22010.239 Jesus, the “Messiah”

Jesus fulfilled over three hundred scriptures that foretold of His coming to be the Messiah!

A “messiah” is an expected deliverer or savior of an entire people. In Jewish tradition, the Messiah is the expected king and deliverer of the Jews. In the Christian tradition, the Messiah is Jesus Christ—our Savior.

Q. What do you currently know about Jesus, the Messiah?

Throughout the Old Testament Scriptures, a spotless, unblemished lamb was required for a sin offering. This offering pointed to the future spotless Lamb of God, the Messiah, who would be God’s perfect sacrifice for our sins. John 1:29 records:

“On the next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’”

Here is that “sin” concept again! Yes, our sin really does matter to God! It separates us from Him and only a sacrifice can pay for that sin. It is important to recognize and accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah, because without Him, we do not have a relationship with the God of the universe!

For centuries the prophets of Israel foretold the coming of the Messiah. Specifically, the prophet Isaiah wrote about the coming of Jesus the Messiah 700 years before Jesus was born. Over the span of fifteen hundred years, nearly three hundred specific references were made to his coming. All of these are recorded in Scripture.

The odds against one person fulfilling merely eight of these prophecies would be the same as a blindfolded person picking one special silver dollar from a two-foot-high stack of silver dollars over an area the size of Texas (greater than the entire nation of France.) Yet, Jesus Christ fulfilled over two hundred of them … exactly! And his sinless life qualified Him to be God’s perfect sacrifice for all of our sins.

Hebrews 9:11–15 explains,

“But now Christ has come as the high priest of the good things to come. He passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, and he entered once for all into he most holy place not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood, and so he himself secured eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow sprinkled on those who are defiled consecrated them and provided ritual purity, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our consciences from dead works to worship the living God. And so he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the eternal inheritance he has promised, since he died to set them free from the violations committed under the first covenant.”

The Message translation of the Bible presents these verses in this way:

“If that animal blood and the other rituals of purification were effective in cleaning up certain matters of our religion and behavior, think how much more the blood of Christ cleans up our whole lives, inside and out. Through the Spirit, Christ offered himself as an unblemished sacrifice, freeing us from all those dead-end efforts to make ourselves respectable, so that we can live all out for God.”

Q. As you read these verses from Hebrews, what truths are new to you?

Listed below are just a few Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah that were fulfilled by Jesus and are recorded in the New Testament.

Prophecy: “As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, seemingly insignificant among the clans of Judah –—from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, one whose origins are in the distant past.” —Micah 5:2

Fulfillment: “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, in the time of King Herod, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem” —Matthew 2:1

For centuries the prophets of Israel foretold the coming of the Messiah.

Q. What key information is given in the above verses?

Prophecy: “For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us. He shoulders responsibility and is called: Amazing Adviser, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His dominion will be vast and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. He will rule on David’s throne and over David’s kingdom, establishing it and strengthening it by promoting justice and fairness, from this time forward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will accomplish this.” —Isaiah 9:6–7

Fulfillment: “Listen: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 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. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.” —Luke 1:31–33

Q. What important information do we learn about Jesus in the above verses?

Prophecy: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? I groan in prayer, but help seems far away.” —Psalm 22:1

Fulfillment: “At about three o’clock Jesus shouted with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” —Matthew 27:46

Q. What do you learn about Jesus from the above verses?

Prophecy: “They are dividing up my clothes among themselves; they are rolling dice for my garments.” —Psalm 22:18

Fulfillment: “When they had crucified him, they divided his clothes by throwing dice.” —Matthew 27:35

Q. Why do you think this detail about Jesus’ clothes is included in the Bible?

Prophecy: “For this reason the Lord himself will give you a confirming sign. Look, this young woman is about to conceive and will give birth to a son. You, young woman, will name him Immanuel.” —Isaiah 7:14

Fulfillment: “The angel replied, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God.’” —Luke 1:35

Q. Why do you think the information in the above passages is important?

Jesus’ sinless life qualified Him to be God’s perfect sacrifice for all of our sins—the Savior of the world.

Application

Q. As you look over all of the information contained in this lesson, what does it mean to you personally that Jesus is the Messiah?

Check out the article, “Was Jesus the Messiah?” for more information about Jesus, the Messiah.

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