The Truth About Prophecy

Introduction

Good morning. If you will open your Bibles to 2 Peter chapter 1. 2 Peter chapter 1. As you turn there, consider if I were to ask you if you could name an enemy of the cross of Christ, who would you think of? If you would think of someone who is an enemy of the sake of the gospel message, somebody who stands against it, somebody who stands opposed to the Word of God. We might have a few people in mind. You might think of noted atheists. You might think of someone like a Richard Dawkins. You might think of somebody who is just a worldly person who consistently and constantly at every single turn opposes the will of God. You may think of people who are marching the streets demanding the right for abortion, demanding the right to murder an innocent life.

You may think of all kinds of different answers, but you’d be surprised sometimes to think that nowadays, even within what America deems the Christian community, there are those who are enemies of the Word of God. An enemy is defined as somebody who stands against the opposition. An enemy of me is somebody who stands against me, or that I view as standing against myself. And when you think of the enemy of the Word of God, we consider that the Word of God claims to be inspired by God. And if it is inspired by God, what it says goes. When it comes to Genesis chapter 1 and verse 1, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. It means just that. That in the beginning it was God who created the heavens and the earth.

And as Genesis chapter 1 continues, we know the vehicle for doing that was He spoke and the world came into existence. So it’s startling to me that not only do atheists deny the Bible being inspired by God, and do they deny that God even exists? But it it troubles me, it bothers me when the quote, Christian community of America tries to reconcile that which is from out of the Bible, that which is from the mind of man with the mind of God. Perhaps you knew a few years ago when the Pope came out saying, or as some might say, acknowledging, that the Big Bang Theory and evolution are real, that they are true. And one quote is particularly startling to me that God is not a magician with a magic wand.

And the idea from this leader of Catholic theology is that the fact of the matter is science and what man has deemed is just too insurmountable, so we have to kind of leave what the Word of God says. Because of what man has decided is true and what man has stated is true in books written also by men, and because we have denied the existence of God and denied the hand of God, that what Christians need to do nowadays is kind of compromise. We need to find evolution in the Big Bang Theory within Genesis chapter 1. The problem is it’s not found there. And I think when we come to understanding what is the will of God, and if it is inspired by God, we lose the room to negotiate.

Because if the Bible is from God, what it says goes. I think one of the strongest proofs of the Bible being the will of God is prophecy. I think it’s important that if somebody were to come to you and say, How do you know that Jesus is the Christ? You’d say, Well, the Bible says so. They’d say, Well, I don’t believe in the Bible. What do you do then? Or if somebody says, Well, how can you deny the Big Bang Theory? How can you deny macroevolution that we came from monkeys, that we came from this big bang in the sky? How would you be able to refute that if you said, Well, the Bible says God created it? And they say, I don’t believe in the Bible.

The truth is in 2 Peter chapter 1, in verse 20 and 21, the Bible has an important claim. Whether we accept it or not, we have to do something with it. We have a problem that needs to be reconciled. See the problem with me beginning in verse 20 of chapter 1. 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. If you look in Luke chapter 1, we have another problem. So 2 Peter chapter 1 says that prophecy came from the mind of God. That is the claim of Peter in his gospel message book, where you might say.

You might say he’s part of the will of God. But let’s look at one of the actual gospel messages in the book of Luke. And look in chapter 1. And it doesn’t matter where you are at this morning in your faith, where you are in your understanding of God, you will see the problem that must be reconciled one way or another. In Luke chapter 1, beginning in verse 1, Luke writes, in as much as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished from among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministered of the word have delivered them to us. It seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

So in 2 Peter chapter 1, Peter writes that no prophecy came from the mind of man, it came from the mind of God. That’s what Peter says. And in Luke chapter 1, in these first three or four and four verses, you see that Luke claims that they were what? Do you see that special word that they were eye witnesses? They saw Jesus. They lived with Jesus. They saw that Jesus was crucified, and moreover, they saw the resurrected Lord and Savior. The problem that creates is whether you are a Christian or you are an atheist, an agnostic, or anything in between or to the side of, you have to decide, is that claim true or is it false? Is the claim of Peter true or is it false?

Before you can go any further, before we can advance your own agenda, we must be clear in our mind that if Luke is lying, then we know what that means. That the Bible is a sham. It is not the word of God, it is from the lies of man. If Peter is lying and prophecy was written by men, fulfilled by men, written on their own being, not from God, he is a liar. The Bible is a sham, and we should leave this place of worship. Because surely the God from the Bible is not the true creator. But if it’s true, if Luke was an eyewitness of Jesus the Christ, who lived, who was crucified and resurrected from the dead, if what Peter is saying is true, and that prophecy is from God, that prophecy contained within the scripture is told to be true, one way or the other, Christian or non-Christian, God believer or God denier.

1. Only God Can Possibly Know the Future

We must deal with the biblical truth. So consider with me this morning as we go through a study somewhat quickly, that first and foremost, before we look at seven prophecies about Jesus the Christ, that only God can possibly know the future. In Isaiah at this time as he’s prophesying. He’s having to deal with the people who are surrounded by idolatry. They are consistently bowing down to the creation of man. Kind of not all that different from what we’re doing with our wisdom, isn’t it? How we think man is just so smart and we’ve lost the need for God in our society, as some might try to tell you. But is that in Isaiah chapter 41, note that the rebuke in verse 21. Set forth your case, says the Lord.

Bring your proofs, says the king of Jacob. Let them bring them and tell us what is to happen. Tell us the former things, what they are, that we may consider them, that we may know their outcome, or declare to us the things to come. Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods. Do good or do harm, that we may be dismayed and terrified. Behold, you are nothing, and your work is less than nothing. An abomination is he who chooses you. Here is the challenge laid forth by God in these verses. He says in verse 22, bring them and let them see what they can do. Can they tell us what happened, what is? Well, perhaps anyone can record history.

Anyone can say what did happen positively, but the challenge is up in verse 23. Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods. The truth is when it comes to the presidential cycle, it was extraordinarily heated. It is still combative. We are still facing ripples and recovery from who would be elected president. And I gotta say, pretty much no one believed, even a month before the election date, that Donald Trump would win the presidency. Whether you liked it or not, most forecast that he would lose. But what about four years ago? How many people knew that Donald Trump would win the presidency? What about 40 years ago? Anyone think that Donald Trump would win then? How about 400 years ago?

Do you think anyone knew there’d be an America? That America would be a democracy, and then in 2016, a president by the name of Donald Trump would be elected and sworn in in January of 2017. Not a chance. Because men can’t do that. False gods who don’t exist, who are not gods cannot do that, but the creator of the heavens and the earth can. An omniscient God can tell and know the future. And that is the challenge laid down by God to the idols in verse 23. Tell us that we may know. In fact, he even doubles down once once even further, that we may be dismayed and terrified. You can do good or do harm. Do something. God is on the record from the Bible pages of inspiring both awe and fear in man, oftentimes in the same sequence.

Because God is greater than man. But when we consider the words of Isaiah chapter 45 and verse 1, we know something else about God. That God did, God has told the future time and again. In Isaiah chapter 45 and verse 1, thus says the Lord to his anointed to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him, and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him, that gates may not be closed. We know something about this Cyrus, and that’s he lived not as a contemporary of Isaiah. But Cyrus would be the one who would let God’s people out of the captivity that he had yet to lead them into. And that when those people would be in captivity, that there would not only be a nation that would be run of the Persians, of the Medo-Persian Empire, you might say, and not only would there be a king who would let the people go, but Isaiah chapter 45 and verse 1 reveals what critical detail.

Cyrus. And what’s the phrase right after that? You’re seeing the power of God and the ability to tell the future, whose right hand I have grasped. God answers any challenge that man can throw. God answers even his own challenge that he laid down to all the other gods that Israel and the hosts of the nations would worship who were not gods. This has to be dealt with. But consider that if we can point out scriptures that show not only that who Jesus was to be, but that he fulfilled them, that we would understand that that must be explained, and we must do something with the Bible. But before we look at these seven prophecies of Christ, consider, first of all, if someone were to say that’s cheating, because that’s circular reasoning.

2. Is That Truly Circular Reasoning?

How would you answer if somebody said you can’t use the Bible to prove the Bible? Is that truly circular reasoning? When you think about what that means, you have to consider how is the Bible constructed. And as we think about how the Bible is constructed, we know there’s two different parts. Just to begin. There’s the 39 books that make up what we call the Old Testament scriptures. And then there’s the 27 in the new that make up the New Testament scriptures. And together these 66 books are what we call our Bible. But there’s a problem with prophecy because you try to get around it and you say, well, maybe mankind just wrote it and then they wrote in the fulfillment. The problem with that is history itself doesn’t record that.

So before we even answer directly the charge of the Bible is not using circular reasoning to prove itself. Consider first and foremost that after the Old Testament was written, by the way, in what language? Primarily in Hebrew. And as you think about that Hebrew book that was written, when it comes to the time of the New Testament, what was the predominant world language? What was the New Testament written in? It was written in Greek. But we have something important to realize before we get to these prophecies. When Jesus lived, let’s say somewhere around the first 30 years A.D., this was at least a hundred and thirty years after the Septuagint’s latest dating could be given. Do you know what the Septuagint version of the Bible is?

The Septuagint was a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. That would be the Old Testament. So when the Jesus came, not only had the scriptures already been written, they had been translated into Greek for at least over a century before Jesus was born. So whatever prophecies we see, whatever prophecy is given by man, you have to decide, did man write that and man write the fulfillment, or did God know and God see that it came true. We have to decide what’s possible. We know man can’t see that future. So if the Old Testament prophets declare that something were to happen, and the New Testament give the fulfillment, we know that it is from the mind of God. So with that in mind, let’s see this then.

3. Where He Would Be Born and From What Lineage

To see that it’s not circular reasoning, we are simply testing what the Bible claims to be true. The Bible says it is written with eyewitness account. The Bible said prophecy come from the mind of God. Let’s see if that is so. Let’s see if the accuracy of that a God-authored Bible would inspire is possible and is present. In Micah chapter 5 and verse 2, I hope you have your Bibles with me. We’re going to look at just about several scriptures this morning. In Micah chapter 5, and in verse 2, we learn something about Jesus. We learn about where he would be born. In Micah chapter 5 and verse 2, it says, But you, O Bethlehem Ephraith, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth from me, one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

Not only does this describe that Jesus would come from the tribe of Judah, which he did, which we’ve seen all the way back to Genesis chapter 49 and verse 10, the idea that the scepter wouldn’t impart, would not depart. We see that Jesus was not only be from the tribe of Judah in the lineage of Abraham, but that he would be born in Bethlehem. In Matthew chapter 2, though, we see the fulfillment, and this is critical because this tells us something about Jesus that nobody wants to accept. In Matthew chapter 2, note the fulfillment in verse 1. It’s important that we see that this is true. Remember again, the Hebrew scriptures, the Old Testament were confirmed and translated over a hundred years before Jesus even lived.

In Matthew chapter 2, beginning in verse 1. Now, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem saying, Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet. See if this sounds familiar. And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.

Now this is important, not only because we see the fulfillment, and you could say, well, they just wrote it in that way, but here’s the problem. Nobody except God could decide where they would be born. If you think back to your life and when you were born, did you choose where to be born? Did you choose when to be born? Not a chance. If we say that Jesus was just living his life trying to check off these Old Testament prophecies that we know were ratified and translated and shown to be true as given by the Old Testament prophets by the mind of God, and that this man named Jesus, who is a fraud according to this explanation, just goes through and tries to check off the boxes.

How is it that he could decide where he would be born? It is not possible. I tell you, in fact, it is possible in one way and one alone. If that man is from God, if that man is answering the will of God, if that man is Jesus, the Son of God come into the flesh. There is only one way to do this. He could not have done this unless he was God. So if you accept that he came, we know that he was God. You cannot deny that. And yet we see so many more scriptures that show that as well. In Psalm chapter 2 and verse 7, we know that Jesus is the Son of God. And in Matthew chapter 3 and verse 17, God speaks and says, Jesus, this is my son in whom I am well pleased, as he speaks of his beloved son.

But consider with me this about Jesus, going back to his birth, that which we cannot control. We cannot possibly go back into the generations and decide from which family that we would flow from. Look in Genesis chapter 12, and we see the promises all the way back in just the twelfth chapter of the first book of our Bibles to see a promise God made that was fulfilled by Jesus. In Genesis chapter 12, turn there with me in your Bibles. You see in verse 1. Now the Lord said to Abram, Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse. And in you, all families of the earth will be blessed. And verse 4, so Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Aaron. And Abram took Sarah his wife and not his brother’s son and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. Now, when they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land of the place at Shechem, to the oak of Morah. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abraham and said, To your offspring I will give this land.

So he built there an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east, and there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. We see a lot of promises here in Genesis chapter twelve. Even within the Old Testament, we see not only was Abraham made into a great nation, the Jews, but that they would go into what land? The land of Canaan, as we so often call it the promised land, because it was promised by God generations before the people of Israel were the people of Israel. Before there was even the son of Abraham named Isaac, who would be the seed through whom Jacob surnamed Israel would be, even in existence.

When you consider this, then you say, if Jesus is going to be from Abraham, if he is going to be through whom Jesus, all families of the earth will be blessed, then he has to be in that lineage. He has to be from the tribe of Judah, from Jacob, from Isaac, all the way back to Abraham. We’ll see if that’s true, but before we see that not only would he be weaved into the family of Abraham, but he would be in David’s family as well. Look in Isaiah chapter 11. You see, David’s father was named Jesse. And again we see that Edel gets even more finely tuned. In Isaiah chapter 11, as you try to think about threading the needle with how and where you’d be born, the prophecies of Christ and his birth and his family lineage only grow as we examine the Bible text.

Isaiah chapter 11 and verse 1. There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit, and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge in the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth. He shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

Who would this be? Who would this leader, this king, this savior be? Verse 11 and verse 1. There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse. Jesus would be from the lineage of not only Jesse, but of course his much more famous son, David, who at one point reigned as king of Israel. Now we have to see, will Jesus live up to that lineage? Will he be from Abraham? Will he be from David? The Jews at the time of the New Testament had meticulous records up until the temple was destroyed in AD 70. So this would be easy to check, easy to confirm. In Matthew chapter 1 and verse 1, let’s see this. In Matthew chapter 1 and verse 1. The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

We see in verse 2, beginning Abraham was the father of Isaiah, Isaac and Isaac the father of Jacob, and on down, then we see the second part of verse 6, and Jesse, the father of David the king, and David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and you come all the way down to verse 16, and Jacob, the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. Again, who could do this if not God? Not only could God tell the future, but who could tell from what lineage he would be from and make it so? Only God. I said before that this demands an answer, because if you want to reject the Bible, you have the free will to do that as given by our Creator.

But consider how do you get around this? Because man cannot do this. This could not be manipulated. There is no way, even in our advanced medical time, that you can tell which family you’re going to be from generations before it happens, a thousand years before it happened. It is not possible except for God. This scripture, these prophecies demand an answer. And to say that the Bible shows no proof or prove in the Bible by the Bible’s circular reasoning misses the point. If the Bible claims to be both giving eyewitness testimony and that prophecy is from God, show me where is fault, and I will accept it’s not from God. But I show you God by showing you fulfillment of truth, fulfillment of future events that could only be made known by God.

4. Born of a Virgin, a Great Light in Galilee

Consider four more prophecies as we move quickly towards conclusion and draw a couple applications. We see in Isaiah chapter 7 and verse 14 that Jesus would be born of a virgin. His name would be Emmanuel. In Luke chapter 1, verse 34 and 35, you see where we’re going with this that Jesus was, in fact, born to marry the virgin. And that prophecy was fulfilled. Again, how could someone not God make that so? We see another one that I want to look at here in Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 1 and 2. Consider this even speaks of where Jesus would speak. In Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 1 and 2. It’s interesting to see such a little prophecy, such a little idea. Sometimes we think of these big ones and we say, well, maybe history just wrote that in, and yet the Bible is so meticulous, it gives such little details that it must be so, unless it could be proven false.

See if that can be the case in Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 1. But there will be no gloom for her who is in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun, in the land of Naphtali. Then the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them light has shone. Consider with me in Matthew chapter 4. Where was it that Jesus would speak? Isaiah who prophesied 700 years before the Christ would write such an obscure passage. Could it possibly apply to Jesus? Yes. In Matthew chapter 4, beginning in verse 12, note where Jesus’ ministry began.

Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee, and leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled, the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people dwelling in darkness, have seen a great light. And for those dwelling in the region of shadow of death, on them a light has dawned. And again, the skeptic is left with only deciding that this was done on purpose, as verse 14 even says that it was. That it is just so that prophecy could be fulfilled, so that prophecy could be checked off.

5. Who Would Choose to Be Crucified?

But I would refer them back to those other questions about how could Jesus possibly choose to be born of a virgin. How could he choose where he would be born and when? When you consider that Jesus would be crucified for our sins, not only could Jesus not have done that if he was mere man, he would not have fulfilled prophecy if he was just a man. He could not have decided where he was born unless he’s God. He would not choose to be crucified on the cross for the sins of the world unless he was.

Turn there to that famous passage with me in Isaiah chapter 53, this powerful prophecy of Jesus and what he would undergo. The Jews say that this prophecy is of the nation of Israel, but that of course cannot be. Isaiah chapter 53 makes it clear it’s about someone who would suffer at the hands of God on behalf of man. Isaiah chapter fifty three, beginning in verse 2. For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Verse 4, surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions.

Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted. Yet he opened not his mouth. Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep before its hearers is silence, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away, and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. And they made his grave with the wicked and with the rich man in his death.

Although he had done no violence and there was no deceit in his mouth, yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him. He has put him to grief. When his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offer spring, he shall prolong his days, the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied. By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Did you see all of those phrases in there? What person would do that? Who would choose to be oppressed and afflicted? Who would choose, verse five, to be pierced and crushed? Who would choose to be in anguish, to be crushed by the Lord?

Who would make such a choice? If you say that the Bible is flawed, you must reject it. It can’t be just some good book full of lies. Isaiah writes a prophecy that there would be one sent by God, crushed by him on whom our iniquity would be laid upon. They can’t be a nation. That must only be Jesus. The gospel messages are clear that Jesus was crucified. That’s even some of the intricate details like found in verse 9, a passage we overlook in thinking about the crucifixion, but comes forth shining so true when we consider prophecy. In verse 9, they made his grave with the wicked and with the rich man in his death, and we know from the New Testament that is exactly what happened with Jesus as the rich man stepped up and allowed him into his grave.

How can this be? He could not have determined as mere man where he would be born, who he would be born to, and what lineage he would be born from. He would not have chosen to be crucified, oppressed, and afflicted. Because you can say the prophecy is null and void, but someone historically named Jesus went to the cross and was crucified. Who among us would do that for a lie? Who would do that for a sham? And who could do it in such perfect proportion to prophecies written over hundreds of years before? And even if you want to cheat and give the Septuagint date over a century before Jesus came and died. It cannot be except from God. Consider one final prophecy of where Jesus is.

6. Sit at My Right Hand

In Psalm 110 and verse 1. There were a lot of prophecies about Jesus, but to suggest that they have all ceased has missed the boat. In Psalm 110 and verse 1, the Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter, rule in the midst of your enemies. Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power in holy garments. From the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind. You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord is at your right hand. He will shatter kings on the day of wrath.

He will execute judgment among the nations, filled them with their corpses. He will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. He will drink from the brook, by the way. Therefore he will lift up his head. Where is Jesus now? In Hebrews chapter 1, we see the answer. Hebrews chapter 1. Consider as the Hebrew writer is exalting Jesus, as he’s showing that Jesus is superior. The Hebrew writers makes Jesus superior to Moses, and in chapter 1, superior to the angels. In Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 13, the appeal is made, and to which of the angels has he ever said, Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. But we see in chapter 1 also, in verses 1 through 3, something special about Jesus, that he came for our benefit.

He came to reveal his law, his time on behalf of God. In verse 1, long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the whole world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Our Lord reigns. Jesus is King. Just as was foretold in the Psalm. Just as was spoken of by Peter in Acts chapter 2, and the Hebrew writer in Hebrews chapter 1, in verses 3 and 13, just as a sampling of the fulfillment of that promise.

Conclusion

The truth of the matter is, whether you agree or you disagree with the Catholic Pope, or you agree or you disagree with an atheist or an agnostic like Richard Dawkins, Bible prophecy demands an answer. And if those are true, there is no explanation that is not given with the answer God. And if that’s so, we can accept the Bible as the word of God. And if the Bible is the word of God, when we see that Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God, and his enemies will be at his footstool, and as Psalm 110 continued on, that the Lord will break the enemies in the earth. What does that mean for me in my life? What it means first and foremost is that I can believe what God has said to be true.

It means first and foremost, when it comes to accepting the existence of God, that there is no compromise. That no matter who says it, whether they are considered to be the Pope or an atheist or a Christian, if they say God did not create the heavens and the earth with his voice, that that is not true because the Bible says otherwise, and I trust God, not man. When people say that you don’t have to follow this commandment or that, because God doesn’t truly care, or God’s loving, and the scriptures show the opposite to be true, that God is just, God is fair, and in his love, yes, we’ll forgive, but expects righteous submission to his will, that I must follow God, not the will of man.

What it means for Jesus is if Jesus is the Messiah, that praise the Lord, we can be saved. If Jesus is the coming Savior, if he came to this life, if he was crucified on the cross, buried, and raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. Praise the Lord, that we can be saved. And we can be with our mighty, powerful risen Savior and our Creator God forever and ever. What a blessing. What a life changing realization that if the Bible is true, I not only can and must defend it, but that I must obey it, seek the will of God. Perhaps you’re here this morning and you are a skeptic, or you’ve never just accepted the will of God because it’s too inconvenient.

Know that the inconvenient truth is still truth, that Jesus reigns, and that his will is to be done. Matthew chapter 28 says Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth. We must submit to that. Maybe as Christians we found it hard, we found ourselves doubting. Come back to God today. Realize that yes, our God is just, and he will hold us accountable for what we’ve done, even the thoughts and intents of the heart. But that also our God is faithful, that if we confess our sins, he will forgive us. What a powerful blessing. Take advantage of God’s great plan. Take advantage of the prophesied and risen Savior today. Be washed in the blood of Jesus. If we can help you in any way this morning, if you want to put on Christ for the first time in baptism, having your sins washed away and be in the family of Christ, come forward now as we stand and sing the invitation song.