Sermon Manuscript Matthew 1:18-25 Christ in Prophesy: The Virgin ...

This is what we are going to be looking at this Advent season - Christ in Prophesy.
Matthew is a great book to look at on this topic because he makes such and emphasis
on this very point - that Jesus Christ came in fulfillment of Old Testament prophesy.
The first two chapters alone mention this point a number of times concerning events
surrounding the birth of Christ:
Verse 22:
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet...” (Matthew
1:22, ESV)
Chapter 2 verse 5:
“[The chief priest and scribes] told [Herod that Jesus was to be born in] Bethlehem
of Judea, for so it is written in the prophet...”
Chapter 2 verse 15:
“And [Mary, Joseph, and Jesus] remained [in Egypt] until the death of Herod. This
was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my
son.”
And again in chapter 2 verse 17:
Concerning the massacre of children in Bethlehem, “Then was fulfilled what was
spoken by the prophet Jeremiah...”
And one last time in chapter 2 verse 23:
Concerning Jesus‘ hometown it is said that, “[Jesus] went and lived in a city
called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled.”
I get the sense that Christ fulfilling prophesy is a big deal to Mathew. A close look at the
whole New Testament would indicate that much of the confidence concerning Jesus
being the Messiah comes from his fulfilling Old Testament prophesy.
In fact the reason I decided to emphasize this particular theme this Advent season is
due to the exhortation that we recently encountered in our study of 2 Peter. Peter tells
us at the end of chapter 1,
“And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well
to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and
the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of
Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever
produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried
along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:19–21, ESV)
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