AVBC - Sunday 12/07/25 – Sermon Title: “Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled” (“Christmas Hope” - Sermon Series: Part 2 of 5) – Isaiah 9:6-7, Jeremiah 23:5-6 (2nd Sunday of Advent)

 Sunday 12/07/25 – Adams Village Baptist Church

Sermon Title: “Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled” (“Christmas Hope” -    Sermon Series: Part 2 of 5) – Isaiah 9:6-7, Jeremiah 23:5-6 (2^nd Sunday of Advent)

          Last Sunday, I started a five-week sermon series called “Christmas Hope.” This sermon series is a series that leads us through the season of Advent and then into the twelve-day season of Christmas. Last Sunday, we talked about how the season of Advent that we now find ourselves in, is one where we are awaiting the birth of Christ, the return of Christ, and it is also a season that we are called to invite Christ into our hearts anew. This sermon series will end on Christmas Eve, but today my message is called “Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled.” Or to say another way, does the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible predict the coming of Jesus? Further, does the Old Testament predict Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection?

          The answer to this question is yes. Specifically, do you know that there are two-hundred to four-hundred scriptures in the Old Testament that prophetically predict multiple things about Jesus, the Messiah, the savior. The reason there is such a variance in the number of scriptures that predict the birth, life, and death of Jesus, is because some verses of scripture are very vague. As a result, it is harder to prove that these specific scriptures are prophetic around the birth and life of Jesus.

          The next question to ask then is, if many scriptures from the Old Testament prophetically predict the birth and life of Jesus, then why does this matter? It matters brothers and sisters, because I firmly believe that any Christian Church in 2025 and beyond that does not have a deep and abiding faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will not last in the long term. Why do I believe this? I believe this because our faith in Jesus Christ for nearly two-thousand years has been what has made us Christians. To be transformed spiritually by Jesus Christ, to know Him, and to know the life and the transformation that only He brings. This is the very life blood of our faith, and the power of the church.

          Beyond this, when we come to Christ, then we are called by Christ, to live like Him. This means, coming to Christ, being transformed by Christ, and then living the life that Jesus lived. Jesus taught us how to love and care for each other, and how to love our neighbor as ourselves. I believe that churches in 2025 and beyond that are deeply rooted in Christ and live the life and the mission that Jesus did will be spiritual forces to be reconned with. In this church, I preach Christ crucified. I preach His love, His transformation, and the new life that only He can bring, but then I challenge myself and all of us to love, serve, heal, and forgive like He did. When the Christian Church is at its best we are seeking Christ, loving like Christ, and living and serving like Christ. This is why knowing what the Old Testament predicted about Jesus’ birth, life, and death centuries before His birth matter.

          While we await Jesus’ birth on Christmas, anticipate his return, and invite Him anew in our hearts, what did the prophets and writers of the Old Testament tell us about Jesus. What did the prophets and the writers of the Old Testament tell us about who our Lord and Savior would be, and still is?

          The two examples of “Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled” around Jesus Christ that I picked for this morning, are from the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah, or the Book of Isaiah 9:6-7. For a little context, these words were written about seven-hundred years before the birth of Jesus on that first Christmas nearly two-thousand years ago. This is what Isaiah 9:6-7 says, once again:

⁶ For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ His authority shall grow continually,
    and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom.
    He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness
    from this time onwards and for evermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this (Isa. 9:6-7, NRSV).

          I first remember hearing this scripture in church one year as a child on Christmas Eve. Anyone here ever hear Isaiah 9:6-7 on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day before? If you have, the question to ask then is, why would we read on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day the words of an Old Testament prophet written about seven-hundred years before the birth of Christ? I mean, on Christmas are celebrating Christ’s birth? Why would we read something that the Prophet Isaiah wrote, in what we now call the Old Testament Book of Isaiah?

          The answer is, while the Old Testament prophets, like Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Jonah, Daniel, Isaiah, etc., were called by God to preach and live as God calls us to live, they were also called by God shepherd the Israelite of Jewish people back to God. The Israelites or Jewish people would fall into sin and brokenness, and over the centuries God would call one prophet in the Old Testament of the Hebrew Bible after another, to call the people God back to Holiness and righteousness. In the process of doing this, however, the Holy Spirit also revealed to these same prophets’ glimpse of the messiah or the savior that would come one day. These scriptures and other scriptures in the Old Testament are prophetic scriptures that predict Jesus’s birth and life.

          Given all of this, if we have heard Isaiah 9:6-7 read at Christmas Eve services or on Christmas Day, then what is prophetic about the coming of Christ in Isaiah 9:6-7? First, Isaiah tells us that a child will be born, and this child will have authority upon his shoulders. Even more, this same child will be called “Wonderful Counsellor,” “Mighty God,” “Everlasting Father,” and “Prince of Peace.” Since two of these names say that this child would be called “Mighty God,” or “Everlasting Father,” this child would then be divine. This child would be both man and God. Or to say it another way, this child would be fully God and fully human. This child predicted by the Prophet Isaiah about seven-hundred year before Christ’s birth on that first Christmas, is Jesus Christ.

          Not only this, but Isaiah also then says in 9:7 of the messiah, of Christ, or Immanuel, that this child’s authority shall grow continually. One day, when Christ returns, as a descendant of the great King David who killed Goliath with a stone and sling, there will be endless peace. When Christ returns to complete what He began on this earth, will be fully established a uphold. This process of the Kingdom of God breaking into the world continued at Jesus’ birth on that first Christmas, but it will come to full fruition when Christ returns in glory. At this point, the world will then be perfected, and Christ will rule forevermore. This brothers and sisters is why this scripture from Isaiah 9:6-7 is often read on Christmas Eve and even Christmas day. Isaiah 9:6-7 tells us about the Jesus who is coming and will come again.

          One other example of a prophetic Old Testament scripture about Jesus being born and who he was is from Old Testament prophet Jeremiah. This is also called the Book of Jeremiah. Here is what Jeramiah 23:5-6 says once again this morning about the coming of the Messiah, or Jesus the Christ:

Jeremiah 23:5-6:

The Righteous Branch of David

⁵ The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness’ (Jer. 23:5-6, NRSV).

          The Old Testament said that the coming Messiah must be part of the lineage of the great King David. In fact, in the Book of Micah in the Old Testament, or the Prophet Micah, it says in 5:2 that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Why? The answer is, is that Messiah, the Christ, must be born in the city that King David himself was born in. Bethlehem is also called “The City of David.” Jesus was in line of King David. To show how important this is, if you take your Bibles and turn to the first chapter of the gospel of Matthew, you will notice that entire first chapter of the gospel of Matthew is the lineage or ancestors of Jesus. Why is this important? It is important, because in the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew starts with Jesus’s lineage and ancestors. Why? To prove that Jesus was a decedent of the great King David.

          In the midst of calling the people of Israel back to God and back to holiness, like all the Old Testaments prophets did, they also made predictions about Christ’s birth, life, and death. In Jermiah 23:5-6, Jermiah wrote that a day would come when a descendant of the great King David, will be born and raised up as “righteous branch,” or a righteous ruler. This messiah, this descendant of King David, according to the prophet Jeremiah will “reign as king and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.” Jesus, who was fully God and fully human on earth, ushered God’s Kingdom of justice and righteousness though His birth, life, death, resurrection, and this will come to full perfection when Jesus returns. When this Messiah, this savior, this Christ comes, Judah will be saved, Israel will live in safety, and this person will be called “The Lord is our righteousness.” Among the many meanings of this title “The Lord is our righteousness” in Hebrew, This title is applied to the Messiah, Jesus, who brings salvation and justice.

          The fulfillment of the Old Testament prophets about Jesus, are central to Christmas, the life of Jesus, His death on the cross, His resurrection, and His return one day. I mean, why else would the disciple Matthew spend the whole first chapter of his gospel writing all the ancestors of Jesus’ lineage? He did so to prove unequivocally that Jesus is our Lord and savior.

          Of the many other prophecies of the Jesus in the Old Testament, here some random ones, and I would encourage to look these up. Type in Old Testament prophecies about Jesus in Google, make sure they are reputable websites, and you can see for yourself. This will impress you! Here are some examples of the many scriptures:

• Isaiah 7:14 – Jesus would be born from a virgin
• Psalm 72:10 – Jesus would be worshipped and given gifts at his birth
• Jeremiah 31:15 – King Herod would murder children in an attempt to kill Jesus
• Hosea 11:1 – Joseph would be warned to take Jesus to Egypt for a time to protect him. 

PROPHECIES ON THE LIFE OF JESUS

• Psalm 40:6-8 – Jesus would be the perfect sacrifice
• Psalm 78:1-2 – Jesus would teach using parables
• 1 Samuel 2:35 – God would raise up a faithful priest
• 2 Samuel 7:12-13 – Jesus’ Kingdom would be eternal
• Isaiah 6:9-10 – Those who heard Jesus’ parables would not understand
• Isaiah 9:1-2 – The ministry of Jesus would begin in Galilee
• Isaiah 40:3-4 – Jesus’ ministry would be preceded by a voice calling in the desert
• Isaiah 42:1-4 – Jesus’ message of salvation would also extend to the Gentiles
• Isaiah 53:3 – Jesus would be despised and rejected  
• Isaiah 61:1 – Jesus would be the anointed one to proclaim good news to the poor
• Zechariah 9:9 – The King would come riding on a donkey
• Zechariah 11:13 – Jesus would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver

PROPHECIES ON THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS

• Exodus 12:21-23 – Jesus would be the Passover Lamb
• Exodus 12:46, Numbers 9:12 – None of Jesus’ bones would be broken
• Leviticus 17:11 – Jesus would die and pour out his blood for the atonement of sins
• Numbers 21:9 – Jesus would be lifted up
• Psalm 16:10 – Jesus would not be abandoned to the dead
• Psalm 22:1 – Jesus would be forsaken
• Psalm 22:8 – Jesus would be mocked
• Psalm 22:15 – Jesus’ mouth would be dry
• Psalm 22:16 – Jesus’ hands and feet would be pierced
• Psalm 22:18 – Lots would be cast for Jesus’ clothes
• Psalm 31:5 – Jesus would commit his spirit to God
• Psalm 68:18 – Jesus would ascend to heaven
• Psalm 69:21 – Jesus’ would be given vinegar for his thirst

(https://www.preaching.com/articles/the-ultimate-guide-to-old-testament-prophecies-jesus-christ-fulfilled/).

 

These prophetic scriptures about Jesus’ birth, live, and death, are just some of the prophetic scriptures of Christ in the Old Testament. In fact, if you read in the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John you will read of Old Testament prophecies that Jesus did some of the things that he did, (In order to fulfill the scriptures).

          For example, it says this in John 19:28, when Jesus was on the cross on God Friday:

²⁸ After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfil the scripture), ‘I am thirsty’ (Jn. 19:28, NRSV).

          The question is, “fulfil” what scripture. This fulfillment is the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies about Jesus Christ. In fact, I just mentioned this scripture a minute ago, which is once again:

• Psalm 69:21 – Jesus’ would be given vinegar for his thirst

Why did Jesus when he was getting close to death on the cross ask for the sponge with sour wine that was put on a branch of hyssop and lifted to his mouth? “In order to fulfil the scripture.”

Brothers, the child that will be born to us on Christmas morning, is not just any child. This child is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. This child was expected for centuries, and He is coming on Christmas, into our hearts anew, and one day returning in glory.

I said to a couple of our church leaders a few days ago that the churches that are growing in 2025 and beyond have two major components:

1.    They will have a strong and an abiding faith in Jesus Christ, and they will believe in who He is, and His return.

2.    They will be mission oriented, and they will strive to be like Jesus and to live the life that Jesus lived.

If we believe in Jesus, if we love like Jesus, and lastly if we live like Jesus, this church will continue to a beacon of light and hope for so many. This church will continue to grow and flourish.

When my parents visited last Sunday, they heard the gospel of Jesus Christ preached, and they felt the incredible love of Jesus Christ through all of you. They said, if they lived around here, they would be here. Growing a church is not hard, if we surrender the reigns of the church to Jesus and live like He lived.

People want to be loved. People want to know that they are forgiven, and people want to, whether they realize or not know Jesus. When this happens, watch what God will continue to do at the Adams Village Baptist Church. This is the vision that God has given me for this church, to preach Christ, and be like Christ as church and in the world. Further, we can know that Jesus is real, that He was prophesied for centuries, that we was born, that he lived a life that changed the world forever, that He died for our sins, rose again, ascended to heaven, and will return one day in victory.

With all this said, how does the “Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled” in Jesus Christ relate to us today, and how can we take these truths into Adams and the world with us? Here are some the reasons knowing that many Old Testament scriptures predict Jesus over and over:

Key Reasons for their Importance:

●        Proof of Identity: They serve as foundational evidence that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah prophesied for centuries, fulfilling specific predictions about his lineage, life, and suffering.

●        Demonstrate Divine Plan: The prophecies reveal God's long-term plan for redemption, showing that Jesus' arrival wasn't accidental but part of a foreordained purpose.

●        Offer Hope & Guidance: For ancient Israelites and modern believers, these prophecies provided hope during dark times and guidance to recognize their Savior, reinforcing God's faithfulness.

●        Connect Old & New Testaments: They bridge the gap between the covenants, showing how the New Testament events fulfill the promises made in the Hebrew Scriptures, validating the entire biblical narrative.

●        Evangelistic Tool: They are crucial for presenting Jesus as the Messiah, particularly to Jewish people, and serve as strong evidence for all seekers of truth. 

Brothers and sisters, on this second Sunday of Advent and this “Christmas Hope” sermon series, this is why I gave this message we discussed the “Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled” in Jesus Christ. Amen.