Lesson 103 - Senior

Memory Verse

"For unto us a child is born,  unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder:  and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

Cross References

I A Sign to the World

1. Jesus, the light of the world, is to be born of a virgin, [ISA:7:14]; [MAT:1:21], [MAT:1:23]

2. He is to be born in Bethlehem of Judea, [MIC:5:2]; [MAT:2:6]; [JHN:7:42]

3. Five names are attributed to Him here, [ISA:9:6]

4. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, [ISA:11:2]; [ISA:61:1]; [MAT:3:16]; [JHN:1:32]

5. He shall judge in righteousness, [ISA:11:3-4]; [REV:19:11]

II A Great Light

1. Because of sin, darkness prevailed over the land, [ISA:9:1]; [2KG:17:6-7]

2. The people that sat in darkness saw a great light, [ISA:9:2]; [MAT:4:16]; [EPH:5:8]

3. The Gospel when received breaks the yoke of sin and brings rejoicing to the heart, [ISA:9:3-5]; [JUG:7:22]

4. The Son that was to be born would sit on the throne of David, and of the increase of His government there would be no end, [ISA:9:7]; [DAN:2:44]; [LUK:1:32].

III A Star out of Jacob

1. A Sceptre shall rise out of Israel and destroy the ungodly, [NUM:24:17]; [GEN:49:10]

2. There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, [ISA:11:1], [ISA:11:4], [ISA:11:10]; [ACT:13:22-2]3

3. Weeping and lamentations were heard in Ramah. [JER:31:15]; [MAT:2:17-18]

Notes

God's Word Immutable

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." There is no variableness, neither is there any shadow of turning in God's Word, because it was from the beginning and was God. How precious to our hearts are God's promises, for we know that what He has promised He will surely do. And nowhere in God's Word is that more predominantly true than in the prophecies concerning the birth of Jesus. From the time of God's creation and man's fall in the Garden of Eden to the time of God's redemption of man, we find interspersed through the Word of God prophecies pointing to the Messiah, the Redeemer of mankind. From Genesis on through the Old Testament to the time of fulfilment, we find these prophecies. It makes us exclaim, "How immutable is God's Word!"

Lowly Bethlehem

"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2). Lowly Bethlehem! Yet in it was to be cradled the Saviour of all mankind. This prophecy was made about 700 years before the birth of Christ. No doubt many scoffers, in the years that followed this prophecy, disbelieved, saying they had heard that prophecy many times before and that it had not yet happened; just as we hear people say today, of the coming of Jesus, that they have heard it all their lives and it has not happened yet. But the child of God believes the promise and is looking for the soon coming of the Saviour. The God of Heaven and earth chose a manger as the place for the meek and lowly Jesus to be cradled.

He chose the little town of Bethlehem as the place for Him to be born. He chose the mean city of Nazareth for His childhood days, showing to the people that no matter how poor, how lowly, how despised one may be in this world, the Lord of Glory went through it all for us that we might be redeemed from our sins and have a home on High. What a privilege to be one of God's little ones and a joint heir with Jesus Christ!

A Star out of Jacob

When Balak tried to hire Balaam to curse Israel, the Lord turned the curse into a blessing and Balaam prophetically saw a Star come out of Jacob and a Sceptre rise out of Israel ([NUM:24:17]). Fourteen centuries later some wise men in the East saw a star appear on the horizon. They seemed to know at once that a King had been born, and they made that long journey to Jerusalem to pay homage to the newborn King.

These wise men are thought to be descendants of Abraham. No doubt the faithfulness of Abraham had followed his descendants down through the centuries until at last the King had come. At once they recognised the star and believed it to be a fulfilment of the promise. And they did something about it. They made ready and took that long journey to see the King for themselves.

All over the world today people believe the prophecies are being fulfilled that are to usher in the second advent of that glorious King. Yet how few are making the necessary preparations that the Bible tells us we must make if we are to see the King in His beauty.

Not one of all God's good promises in regard to the first coming of the Just and Holy One failed, and we are persuaded that not one will fail to come to pass that tell us of His coming back again to be glorified in His saints and to be admired in all them that believe ([2TS:1:10]).

The Virgin Birth

All down the ages the Lord has performed miracles that men might believe in His infinite wisdom and power. He does the impossible as far as man is concerned. Jesus said to the people one day, "Believe me for the very works' sake." At one time the Lord wanted to give Ahaz, king of Judah, a sign. He was a wicked king but the Lord was still showing mercy to the people of his kingdom. Ahaz, under pretence of piety, refused God's offer to give him a sign. The Lord said He would give a sign anyway. "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

Perhaps Ahaz was like many people today who discredit miracles. Matthew's and Luke's Gospels both declare that Jesus was born of a virgin; yet the modernists of today, who compose a large percentage of the rank and file of many churches in our land, openly declare their disbelief in the virgin birth. The Apostles' Creed, that has been used and cherished for many years by various churches as a concise form of what the Scriptures teach, is being set aside by the modernists. It plainly declares that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the virgin Mary. When one is born of the Spirit how easy it is to believe the whole Word of God!

A Great Light

Isaiah prophesied of the land of Zebulun and Naphtali and said, "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined."

In the beginning when darkness reigned over the earth the Lord made the sun, moon, and stars to give light to this world. Then when sin entered and the world was plunged into spiritual darkness, the Lord began revealing through His prophets that a greater light would shine in this world, a light that would lighten all people. When Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the Temple to offer sacrifices according to the Law of Moses, Simeon, that godly man, saw Jesus and took the Babe up in his own arms and blessed God and said, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel" (Luke 2:25 35).

Questions

1. Where in the Bible do we find the first promise of a Redeemer?

2. Repeat all the names by which Jesus is to be called.

3. In what town was it prophesied that Jesus was to be born, and who gave the prophecy?

4. What was the sign the Lord gave concerning the birth of Jesus?

5. How many prophecies concerning the birth of Jesus have been fulfilled?

6. Who prophesied that a Star would come out of Jacob?

7. Who prophesied that a Rod would come out of the stem of Jesse?

8. To whom do the Star, the Rod, the Sceptre, and the Branch refer?