the

world, uniquely positioned to stand between God and man—which is what we needed

in order for mankind to be reconciled with a holy God.

8 prophecies of Jesus:

The time of His birth (see the Daniel 8 & 9).

He would be born in Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2)

He would be born of a virgin. (Isaiah 7:14)

He would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. (Zechariah 11:12)

He would be mocked. (Psalm 22:7,8)

He would be crucified. (Psalm 22, John 3:14)

He would be pierced. (Psalms 22:16)

He would die with the wicked, but He would be buried with the rich. (Isaiah 53:9)

Prophecy calculations:

*Peter W. Stoner, Chairman of the Departments of Mathematics and Astronomy and

his research regarding biblical prophecy and the probability of Jesus fulfilling them.

*conservative probabilities for each one being fulfilled, and then considered the

likelihood of Jesus fulfilling all 8 of those prophecies.

The conclusion to his research was staggering. The prospect that anyone would satisfy

those eight prophecies was just 1 in 10(17).

1 in 10 (to the 17th power) = (100,000,000,000,000,000)

if we doubled it to 16 prophecy's - it would be 1 in 10 (to the 45th power)

(1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000)

The Scriptures have well over 300+ prophecies that Jesus fulfilled...

Professor Peter W. Stoner stated… Quote:“Any man who rejects Christ as the Son

of God is rejecting a fact proved perhaps more absolutely than any other fact in

the world.”

Jesus came wrapped in prophecy that brings foundational certainty to our faith!

Friend, have you unwrapped this gift for yourself?

This is the gift that can anchor you to the HOPE OF GOD that can hold you in each and

every moment and season of life!

2 Corinthians 9:15

"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”