Sermon Central
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“for Unto Us A Child Is Born”
Contributed by Mike Fogerson on May 14, 2013 (message contributor)
Summary: 700 years before Christ was born, the prophet Isaiah foretold about one who would come and the nation/government would rest upon His shoulders.
“For Unto Us a Child is Born” December 23, 2012
Is. 9.6
Introduction:
A http://www.sermonspice.com/product/27984/thats-my-king-remix
1 1 But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles . Isaiah 9:1 (NASB)
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 (NASB)
a Israel had been decimated, dismantled, defeated by Assyrians.
aa Citizenship divided, government had failed.
bb God will many times bring a nation, person, church low so He can lift them up again.
b 700 years before Christ was born, the prophet Isaiah foretold about one who would come and the nation/government would rest upon His shoulders.
aa Not sending an army, legion . . . one person . . . child!
bb For unto us a child is born (Not for angels, but for humanity a human child was born)
cc a Son is given (deity/sent as a gift; John 3.16, by The Father Himself)
c This one who comes would be fully human & fully divine.
aa Daniel Webster asked, “Can you understand God? No, if we could we wouldn’t have a need for faith.”
bb I don’t have to understand the whole story; just believe and kneel down before the wonder of the ages.
2 God had promised David (2 Sam. 7.16) that his throne/dynasty would be established forever.
16 "Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever."" 2 Sam 7:16 (NASB)
a That promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Luke 1.32-33; Zech. 9.9)
32 "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end." Luke 1:32-33 (NASB)
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zech 9:9 (NASB)
b There is a kingdom coming when Messiah will regeign in righteousness & justice from David’s throne.
c The government will be on His shoulders (His authority, mighty hand/outstretched arm) & He’ll be calling the shots.
B There are 5 names that tells us who Christ is and what He means to our world.
I Wonderful (Wonderful describes something/someone that is separated from the ordinary.)
1 Wonderful does not describe the ordinary, boring, ho-hum, or the average.
a It is reserved to describe something great, often in Scripture it is used to describe miracles/miraculous.
b Jesus is wonderful in all things because Jesus does all things well.
aa The manner of His birth was WONDERFUL;
bb His humanity, self-denial, mighty works were WONDERFUL;
cc Dying agonies, resurrection, ascension all excite admiration & wonder.
2 Many, O Jehovah my God, are the wonderful works which thou hast done, And thy thoughts which are to us-ward; They cannot be set in order unto thee; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered. Psalms 40:5 (ASV)
a It is wonderful that God sent Jesus to US!
b Kelsee, I want this illustration to be represented well with images, map, number, etc.
IL. The Old Testament contains over 300 references to the Messiah that were fulfilled in Jesus. What chance did Jesus or any other man have of fulfilling these prophecies? The mathematical laws of probability can give us a clue.
aa In his book Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Josh McDowell mentions
the work of the mathematician, Peter Stoner, on just eight of the 300
prophecies: "We find that the chance that any man might have lived down
to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is one in ten (to the
seventeenth power). That would be one in 100,000,000, 000,000,000.
bb In order to help us comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner
illustrates it by supposing that we take ten (seventeenth power) silver
dollars and lay them on the face of Texas.
cc They will cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that This is the right one.
