THE ARRIVAL OF CHRIST

“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 Immanuel, which is translated, God with us" (Matt. 1:22-23 NKJV).

For the Jews, fulfillment of prophecy was very important. Matthew therefore, would have the Jews as well as others, realize that Jesus Christ was indeed the fulfillment of prophecy. Thus we want to note the sureness of the prophecy, the source of the prophecy, the sanctity in the prophecy, and the supernatural in the prophecy.

The sureness of the prophecy – “All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet.” This underscores the trustworthiness of God’s Word. There were many prophecies that seemed unlikely to be fulfilled at the time they were spoke because of the circumstances. But if God’s Word says it will happen, it will happen.

The source of the prophecy – “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, God with us.” This prophecy about the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, comes from Isaiah 7:14.

The sanctity in the prophecy – “The virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son.” The sanctity of this conception and birth is that Mary conceived as a virgin. The virgin birth says Christ did not have a human father. The virgin birth is not something that is merely hinted at in Scripture; it is something that is entrenched and repeatedly taught in Scripture. Note the following phrases: “before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 1:18); “that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 1:20); “did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son” (Matt. 1:25). Note that it “her firstborn son” and not ‘their’ firstborn. To deny the virgin birth is to deny what the Scriptures say.

The supernatural in the prophecy – “They shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, God with us.” The Lord Jesus was not just human but He was also supernatural; He was very God as well as human. The Deity of Christ also says the Lord Jesus Christ is eternal, existing before His conception and His birth in Bethlehem. Critics and heretics despise this doctrine, but they cannot say the Bible does not teach it; the Deity of Christ, like the virgin birth, is plainly taught and repeatedly in the Scripture

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Christ’s incarnation brought the infinite God within reach of finite men!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Fulfilled

In Matt. 1:22-23 we read, “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 Immanuel, which is translated, God with us” (NKJV).

Fulfilled is the is the Greek word plēroō (πληρόω = play-ro'-o). It means fill, make full, supply fully, complete; accomplish, bring about, bring to completion. In Classical Greek, plēroō carries the idea of attaining a standard of measurement or reaching the saturation point or level of containment. Thus, the word means to fill something completely or to complete a measure. A common use of plēroō in secular Greek is to pay, in the sense of fulfilling a demand or claim.

In the Septuagint plēroō also denotes the filling of something such as the land or the sea. The idea of fulfillment is also seen when the word of the Lord is “fulfilled,” that is, when what the Lord said has come to pass. In the New Testament plēroō is used frequently for the fulfilling of prophetic sayings. Plēroō is also used in the sense of filling with something. Thus, when a person is filled with the Spirit (Eph.5:18), he is completely controlled by the indwelling power. Christians are described as being filled with joy, peace, and knowledge (Acts 13:52; Rom. 15:13-14); this fullness shapes their entire way of living.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy –The Messiah would own the title of Anointed (Psalm 2:2)

New Testament Fulfillment – Acts 2:36

Bible Facts

Christ is not actually a name, but a title and means Anointed. When the Bible talks about the Messiah in the Old Testament, it is referring to the same title that the New Testament calls Christ. Both Messiah and Christ mean Anointed One. Jesus was anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38) and was the promised Redeemer. The first promise of a redeemer in the Bible was in Genesis 3:15. The word Christ appears over 500 times in the New Testament, in every book except 3 John.

Bible Quiz

Why did King Herod order the killing of boy babies under 2 years old?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: How did the angel Gabriel encouraged Mary after telling her that she would become pregnant with a son? To encourage Mary, Gabriel told Mary that her cousin Elisabeth was also pregnant in her old age (Luke 1:36-37).

That’s in the Bible

"Shining light”

"He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light” (John 5:35 KJV).

“Shining light” - The expression “shining light” carries the idea of a prominent individual. It was the light of John’s ministry that revealed the way of salvation through the Messiah. The Lord testified of John as a light bearer. John’s ministry stirred the people to be awakened to their spiritual condition. The Jews rejoiced in the light for a while, but that rejoicing did not last. His message demanded a change in their character and conduct, but they resisted his truth. Jesus’ description of John as a “burning and shining light” reminds us of Jesus’ description of believers as being “the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14). He says we are to let our light “light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16)

Stories of Favorite Christmas Carols

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

“O Come, O Come Emmanuel” is probably the oldest Christmas carol still sung today. The original version was in Latin and dates back to at least the ninth century. It was originally known as the song of the “Great Antiphons.” The Great Antiphons were seven short verses which provided seven Biblical windows into the Messiah. Each verse would be sung and then answered, likely by two different choirs. The author and arranger of the Antiphons is unknown, but appears to be a scholarly monk or priest, since the content reflects a rich knowledge of the Scriptures. Subsequently, the key words of the Antiphons were woven into a hymn with a refrain added.

Then, in the nineteenth century, the Latin hymn was translated into English by an Anglican priest named John Mason Neale. He could write and speak more than twenty languages. For reasons unknown, Neale was sent to be a warden in the Madiera Islands off the northwest coast of Africa. In these poverty stricken islands, the sickly Neale founded an orphanage, a school for girls, and a house of refuge for prostitutes. Neale also kept up his scholarly work, and it was in that vein that he came across “Veni Emmanuel” in a Latin psalter and hymnal. Neale translated it into English in what he originally entitled “Draw Nigh, Emmanuel.” Neale kept the tune, which was a processional dating back at least to the fifteenth century.

A Little Humor

A boy wanted to be Joseph in the Sunday School pageant. He was cast as the landlord and objected loudly, but to no avail. When the pageant was presented, Mary and Joseph knocked on the door and asked him if he had a room for them. The boy smiled and said, “Yes, sure. Lots of room. Come on in!”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Christ was born here below that we might be born from above!”