Introduction: As we begin our fourth and final section of study concerning the Christ of the old testament, we should have already developed a great appreciation concerning the abundant evidence that Jesus was the Messiah sent from God. In this final section we will try to chronicle in order the major events of the life and mission of Christ from the prophets. We will not nearly exhaust the information found in the prophets. But we should gain an even deeper respect for the fact of His appointed position.

I. A Forerunner Spoken Of In Prophecy: One of the methods given in the old testament for recognizing the Christ was that there was to be a forerunner to mark His coming (Mal. 3:1) and that this forerunner would be the great prophet Elijah (Mal. 4:5-6). Many actually expected the reincarnation of Elijah but such was not to be the case. Actually John was to come in the power of Elijah, which we will see as we study today’s lesson.

II. Gabriel Foretold of the Role of John: In the gospel of Luke we find recorded the time when Gabriel was sent to Zacharias to announce the arrival of John. The message was delivered, a sign was given, and the prophesied events began to unfold, even as they had been predicted.

III. Zacharias Prophesied of His Son John’s Mission: The Spirit of God was sent to cause Zacharias to prophesy concerning the impending events. He spoke of the Christ and His mission and of John being His prophet. He spoke also of remission of sins and the knowledge of salvation that would be supplied by the Messiah.

IV. Christ To Follow Quickly: Once these events began to unfold, they were to proceed in swift succession. In fact, from the birth of John the Baptist until the establishment of the church is only around 35 years. We find in John 1:19-31 that as the mission of John was just becoming widely recognized, John pointed out the Christ to the people, announcing Him as the lamb that would take away the sins of the world.

Conclusion: It was always in the mind of God to send forth the Christ to save the world. It was in His mind also to prepare the way before He was sent. Gal. 4:4 tells us that there was a particular time prepared in history when these monumental events would occur. When the time was right, God sent forth His son to carry out His divine mission.

Introduction: As we look at our lesson today, we will be reviewing in part what we have seen before. As one adds more and more knowledge to his life, the items studied become more and more intertwined.

I. God Chose the Stone: God recognized the need to prepare for the redemption of man even before the creation. God chose Christ to be the redeemer because it was only through Christ’s purity and holiness that man could be redeemed (Is. 42:1).

II. God Laid the Stone: God chose Christ to be the cornerstone of the church. He sent Him to earth to fulfill His mission and God set Him in and over the church. All who are to be redeemed must be tied to that cornerstone by being in the Lord’s church. Any other foundation or any other church will not do. Because of this, Christ is precious to some (Is. 28:16) and an offense to others (Is. 8:14).

III. Christ to Please God: In Is. 42:1 we find that Christ was to please God. As we continue to read we find that He was to do this through gentleness and through justice for all. There was to be no respect of persons in the New Kingdom.

IV. God to Uphold Christ: God was always on the side of Christ just as He is on the side of every Christian who remains faithful. With God on His side, His victory over sin and death were assured. Such is also true of our victory in Christ. If we remain faithful, God will also hold us up and give us victory over sin and death.

V. Christ Chosen For All: In Is. 42:6 we find language which reflects the universal mission of Christ. He was sent to seek and save ALL the lost who would respond.

Conclusion: Christ was the only one who could be the redeemer. God selected Him because of His person and character. He was the only one pure enough and holy enough to pay the price for us.

Introduction: As we continue to review the life of Christ revealed in the prophets we will look this week at His mission while He was on the earth.

I. Christ To Bring Universal Salvation: It was the mission of Christ to bring salvation to the whole world. Not only did Isaiah speak of this, but Micah did also (Micah 4:1-2). In fact, a number of prophets taught about the mission of Christ. In His final commission to the disciples before He returned to the Father, He told His disciples to preach throughout the entire world.

II. Christ To Bring Universal Justice: Christ was to bring universal justice. That simply meant that all people would be treated on equal terms. One could not count on his heritage or position to gain him an advantage. God accepts all that serve Him (John 9:29-31) because He loves everyone (II Pet. 3:9). Christ has brought all nations together. Those who obey will be rewarded and those who disobey will be punished. But all will bow before the mighty king (Phil. 2:10).

III. Success Was Guaranteed: In Is. 42:4 the prophet guarantees the success of Christ. In the New Testament we find that Jesus repeats this guarantee (Matt. 16:13-20). His resurrection guaranteed His success and Peter and the other apostles use prophesy concerning this great event to prove, in part, His success and His Lordship (Acts 2:25-28, 36).

Conclusion: When Christ came to the earth, He had a particular mission in mind. That mission was to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). The world could not defeat Him, death could not defeat Him, and He cannot be defeated now (John 10:28-29). Truly Christ was the universal and perfect savior of the world.

Introduction: Last week we looked at why the Christ came to earth. Today we will look at when He came to earth and some of the events surrounding His birth.

I. Virgin Birth: The birth of the Saviour was special and it was imperative that He be recognized when He arrived. God provided many signals to guarantee that the searcher would find Him. The greatest single identifier of His being the Son of God was His virgin birth. Not only was such an occurrence unique, it was attached in prophecy to the arrival of God’s son.

II. Born In Bethlehem: Prophesy foretold of Jesus being from Bethlehem. This was fulfilled at His birth. But it also foretold of Him being called out of Egypt and that He would be called a Nazarene. Only an extraordinary set of events could make all this true. Such a set of events occurred.

III. Weeping and Lamentation to Accompany Birth: Jer. 31:15 had spoken of a time of great mourning among the Jewish people. When Herod found that his plot to slay the Christ had failed, he made one last attempt to carry it out by killing the infant male children throughout the land. But he was too late because the Christ had already been carried to safety.

IV. Specific Time for the Birth of Christ: Gal. 4:4 tells us that there was a certain time appointed for the Christ to be born. A general time count is given in Daniel 9:24-27 which gives the reader of the old scriptures a pinpoint on the map of time to look for Jesus. The birth and the subsequent eternal kingdom were linked together and Christ revealed that the church that He would establish would be the kingdom that was to be eternal.

Conclusion: There were many other events that surrounded the birth of Christ which made it impossible for the honest searcher to miss this great event. As we study the order of these events which fulfilled the prophecies concerning the Messiah, we can certainly see the abiding hand of God in the history leading to these events.

Introduction: Today our study will focus on the kingdom of Christ. Not only was Christ’s sacrifice foreknown even before the creation, but also the establishment of the church. This being true, prophecy not only tells about the Messiah, it also tells many interesting things about the church He was coming to set up. Our lesson today will deal with some of those prophecies.

I. The Kingdom To Be Universal: There are many places in Scripture that tell of the setting up of a kingdom which would include the Gentiles. We have seen some of them in previous studies in this series. But just as other writers discussed this, so did the prophets. Is. 11:10, for example, tells us that Christ would be an ensign to the Gentiles. An ensign is a battle flag which is held up so that the troops can locate it and gather together. It leads a body of men into battle and keeps them focused and organized. Christ truly is the ensign of the church.

II. The Kingdom To Be Peaceful: Jesus announced to Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world and, therefore, His servants did not fight (John 18:33-37). Jesus was proclaiming the peaceful nature of His kingdom taught in the long ago by the prophets. Isaiah tells us that natural enemies will get along in the kingdom. He also tells us that Jesus will be gentle in His nature as well. Micah would lend his voice telling us that there would be no implements of war in this kingdom, something necessary in an earthly kingdom but not in a spiritual one.

III. The Kingdom To Be Eternal: Daniel offers testimony on at least two occasions that the kingdom of Christ would be eternal. That is confirmed by passages such as are found in I Cor. 15 where we find that the kingdom will be rendered up to the Father at the end of time.

Conclusion: In the New Testament we find that the kingdom is the church (Matt. 16:15-19) and that it was established on the first Pentecost after Christ’s resurrection (Acts 2:1-47). It is for all men everywhere who will follow Christ, its members are taught and converted, not conquered and enslaved, and those faithful unto or until death will be with the Lord forever.

Introduction: Today our study will focus on the purpose of Christ coming to earth and His betrayal, an act necessary to complete His mission.

I. Christ’s Purpose Was To Preach the Gospel: One of the reasons Christ came to the earth was to deliver the message of the gospel. The Hebrews writer tells us that in times past we listened to prophets but now we were to listen to God’s son.

II. Christ’s Purpose Was To Establish The New Covenant: The reason Christ preached the gospel was to bring about salvation to man (Rom. 1:16). For this to be accomplished, a new and better covenant had to be established. That covenant is found in the New Testament and was established through the sacrifice of Christ.

III. Christ’s Purpose Was To Present A Humble Example: Kings, conquerors, and other leaders were always surrounded by pomp and ceremony. They demonstrated their power and lordship in the way that they presented themselves to the people. Such was not so with Christ. The greatest monarch of all times presented himself lowly and humbly to a world of prideful and arrogant humanity.

IV. Christ’s Betrayal Was Necessary To Fulfill His Purpose: After Christ had assured the disciples that He would build His church and that it would not be defeated, He began to teach them that He would have to die in the days to follow (Matt. 16:21). They did not want this to happen and on several occasions they guaranteed their allegiance to Him. But prophecy told of His betrayal and of their desertion of the Lord and on that promised night, they left Him in fear as He suffered for mankind.

Conclusion: As with all that Christ does, He was able to completely and perfectly finish the work that was set before Him. Without His successful mission to earth, we as humans would have faced eternal loss without any hope. But because He was sacrificed in our lace we can, through that sacrifice, be returned to a covenant relationship with God and have the assurance that if we remain faithful then we will be with Christ in His glory in eternity.

Introduction: We have been following in progression the events of the life of Christ as they are laid out in the prophets. Today we will look at His crucifixion.

I. Christ To Be Rejected: In earlier studies we found that the stone (Christ) would be rejected by the builders. In Isaiah 53 we find the same concept as the Scriptures reveal His being despised and rejected by men.

II. Christ To Be Wounded For Us: The reason Christ came to the world was to remove, through His sacrifice, our guilt because of our sins. He did this by being the sinless offering on the cross for us.

III. Christ Humbly Accepted His Death: In the same manner that Jesus lived humbly in this life, so He died on the cross. His peaceful and humble nature, demonstrated by both His death and His life, are meant as an example for us today.

IV. Christ’s Wounding Was To Be Unto Death: Not only was Christ to be wounded for us, His wounding was to be unto death. When the disciples heard this (Matt. 16:21-23) they were upset and wanted to prevent it. But it could not be prevented because it was the will of God.

V. Christ to Live Again: While we are told of the death of Christ, we are also told of His resurrection. In Is. 53:10 we can necessarily infer His resurrection because the blessings He would receive because of His sacrifice are put after His death. Only through the resurrection could He receive the promised blessings.

VI. Christ’s Sacrifice to Bring Atonement: It was the purpose of Christ in coming to this world to be sacrificed for our sins. That sacrifice was to make atonement for our sins. This was also foretold in Isaiah.

Conclusion: It was the text found in Isaiah 53 from which Phillip began to teach the Eunuch. In its few short verses is found enough information to cover the major purposes and events of the life of our Lord. Coupled with a study of Psalm 22, there is little doubt left that Jesus was truly the Christ the son of the Living God.

Introduction: There are many descriptive terms in the Scriptures presenting various portraits of Christ. Today we will reflect on the five located in Isaiah 9:6.

I. Wonderful: Suppose you were an orphan, homeless, dirty, sick, and hungry. Suppose someone found you, fed you, cleaned you, clothed you, and gave you a place with them to live. Suppose they even made you their son or daughter. What would you call them? Suppose you were in jail on death row and without hope. Suppose someone pardoned you and removed you from prison. Suppose they gave you a robe and a crown to replace your prison uniform. Suppose they exalted you above all others. What would you call them?

II. Counselor: A counselor gives advice and comfort. Who in all of time has given more or better advice than Christ has given through the Word? Who has given ore comfort in times of sadness than our Lord? Truly, if we are Christians then Jesus is our counselor.

III. The Mighty God: When one views the vastness and greatness of the creation, one can only stand in awe of the mighty God of creation. John 1:1-3 tells us that Christ was co-creator with the Father. Surely Christ is the mighty God to have performed such marvelous works.

IV. The Everlasting Father: The Bible presents our relationship to God and Christ in various ways. In this text Christ is presented as our Father. This is not recorded so that He might replace The Father but to show His protection, guidance, provision, and love for us.

V. The Prince of Peace: We have already studied the peaceful nature of Christ and His kingdom. Christ did not fight, revile, curse, or resist. He had at His disposal legions of angels but chose rather to willingly give His life so that we could be redeemed. Christ was certainly the Prince of Peace.

Conclusion: The Bible is full of figures relating and describing our relationship to Christ. These are only five of perhaps fifty or more descriptive relationships located in the Scriptures. But these present virtually the whole picture of Christ and His church. To Christians, Christ is truly all in all.

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Introduction: As we approach the conclusion of our study of the Christ of the Old Testament, we need to turn our attention to the kingdom which He was to come and establish. Our final lessons will be along this line. In our lesson today we will find that God had set a particular time to establish the kingdom on earth. Not only did He give us markers so that we would know what to look for, He also gave us a time line so that we would know when to look.

I. God Had Set A Particular Time For Christ To Arrive: There is a time frame set by God to fulfill all of the end-time prophesies which began with the virgin birth and ended with Christ back before God receiving His kingdom and its arrival on earth that Pentecost. God had prophesied that it would be established during the Roman Empire and indeed it was.

II. The Purpose Of The Law Was To Bring Us To Christ: The Bible tells us in Gal. 3:24 that the law was to bring us to Christ. It was never intended as a universal or eternal law. It was rather to point to Christ through various prophesies, types, etc.

III. Kingdom Came With Power: Prophecy taught that the kingdom would go forth from Jerusalem. In Luke 24:49 Christ told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for power from on high. Acts 1:8 records that when they received this power they would then fulfill this prophesy in Isaiah. In Acts 2 the power came and the kingdom was established by the preaching of the gospel.

IV. Kingdom Is the Church: Christ refers to the kingdom as the church in Matt. 16:18-19. During the teaching of both John the Baptist and Christ, the kingdom was portrayed as at hand. Because the New Testament later talks of it as already existing, we know that it was established sometime after the ascension of Christ and before the close of the New Testament times. The establishment of the church is the only event which parallels the prophecies and the teachings of John and Christ in its establishment. One must necessarily infer that the church and the kingdom are the same institution.

Conclusion: We have seen how God had selected a particular time in history to establish on earth the kingdom of Christ. This particular time was announced by Peter and the others on Pentecost at the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Since that time, one must be a member of the kingdom, the church, in order to be in a saving relationship with Christ. This lesson also assures us that nothing was left to chance. All of this was in the mind of God long before it came into being so many years ago.