Scripture Fulfilled

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday, the 6th of February, 2022, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.  Look for the video of our recorded services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

You could probably tell by our responsive reading this morning that I am a little behind in my calendar.  The week we had to cancel services due to the snow and ice threw my schedule off a bit.

Our reading told the story of the wise men from the east who followed a star to visit the Christ child.  Thursday, January the 6th, was the Epiphany, when we celebrate the Messiah being revealed to the Gentiles by this visit of the Magi.  And then, January 9th, the first Sunday after Epiphany, marked our observance of Jesus being baptized by John in the River Jordan.  Immediately after His baptism, Jesus was led by God’s Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Today’s reading relates the events that came next, when Jesus reveals Himself to be the fulfillment of Messianic scripture.  Please listen and follow along to what the Apostle Luke recorded for us in verses 14 through 21 of chapter 4 of his Gospel account, and I’ll be reading this from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…

14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about Him spread quickly through the whole region. 15 He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

16 When He came to the village of Nazareth, His boyhood home, He went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,

for He has anointed Me to bring Good News to the poor.

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released,

that the blind will see,

that the oppressed will be set free,

19     and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at Him intently. 21 Then He began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

--Luke 4:14-21 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for filling Jesus with the power of Your Holy Spirit so He could carry out the work You assigned Him.  And thank You for sending Your Spirit to us, to live within us and be our constant Companion and guide, and to give us the power to serve You, too.  Please help us take full advantage of this great gift.  Help us use Your Spirit’s power to help others as Jesus did, and so fulfill the prophecy Jesus gave when He said that we could do even greater things than He.  And please, Father, protect us from all the traps and schemes the devil employs to trick us into disobedience.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, worship, and service, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us this day.  May we truly know and recognize Jesus as Your Son and our Lord, and may we share that truth with others.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Biblical prophecy provides some of the greatest encouragement and hope available to us today.  Just as the Old Testament is saturated with prophecies concerning Christ's first advent, so both testaments are filled with references to the second coming of Christ.  One scholar has estimated that there are 1,845 references to Christ's second coming in the Old Testament, where 17 books give it prominence.  In the 260 chapters of the New Testament, there are 318 references to the second advent of Christ - an amazing one out of every 30 verses.  23 of the 27 New Testament books refer to this great event.  For every prophecy in the Bible concerning Christ's first advent, there are eight which look forward to His second!

In our responsive reading about the visit of the wise men, we saw prophecy fulfilled.  Herod’s own advisers mentioned what had been spoken by the prophets.  And the wise men themselves were following prophecy as they followed the star.

As believers, we know that all of those prophecies in scripture predicting the first coming of the Christ were fulfilled.  They came to pass in the birth and life of Jesus.  Isn’t it reasonable, then, to say that the chances of those scriptural prophecies concerning His second coming will also be fulfilled?  And if we follow that scholar’s estimate, maybe we could say that the chances are eight times greater.

By just looking at the numbers, we can see that our Bible, both Old and New Testaments, places greater emphasis on Jesus’ return than on His birth and His short ministry on earth.  Yes, He came to teach us the truth of God’s kingdom.  Yes, He came to die for us, so that our sin can be washed away by His blood.  But He came quietly, with very little notice.  He came innocently, vulnerably, as a little babe.

Yet when He returns, He will come in all His glory and all the world will see Him, as the truth is fully revealed.  He will set the world aright, and judge us all, both good and bad.  When Jesus comes again, God’s great plan will be fulfilled.

Not everyone, though, wants us to understand this.  Not everyone wants us to hear the truth of the Good News of salvation through Christ Jesus.  There are governments and powers, even preachers in pulpits, that would try to keep the true and truthful Gospel from their people.

Jesus warned us about them.  Please listen as I read from the 12th chapter of Luke’s Gospel account, verses 1 through 3…

1 Meanwhile, the crowds grew until thousands were milling about and stepping on each other. Jesus turned first to His disciples and warned them, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees — their hypocrisy. 2 The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. 3 Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!"

--Luke 12:1-3 (NLT)

The revelation Jesus spoke of has been occurring since even before His time on the cross.  First by His signs and miracles, the mighty works He performed.  Then the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy, even on the cross.  Mostly, by His resurrection in the body, witnessed by hundreds.  And let’s not forget all that He revealed to John as to what is yet to come.  After all this, though, so many people refuse to believe.  When Jesus does return, they will be horribly shocked, for the truth, His true self, will be revealed and shown to all.

When will that day come?  We don’t know; we’re not supposed to know.  Here’s what Jesus tells us, from chapter 17 or Luke’s Gospel account, verses 20 through 30…

20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

22 Then He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after them or follow them. 24 For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. 25 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.”

--Luke 17:20-30 (NKJV)

Life goes on.  Days pass one after another.  We eat, we drink, we marry, just as in the days of Noah before the waters washed the earth clean.  We buy and sell, we plant and build, just as they did in Sodom before it rained fire and brimstone and destroyed them all.

And so it will be when the Son of Man - the Son of God – returns.  Everyone will be going about their daily business when the trumpet sounds and the heavens open to reveal Jesus in all His glory.  For believers, this will be a great blessing.  For the non-believers, the refusers, it will be the worst day they could ever imagine, for they will suddenly realize just how wrong they were.  And on that day, more scripture will be fulfilled.

Like I said, we don’t know when this will happen.  And really, all we can do to prepare for that day is to be sure we are doing what Jesus told us to do.  We’ve got to keep believing, continue obeying His word, do as He commanded to love one another and make more disciples, help save more of the lost.  And when Jesus returns, He’ll take us home to live with Him in God’s great heaven for ever and ever.

In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, who is coming back for us… someday soon.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for devising such a great plan to allow us to be reconciled to You and reunited with You.  And it all required that Your Son Jesus fulfill what was foretold by Your prophets.  Thank You, Father, for showing us such great mercy.  But Father, sometimes the pressures of this life occupy all our thoughts and we don’t make enough time for You.  Sometimes we forget what the scriptures tell us.  Forgive us, Father, when we fail to obey and serve You.  Please help us patiently and faithfully await Your Son’s return.  Help us remain strong in this cold and dark world in which we live.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You knew what You would face when You came to this world as one of us.  All our aches and pains, our needs and requirements, our joys and our sorrows, You shared it all.  All but our sin, that is.  You came and remained sinless, just so that You could take our sin to Yourself and set us free.  Please, Lord, help us remember Your great sacrifice.  Forgive us, Jesus, when we don't spend as much time in our Bibles as we should so that we can better understand the scripture and how You did fulfill and will continue to fulfill what it promises.  Help us not only see the truth, but share it with others so that they too might be saved.  And Jesus, please strengthen us through these harsh and scary times.  Heal those hurts that separate and divide us.  Help us remain true and obedient no matter what we go through.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on what this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.