Prayer: Those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you (Psalms 9:10, ESV).
You have made us, rescued us, and are forming us Lord. We will trust in you for the security of our salvation and our strength to endure temptation our Lord and Savior. Give us an obedient heart Oh God. Amen.
Main Scripture:
Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6, NKJV).
Associated Scriptures:
Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16, NASB).
For the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught (Proverbs 3:26, NASB).
Correlative Quotes:
John Calvin comments, explaining how faith gives us confident access to God: “Faith produces confidence, which again, in its turn, produces boldness. First, we believe the promises of God; next, by relying on them, we obtain that confidence, which is accomplished by holiness and peace of mind; and, last of all, comes boldness, which enables us to banish fear, and to come with firmness and steadiness into the presence of God.”[1] – R. C. Sproul
My friend, if you've been a Christian very long, you've found occasion when you have had to look into the mirror of your heart and see things there that you would hope nobody else saw. And if your innate goodness and improvement is the ground of your confidence, let me break some really bad news to you. You’re never going to have confidence. But if God's work in you is the ground of your confidence, if the fact that He will persevere to the end, or as John Newton put it: “Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come. Grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”[2] – Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III
Today there are thousands who know about Jesus, that is, they know some facts about Him, commit Bible verses to memory, and perhaps attend church regularly. But they have never allowed the facts to become their personal reality. They hold knowledge in their heads without allowing the truth to penetrate their hearts. Jesus explained the problem: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules" (Matthew 15:8–9).[3] – S. Michael Houdmann
Study:
INTRODUCTION
One of the prerequisites to having joy in our lives is to believe in the giver of joy by trusting completely in Him. If we know him, we know that we know that He has completed us. We are positionally a finished product. Knowing that we have received eternal life from Him provides us with continual joy.
Belief in Jesus and acceptance of his sacrifice for our sin gives us the gift of eternal life (Romans 10:9-10). All this is true only if we can have complete confidence that Jesus is who He says he is.
The evidence for Jesus as savior begins in the Old Testament and continues through to the end of the New Testament. Therefore, what was predicted in the Old Testament became reality in the New Testament.
The picture of redemption through Jesus Christ begins at the beginning. God describes to Satan’s fate, in Genesis 3:15 He says, “he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Bible scholars have found more than 400 predications of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus in the Old Testament.[4] For example, The Old Testament foretold that the Messiah would be a Jew, born in Bethlehem in the royal line of David the king, and of the tribe of Judah.
But you, Bethlehem Ephrata, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me, the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting (Micah 5:2, NKJV). Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14, NKJV).
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment, he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth (Isaiah 53:7-9).
The prophecies say that Jesus was not only to be the son of David; he was also to be Son of God. This truth is clearly described in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
I will be his father, and he will be my son (1Chronicles 17:13).
He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior. And I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth (Psalms 89:26-27).
For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father? Or again, I will be his Father, and he will be my Son (Hebrews 1:5)?
Jesus came as God in the flesh. Matthew recorded this truth. So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us" (Matthew 1:22-23). Jesus gave the prophecies validity when He is quoted in John as saying,
"Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:58).
Despite his wonderful words and compassionate miracles and his evident goodness, Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah was at the end of His human existence, rejected by his own people. The rulers envied and hated him. However, none of this happened by accident, it was all part of God’s eternal plan.
He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem (Isaiah 53:3).
The climax of the earthly life of Jesus was his death by crucifixion. It is said that in times before Christ it was sometimes the practice to tie or nail certain criminals to a stake or tree after they had been put to death. Crucifixion of living persons appears to have come only with the Romans. It was unknown among the Jews. Yet, a thousand years before Jesus was born, his living crucifixion was clearly foretold:
This is what the Lord says the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: “Kings will see you and stand up, princes will see and bow down, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you” (Isaiah 49:7).
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth (Isaiah 53:7).
The suffering and shame of Christ were full of redemptive purpose. He suffered for our forgiveness and salvation. The Old Testament words could not be clearer:
Surely, he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:4-5).
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful[a] one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand (Psalms 16:10-11).
The words "soul" and "hell" are the usual Hebrew words for 'a person' and 'the grave'. Not only was Messiah to be raised from the dead, his body would not be contaminated by corruption during the time he was in the grave![5]
This evidence from the Psalms forms the cornerstone of the preaching of the apostles. It could not apply to anyone other than the Lord Jesus Christ.[6]
After forty days, the risen Christ ascended to heaven. This too was made known long ago in the Old Testament. How could so wonderful an event be foretold? It was so unusual.
The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet” (Psalm 110:1).
Summary Statement:
This was the crowning glory of the evidence. It completes the Old Testament trail that led to Jesus of Nazareth. It both sealed the certainty that Jesus was Son of God and it proved the Old Testament scripture to be the totally reliable word of God. That Jesus had ascended to heaven and was seated at God's right hand. That was the final evidence that Christ was Messiah.
The resurrection of Jesus brought the opportunity for joy all those who would believe in Him.
Lessons within the Lesson:
Why is it important that Jesus was a human being?
Why is it important that Jesus was God?
What does it mean to be the Redeemer?
What is the significance of the Resurrection?
[1] [1]R.C. Sproul, Confidence and Boldness in Christ, Ligonier Ministries, All rights reserved. Website: www.ligonier.org|
[2] J. Ligon Duncan, He Finishes What He Starts, message, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, MS, May 13, 2007.
[3]S. Michael Houdmann, Knowing Jesus vs. knowing about Jesus—what is the difference?, Copyright 2002-2015 Got Questions Ministries All Rights Reserved, www.gotquestions.org - Bible Questions Answered
[4]Ibid
[5] Bible Knowledge Commentary/Old Testament Copyright © 1983, 2000 Cook Communications Ministries; Bible Knowledge Commentary/New Testament Copyright © 1983, 2000 Cook Communications Ministries. All rights reserved.
[6] Information adapted from Rev. Robert J. M’Gee, The Complete Notes of the Doway Bible and Rhemish Bible, copyright 1897, Dublin, Ireland, London, England
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