Bible Study - Prophecies (1) - GOD With Us - Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25 - December 5, 2021

Bible Study – Prophecies (1) – GOD with Us – December 5, 2021

This is lesson one (1) in our series entitled, “Prophecies That Point Us to JESUS.”

Our focus scriptures are Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25.

To me, we had an amazing journey with Abram/Abraham in our last series of study. GOD chose Abram and Abram trusted GOD. Abram’s earthly father, Terrah, worshipped and made idols. Abram saw these idols as pieces of wood or stone with no power. GOD revealed Himself to Abram and made him a promise that the true Savior of the world would come through his ancestral line.  

We begin another study for the next six weeks entitled, “Irrefutable: Prophecies That Point to JESUS.”

Sin began in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve disobeyed GOD’S command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

We read in Genesis 2:15-17:

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.” 

The consequence of their disobedience was they would lose their eternal life and receive eternal death. The hope of salvation is through the offspring of a woman as recorded in Genesis 3:13-15 for eternal life to be restored:

¹³ So the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”

And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

¹⁴ So the Lord God said to the serpent (Satan):

Because you have done this,
you are cursed more than any livestock
and more than any wild animal.
You will move on your belly
and eat dust all the days of your life.
¹⁵ I will put hostility between you (Satan) and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring.^[d]
He (JESUS) will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.

 

In Genesis GOD’S redemptive plan is made known to mankind.  We fast forward to the writings of the prophet Isaiah.

 

Our first lesson begins with scripture recorded some 700 years before JESUS was born. Let’s explore!

Let’s read Isaiah 7:14:

¹⁴ Therefore, the Lord himself will give you^[c] a sign: See, the virgin will conceive,^[d] have a son, and name him Immanuel.^[e]

The word “you” is plural. You, applies to all people over earth time until JESUS returns to earth. “Immanuel” means GOD with us. It is clear that GOD’S redemptive plan will come through GOD’S appointed person to pay, in full, for the sins of all mankind who place their faith in the atonement of JESUS. Sin came through one man Adam and the payment for sin would come from one man, JESUS, as the sinless LAMB of GOD. GOD’S only SON WHO left HIS home in Glory would come to earth to live as 100% human, subject to sinning, yet without sin. GOD requires a perfect sacrifice to pay for sin, in full.

As we study this prophesy, it is for us to see the planning and timing of GOD for HIS only SON, JESUS to be conceived and to be born fully human. This was to fulfill all the prophecy recorded in scripture. GOD’S timing is always perfect.

I understand that many young ladies during these early times thought that GOD would choose them to be the mother of the promised Messiah.

Seven hundred years after this prophesy, JESUS was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born in the flesh. The Virgin Mary was the host. How can that be?

The scripture reveals to us in 1 Peter 3:9 (GOD’S Divine Sperm) – Amplified Bible:

⁹ No one who is born of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, because ^[a]God’s seed [His principle of life, the essence of His righteous character] remains [permanently] in him [who is born again—who is reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose]; and he [who is born again] cannot habitually [live a life characterized by] sin, because he is born of God and longs to please Him. ¹⁰ By this the children of God and the children of the devil are clearly identified: anyone who does not practice righteousness [who does not seek God’s will in thought, action, and purpose] is not of God, nor is the one who does not [unselfishly] ^[b]love his [believing] brother.

a.    A footnote – (a) - 1 John 3:9 I.e. in human terms, God’s seed is like a divine “genetic code” which is passed on to His children and produces in them the desire to live in a way which pleases Him.

My note – The Holy Spirit is GOD’S divine Sperm that triggered the conception of Baby JESUS and it is GOD’S divine sperm that energizes our human spirit, when we ask JESUS to come into our hearts, believing that HE willingly gave HIS sinless life for us to pay for our sins in full. A Spiritual conception takes place and, in that instant, we are Spiritually born into GOD’S Family, never to be Spiritually unborn. Now that is worth shouting about!

Let’s explore the conception of JESUS by the Holy Spirit!

It is a miracle and so is our Spiritual birth when we accept JESUS as our Savior!

Let’s read Matthew 1:18-19:

The Nativity of the Messiah

¹⁸ The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged^[g] to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ So her husband, Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.

Let’s back up to an important event in Mary’s life as recorded in Luke 1:26-38:

Gabriel Predicts Jesus’s Birth

²⁶ In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin engaged^[c] to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And the angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.”^[d] 29 But she was deeply troubled by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this could be. ³⁰ Then the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. ³³ He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.”

³⁴ Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?” ^[e]

³⁵ The angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit (Divine Sperm) will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ And consider your relative Elizabeth—even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called childless. ³⁷ For nothing will be impossible with God.”

³⁸ “See, I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary. “May it happen to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

Mary was perplexed but she would yield to GOD’S power. GOD gave Mary a sign to confirm that the angel spoke truth. Mary’s relative, Elizabeth, who had been barren, was pregnant. She visited Elizabeth and saw that Elizabeth was indeed pregnant, which confirmed what the angel had told her. Truth is always truth.

Mary being pregnant would be a huge issue for Joseph to digest but GOD would reveal to Joseph that HE had called Mary to be the incubator for HIS only SON, JESUS.

The angel Gabriel instructed Mary that her baby would be named JESUS. Later an angel would reveal the baby’s name to Joseph.

GOD completed the process and informed Joseph what was about to take place, as we read on ----

Let’s read Matthew 1:20-25:

²⁰ But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

²² Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

²³ See, the virgin will become pregnant
and give birth to a son,
and they will name him Immanuel,^[h]

which is translated “God is with us.”

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her ²⁵ but did not have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son.^[i] And he named him Jesus.

Both Mary and Joseph were called by GOD and they responded.

After the birth of JESUS, Mary and Joseph had additional children as recorded in John 7:2-5 and Mark 6:3 -

² Now the Jewish ^[a]Feast of Tabernacles (Booths) was approaching. ³ So His ^[b]brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples [there] may also see the works that You do. ⁴ No one does anything in secret when he wants to be known publicly. If You [must] do these things, show Yourself openly to the world and make Yourself known!” ⁵ For not even His brothers believed in Him. 

In Mark 6:3, we read -
Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are His sisters not here with us?” And they were [deeply] offended by Him [and their disapproval blinded them to the fact that He was anointed by God as the Messiah].

But guess who were present in the upper room waiting on the coming of the Holy Spirit after the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of JESUS? Let’s read Acts 1:4-5:

⁴ While he was^[a] with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “Which,” he said, “you have heard me speak about; ⁵ for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.”

And Acts 1:12-14:

¹² Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem—a Sabbath day’s journey away. ¹³ When they arrived, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. ¹⁴ They all were continually united in prayer,^[b] along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

The resurrection of JESUS changed the minds of JESUS’ brothers, sisters and others.

The resurrection of JESUS is proof that JESUS was and is the true SON of GOD.

Does the resurrection of JESUS change your mind about JESUS?

GOD formed HIS redemptive plan before HE created the world as recorded in Ephesians 1:3-4:

^3 [c]Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ, ⁴ just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love 

GOD so loved the world that HE gave HIS only begotten SON – Turn to John 3:16 and read this verse. John 3 will reveal JESUS’ conversation with Nicodemus regarding Spiritual birth, which is the only way to get to Heaven. Blessings!!!