Romans 155: Romans 5 - Jesus Christ: The Prediction, The Prodigy and The PropitiationWelcome To BARAH MINISTRIES a Christian Church Rory Clark Pastor-Teacher
Good Morning!
Welcome to Barah Ministries…a worldwide Christian Church based in Mesa, AZ…my name is Pastor Rory Clark.
Welcome to our Christmas Celebration, the moment when we stop to honor the birth of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Songs have captured well the feelings we have today…Joy to the world…the Lord is come…let earth receive her King! John, Chapter 1, Verse 14 says…
JOH 1:14 And the Word (the Lord…God the Son) became flesh (true humanity…Jesus Christ), and tabernacled among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only uniquely born One from God the Father, full of grace and full of truth.
Lord, we lift Your Name on high…Lord, we love to sing Your praises… we’re so glad you’re in our lives…we’re so glad You came to save us…You came from heaven to earth…to show the way…from the earth to the Cross…our debt to pay…from the Cross to the grave…from the grave to the sky…Lord we lift Your name on high.
This is a time of great excitement for the whole world…especially for Christians…and we celebrate in ecstasy as we imagine what the human parents of Jesus Christ, Joseph and Mary, must have felt when they first laid eyes on their beautiful baby boy.
Let’s begin the celebration of our Lord’s birth in song. First Clay Aiken with … “Mary Did You Know?” What did Joseph and Mary know about their Son? After that, June Murphy, singing … “What Child is This?”
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
MARY DID YOU KNOW? Clay Aiken
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
WHAT CHILD IS THIS? Sung by June Murphy
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray...
We’re grateful to you, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…
Thank you Father for your indescribable, unfathomable, magnificent, precious and gracious gift…the gift of Your Son…thank you for counting us worthy to receive Him…in gratitude we lift our hearts to You every day, and on this day especially, Father, as we let in the feelings that overwhelm our souls at the celebration of Jesus’ birth…our soul rejoices as we experience, at this moment, exactly what You did for us by sending Jesus Christ, the Messiah, here to earth…
Illuminate for us the Scriptures we will hear today…help us to feel Your perfect plan for all of your imperfect creatures…help us to see the intricacy of Your unconditional love for us…help us to experience Your peace…
We ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit...in Christ’s name... Amen.
TODAY’S STUDY Jesus Christ: The Prediction, The Prodigy and The Propitiation
PREDICTION…if I was to take out a coin right now, flip it, and say, “heads,” I would have, at best, a fifty-fifty chance of being correct. My conclusion is that I’m not very good at prediction. The Old Testament predictions about the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah’s coming, were 100% correct, and the odds of that being true are almost too astronomical to calculate…the PREDICTION of where He would be born, the PREDICTION of what family He would be born into, the PREDICTION of what His birth was for…there are no words to describe the precision and the accuracy of the PREDICTION.
PRODIGY…the One whom the predictions were describing…the One who would save His people from their sins…Clay Aiken asked in song, “Mary Did You Know?” Of course she didn’t. June Murphy asked in song, “What Child is This?” It’s certain none of us know the true impact of this God-man, even though we are exposed constantly to His Person, and His Work, and His Word. The PRODIGY spoke from the manger, from His Deity, in Hebrews, Chapter 10, Verses 5 to 7…
HEB 10:5 Therefore, when the Lord (God the Son) comes into the world, He says, “Sacrifice and offering You (God the Father) have not desired, but a body (true humanity) You have prepared for Me…”
HEB 10:6 “In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure.”
HEB 10:7 “Then I (the Lord Jesus Christ) said, ‘Behold, I have come…(in the scroll of the book it is written of Me)…to do Your will, O God the Father.’”
PROPITIATION…He is the ONLY perfect and completely satisfactory payment for our sins…and He came to the earth to deliver us from the bondage of the Old Man and the bondage of Sin and the bondage of the Flesh. It’s a pleasure to celebrate His birth today.
For years, I have used my intellect to pick out just the right Christmas message to share. Finally, after more than fifty years as a Christian, I have been given the wisdom from God to know that God the Holy Spirit doesn’t need any help from me in sending you a Christmas message. So enjoy the Scriptures, enjoy the songs, enjoy the story of Jesus’ birth as it unfolds from the Word of God with the only message you will ever need…a message of the One who went from heaven…to the manger…to the Cross…the story of our “resurrected from the dead Lord” … who conquered death on our behalf so that we might have the resurrection life and have it abundantly.
Merry Christmas!
The PREDICTION About the Christ
Let’s start with the PREDICTION about the Christ from Old Testament Scripture. The Old Testament prophesied about the Messiah who would come, the Lamb without spot or blemish, who would take away the sins of the world. What were the PREDICTIONS? There were hundreds of them…here are just a few.
PREDICTION
Genesis, Chapter 17, Verses 7 and 8…
GEN 17:7 “I (Jehovah Elohim) will establish My covenant between Me and you (Abraham), and between Me and your descendants after you, throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.”
GEN 17:8 “I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
PREDICTION
Genesis, Chapter 17, Verse 19…
GEN 17:19 But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.” Genesis, Chapter 28, Verse 14…
GEN 28:14 “Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”
PREDICTION
Isaiah, Chapter 11 Verse 1…
ISA 11:1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
PREDICTION
Isaiah, Chapter 9, Verses 6 and 7…
ISA 9:6 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.
ISA 9:7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
PREDICTION
Genesis, Chapter 49, Verses 8 to 10…
GEN 49:8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you.”
GEN 49:9 “Judah is a lion’s whelp (child); from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion, who dares rouse him up?”
GEN 49:10 “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh (the Messiah) comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
PREDICTION
<F-RAH-THUH>
Micah, Chapter 5, Verse 2…
MIC 5:2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.”
Matthew, Chapter 1, Verses 1 to 3…
MAT 1:1 The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham…
MAT 1:2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
MAT 1:3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram.
Hebrews, Chapter 7, Verse 14…
HEB 7:14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.
Revelation, Chapter 5, Verses 1 to 5…
REV 5:1 I (John) saw in the right hand of Him (the Lord Jesus Christ) who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.
REV 5:2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?”
REV 5:3 And no one (no creature) in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it.
REV 5:4 Then I (John) began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it…
REV 5:5 …and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”
PREDICTION
ISA 7:14 Therefore the Lord (God the Father) Himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
What are the chances of all these predictions coming true? With God, all things are possible. It’s just fun to witness the orchestration of God the Father on behalf of His Son for the benefit of all of us. Take a five-minute break.
BREAK The Christmas Song Nat King Cole
Welcome back! Jesus Christ: The Prediction, The Prodigy and The Propitiation. The Lord Jesus Christ is a PRODIGY, a marvelous example of His Father’s unconditional love.
PRODIGY
Turn in your bibles to Luke, Chapter 1, Verse 26…
LUK 1:26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God the Father to a city in Galilee called Nazareth…
LUK 1:27 …to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
LUK 1:28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
LUK 1:29 But Mary was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.
LUK 1:30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.”
LUK 1:31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.”
LUK 1:32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God (the Father) will give Jesus the throne of His father David…”
LUK 1:33 “…and Jesus will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”
LUK 1:34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
LUK 1:35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”
LUK 1:36 “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.”
LUK 1:37 “For nothing will be impossible with God.”
LUK 1:38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
LUK 1:39 Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah…
LUK 1:40 …and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
LUK 1:41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby (Elizabeth was carrying) leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
LUK 1:42 And Elizabeth cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you Mary among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”
LUK 1:43 “And how has it happened to me (Elizabeth), that the mother of my Lord would come to me?”
LUK 1:44 “For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, Mary, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.”
LUK 1:45 “And blessed are you who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”
LUK 1:46 And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord…”
LUK 1:47 “And my spirit has rejoiced in the God who is my Savior (the Lord Jesus Christ).”
LUK 1:48 “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; for behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.”
LUK 1:49 “For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name.”
PRODIGY
Turn in your bibles to Matthew, Chapter 1, Verse 18…
MAT 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, before they came together (had sexual intercourse) she was found to be “with child” by the agency of God the Holy Spirit. MAT 1:19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man (a believer in Christ) and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away (divorce her) secretly.
MAT 1:20 But when Joseph had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the (agency of the) Holy Spirit.”
MAT 1:21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
MAT 1:22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet (Isaiah)…
MAT 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”
MAT 1:24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife…
MAT 1:25 …but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
PRODIGY
Turn in your bibles to Luke, Chapter 2, Verse 1…
LUK 2:1 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. LUK 2:2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.
LUK 2:3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.
LUK 2:4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David…
LUK 2:5 …in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.
LUK 2:6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.
LUK 2:7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
LUK 2:8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
LUK 2:9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
LUK 2:10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people…”
LUK 2:11 “…for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
LUK 2:12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
LUK 2:13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying…
LUK 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
LUK 2:15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”
LUK 2:16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.
LUK 2:17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.
LUK 2:18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.
LUK 2:19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.
LUK 2:20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
PRODIGY
Turn in your bibles to First John, Chapter 4, Verse 7…
1JO 4:7 Beloved (divinely loved ones), let us love one another (unconditionally), for (unconditional) love is from (the source of) God; and everyone who loves (unconditionally) is born of God (a believer in Christ is born again) and knows God (they are children of a King).
1JO 4:8 The one who does not love (unconditionally) does not know God (the Father), for God (the Father) is (unconditional) love.
1JO 4:9 By this the (unconditional) love of God was manifested (made clearly visible) in us, that God (the Father) has sent His only begotten (uniquely born) Son into the world so that we might live through Him.
1JO 4:10 In this is (unconditional) love, not that we loved God (unconditionally), but that He loved us (unconditionally) and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1JO 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us (unconditionally), and he did, we also ought to love one another (unconditionally).
1JO 4:12 No one has seen God (the Father) at any time; if we love one another (unconditionally), God (the Father) abides in us, and His (unconditional) love is perfected in us.
1JO 4:13 By this we know that we abide in Him (God the Father) and He (abides) in(dwelling) us, because He (God the Father) has given us of His (Holy) Spirit.
1JO 4:14 We have seen and testify that (God) the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Take a five-minute break.
BREAK Joy to the World Nat King Cole
Welcome back! Jesus Christ: The Prediction, The Prodigy and The Propitiation. The Lord Jesus Christ is a PROPITIATION, satisfactory to His Father in every way.
PROPITIATION The ONLY Perfectly Satisfactory Payment…His Blood
Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 21…
ROM 3:21 But now apart from law, another principle entirely, the righteousness from God, which has been made clearly visible, being witnessed to by the Mosaic Law in the sacrificial offerings and being witnessed to by the Old Testament Prophets in direct statements…
ROM 3:22 …a righteousness that comes as a gift from God the Father through the principle of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and not through the principle of faith in yourselves for righteousness…and that free gift is available for whosoever believes; for there is no distinction between Jews and Greeks…
ROM 3:23 …for all have sinned in the past when Adam sinned and all keep on sinning…and keep on falling short of the glory of God…
ROM 3:24 …yet all keep on being justified by God the Father as a gift (free of charge) from His grace through the redemption which is a result of being in union with Christ Jesus…
ROM 3:25 …whom God the Father displayed publicly as a propitiation, through a sacrifice of His blood, for the benefit of all who have faith. This was to demonstrate God the Father’s righteousness, because in the forbearance of God the Father, He passed over the sins previously committed…
First John, Chapter 2, Verses 1 and 2 say…
1JO 2:1 My little children (believers in Christ), I (John) am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, and we all do, we have an Advocate with God the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One…
1JO 2:2 …and Jesus Christ Himself is the propitiation for our sins (the ONLY perfectly satisfactory payment in the eyes of God the Father); and not for ours (as believers in Christ) only, but also for those (sins) of the whole world (unbelievers as well).
Hebrews, Chapter 2, Verse 9…
HEB 2:9 But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.
Hebrews, Chapter 2, Verses 14 to 17…
HEB 2:14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, Jesus Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil…
HEB 2:15 …and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.
HEB 2:16 For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham.
HEB 2:17 Therefore, Jesus had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Hebrews, Chapter 4, Verse 15…
HEB 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
THE RESULT OF JESUS’ LIFE Peace
Isaiah, Chapter 9, Verse 6…
ISA 9:6 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.
Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 1…
ROM 5:1 Therefore, having been justified on the principle of faith in the past, we believers in Christ now and forevermore keep on having peace with God the Father through our union with the Lord Jesus Christ…
CLOSING SONG O Holy Night
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
THANKS- INTERCESSION- PETITION
And we pray that You continue to shape the messages from this pulpit that are an accurate reflection of Your unconditional love, Your glorious Person, Your lucid thinking, Your impeccable work, and Your magnificent essence...we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit, in Christ’s name, Amen.
Thanks for coming…for watching…for listening!
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