Advent 1.2 - Anticipation

Promise ability

The Old Testament contains over 300 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled – through His life, death, and resurrection.

•1 person fulfilling 8 prophecies: 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000

•1 person fulfilling 48 prophecies: 1 chance in 10 to the 157th power

•1 person fulfilling 300+ prophecies: Only Jesus!

Over 300 years prior to the birth of Christ, the prophet Micah says ...

But you, O Bethlehem... are only a small village in Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past. (Micah 5:2)

And centuries later, it came to pass ...

Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. (Matthew 2:1)

From the Prophet Isaiah – more than 700 years before the birth of Christ ...

...the Lord Himself will choose the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call Him Immanuel – ‘God is with us’ ... For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.” (Isaiah 7:14)

And in Matthew, we read the fulfillment of the prophecy ...

... an angel of the Lord appeared to [Joseph] in a dream. ‘Joseph ... do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ (Matthew 1:20-21)

Peoples Probabilities vs. God Promises

Trust People.Places.Things

Psalm 118:8 (English Standard Version)

It is better to take refuge in the Lord

than to trust in man.

Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV)

Build Your House on the Rock

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

“Long ago, even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave Him great pleasure. Now He is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else in this world or in the world to come.” (Ephesians 1:4-5, 21-23)