Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Reasoned from the scriptures

I spoke Acts 17 on Paul explaining and proving from the scriptures and used some of the following references. Five people this morning wanted a copy of them so I post them for any others. These can be found in printed form in Vintage Jesus which is a book that should be on your shelf.

The fact that Jesus was foretold is a 'slam-dunker' in the argument for following him. Perhaps why Paul was so keen on reasoning with others perhaps using these (among the 315 he could have chosen!)

1. 4000BC Adam and Eve receive prophecy about Jesus born from a woman. (Genesis 3:15)

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and

hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." (Galatians 4:4) “But when the

time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law...”

2. 2000BC Abraham receives prophecy that Jesus would come from his son Isaac not

Ishmael, Isaac’s son Jacob not Esau, Jacob’s son Judah not any of the eleven brothers.

(Genesis 12:3) “...all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 17:19)

“...your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my

covenant with him as an everlasting covenant...” (Genesis 49:10) “The scepter will not

depart fro Judah...” (Matthew 1:1-2) “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son

of David, the son of Abraham...”

3. 700BC Isaiah prophesied that Jesus mom would be a virgin. (Isaiah 7:14) “Therefore the

Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a

son...” (Matthew 1:18) “This is how the birth of Jesus came about: His mother Mary was

pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with

child through the Holy Spirit...”

4. 700BC Micah prophecies that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2) "But you,

Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will

come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from

ancient times.” (Luke 2:4/7) “So Joseph went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to

Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David...and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.”

5. 700BC Isaiah prophecies Jesus would live without sinning. (Isaiah 53:9) “...he had done

no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.” (1 Peter 2:21-22) “To this you were

called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in

his steps. „He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."  

6. 700BC Hosea prophecies Jesus’ family would be refugees in Egypt. (Hosea 11:1) “When

Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” (Matthew 2:13) “...an

angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. „Get up, he said, „take the child and

his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you...”

7. 400BC Malachi prophecies Jesus would enter the temple. This is vital because the temple

was destroyed in 70AD. (Malachi 3:1) “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare

the way. Suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple...”There was an old

sage called Simeon who was looking for the consolation of Israel (Luke 2:27) Moved by

the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. Then the parents brought in the child Jesus...”  

8. 700BC Isaiah prophecies that John would prepare the way for Jesus. (Isaiah 40:3) “A

voice of one calling: „In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the

desert a highway for our God...” (Matthew 3:1-3) “In those days John the Baptist came,

preaching in the desert of Judea...this is he who was spoken of through the prophet

Isaiah...prepare the way for the Lord...”

9. 700BC Isaiah prophecies Jesus would perform many miracles. (Isaiah 35:5-6) “Then will

the eyes of the blind be opened and the deaf ears unstopped. Then will the lame leap like

a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy...” (Matthew 11:4-5) “Go back and report to

John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have

leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached...”

10. 500BC Zechariah prophecies that Jesus would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey.

(Zechariah 9:9)  “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!

See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey...” (Luke 19:35) “They brought it to Jesus, threw their

cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.”

11. 1000BC David prophecies that Jesus would be betrayed by one of his friends. (Psalm

41:9) “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, who has shared my bread, has lifted up his

heel against me.” (Matthew 26:49-50) “Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, Greetings,

Rabbi and kissed him. Jesus replied, „Friend, do what you came for.”

12. 500BC Zechariah prophecies that Jesus would be sold for 30 pieces of silver and that it

would be thrown on the temple floor. (Zechariah 11:12-13) “I told them, „If you think

best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it. So they paid me thirty pieces of silver...so I took

the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord the potter.” (Matthew

26:14-15) “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you? So they counted

out for him thirty coins.” (Matthew 27:5-7) “So Judas threw the money into the

temple...they decided to use the money to buy the potters field...”

13. 700BC Isaiah prophecies that Jesus would be beaten and spat on. (Isaiah 50:6) “I offered

my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not

hide my face from mocking and spitting.” (Matthew 26:67) “Then they spit in his face

and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him...”

14. 1000BC David prophesies that they would gamble for his clothes. (Psalm 22:18) “They

divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” (John 19:23-24) “When

the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, divided them into four shares, one for

each of them, with the undergarment remaining...Lets decide by lot who gets it...this

happened that the scripture might be fulfilled...”

15. 700BC Isaiah prophesies that Jesus was be hated and rejected. (Isaiah 53:3) “He was

despised and rejected by men...” (Matthew 27:39-44) “Those who passed by hurled

insults at him...the teachers of the law and elders mocked him...heaped insults on him.”  

16. 700BC Isaiah prophecies that Jesus would not defend himself. (Isaiah 53:7) “...yet he did

not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter...so he did not open his

mouth.” (Matthew 27:12) “When he was accused by the chief priests and elders he gave

them no answer.”

17. 1000BC David prophecies that Jesus would be crucified. This is vital because crucifixion

was not known yet. (Psalm 22:16) “Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men have

encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.” (Luke 23:33) “...there they

crucified him...”

18. 700BC Isaiah prophecies that Jesus would be killed with sinners. (Isaiah 53:12) “..was

numbered with the transgressors.” (Matthew 27:38) “Two robbers were crucified with

him...” 

19. 1400BC Moses prophecies Jesus’ bones would not be broken. (Exodus 12:46) “Do not

break any of his bones.” (Regarding the Passover lamb) 1000BC David prophecies the

same thing. (Psalm34:20) “He protects all of his bones, not one of them will be broken.”

(John 19:33-36) “...they did not break his legs...these things happened so that scripture

would be fulfilled.”

20. 1000BC David prophecies that Jesus would be forsaken by God. (Psalm 22:1) “My God,

my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me...” (Matthew

27:46) “...Jesus cried out in a loud voice, „My God, my God, why have you forsaken

me?”

21. 700BC Isaiah prophecies that Jesus would die. (Isaiah 53:8) “For he was cut off from the

land of the living...” (Luke 23:46) “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. When he

had said this, he breathed his last.”  

22. 700BC Isaiah prophecies that Jesus would be buried in a borrowed tomb of a rich man.

(Isaiah 53:9) “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his

death...” (Matthew 27:57-60) “There came a rich man from Arimathea...he asked for

Jesus body...and placed it in his own tomb...”

23. 1000BC David prophecies Jesus would be resurrected. (Psalm 16:10) “...because you

will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” (Acts 2:24-

27) “But God raised him from the dead...David said about him... „because you will not

abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.”

24. 1000BC David prophecies Jesus would ascend into heaven taking many souls with him.

(Psalm 68:18) “When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train...” (Ephesians

4:7-8) “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why

it says, „When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train...”

25. 1000BC David prophecies that Jesus would sit at the right hand of God. (Psalm 110:1)

“The Lord said to my Lord, „Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool

for your feet.” (Hebrews 1:3) “After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at

the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

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