Jan.19, 2011 - On The Road To Emmaus - Week 3

Luke 24:13-27 NIV
On the Road to Emmaus
"...25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah (or Christ) have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”
27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself."

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR; OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE PASSAGES THAT SHOW
CHRIST INCARNATE - Definition of INCARNATE. 1. a: invested with bodily and especially human nature and form b: made manifest or comprehensible : embodied
A PICTURE OR MODEL OF CHRIST - noun. 1. a standard or example for imitation or comparison. 2. a representation, generally in miniature, to show the construction or appearance of something.
A MESSIANIC PROPHECY - A prophecy is the message that has been communicated to a prophet which the prophet then communicates to others. Such messages typically involve divine inspiration ...


The Old Testament makes promises about Christ, and the New Testament keeps promises in Christ.

Psalms -

Psalm 2:7-8 (NIV) PROPHECY
The Messiah will be God's Son and He will be King of Kings
7 I will proclaim the LORD’s decree:
He said to me, “You are my son; (or begotten one)
today I have become your father. (Heb. 1:5)
8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession. (The Father is speaking to His Son, Jesus.)
9 You will break them with a rod of iron[b];
you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear
and celebrate his rule with trembling.
12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry
and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 8:4-6 (NIV) PROPHECY
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?[c]
5 You have made him[d] a little lower than the angels[e]
and crowned him[f] with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his[g] feet:
Referred to in:
1 Corinthians 15:27 (New International Version, ©2010)
27 For he “has put everything under his feet.”[a] Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ.

Psalm 16:8-10(NIV) PROPHECY
He will rise from the dead
David was prophesying of Him who was to come, "the Holy One" Jesus Christ.
8 I keep my eyes always on the LORD.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
Peter quotes this verse on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:25-27

Psalm 22:1-22(NIV) PROPHECY
This prophetic psalm stands out more than the other messianic psalms. Written by David, it gives a graphic description of the death of Jesus Christ by crucifixion. At the time it was written, stoning was the form of capital punishment. One thousand years later, the Romans introduced death by crucifixion.
He will experience agony on the cross
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
(This verse was quoted by Jesus on the cross. He was forsaken by God for a moment so that you would not be forsaken by God eternally.)
The psalm begins with a cry of anguish addressed to eli, "my God." Only those who have Yahweh as their God can use a pronoun of endearment such as "my" in a situation like this. Most oral interpretations of this passage put the emphasis on the wrong part of this phrase, saying in the public reading of Scripture, "My God, my God!" But that is to swear against and blaspheme God rather than show that the speaker still regards God as his very own Father. Instead, the emphasis should fall on "My God, my God." (The Messiah in the Old Testament, Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.)
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.[b]
3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises.[c]
4 In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
(Jesus Christ was despised and rejected by men (Isaiah 53)
7 All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
8 “He trusts in the LORD,” they say,
“let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”
(The high priests mocked Jesus when He was on the cross.)
9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 Roaring lions that tear their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
14 I am poured out like water, (He was to be crucified)
and all my bones are out of joint.
(Here is another description of the cross. When Jesus' side was pierced blood and water came out of the wound. In hanging on the cross, the muscles fatigued and the joints fell out of place.)
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted within me.
15 My mouth[d] is dried up like a potsherd, (He thirsts while on the cross)
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce[e] my hands and my feet.
17 All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me. (Evil mean cast lots for his clothing)
18 They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.
(The Roman soldiers cast lots for Jesus' robe ("vestures"), because it was too good to be divided. Jesus' death was perfectly planned before the foundation of the earth.)
19 But you, LORD, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
22 I will declare your name to my people; (He will declare God's name)
in the assembly I will praise you.

Psalm 34:20 (NIV) PROPHECY
His bones would not be broken
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
(This is a prophecy concerning the death of Jesus Christ. To hasten the deaths of Jesus and the two robbers, the Roman soldiers wanted to break their legs. Since Jesus was already dead, they didn't break His bones. This qualified Him as the sacrificial Lamb without spot or blemish.)

Psalm 40:6-8 (NIV) PROPHECY
He came to do God's will
6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
but my ears you have opened[a]—
burnt offerings and sin offerings[b] you did not require.
7 Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.[c]
8 I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart.”

Psalm 41:9 (NIV) PROPHECY
His close friend would betray him
9 Even my close friend,
someone I trusted,
one who shared my bread,
has turned[a] against me.

Psalm 45:6-7 (NIV) PROPHECY
His throne will last forever
A messianic psalm that portrays the beautiful mystery of Christ and His bride, the Church (Revelation 19).
6 Your throne, O God,[a] will last for ever and ever;
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.
The Book of Hebrews acknowledges that this verse was written concerning Jesus Christ, showing the superiority of Jesus Christ over the angels. v,9 The "queen" is the Church.

Psalm 46:7-9 (NIV) PROPHECY
The Lord is with us
7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the LORD has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields[a] with fire.


Psalm 68:18 (NIV) PROPHECY
He ascended into Heaven
This prophecy about Jesus Christ was quoted by Paul in Ephesians 4:8. Before Jesus ascended He first had to descend to the lower parts of the earth to free the Old Testament saints. They couldn't enter into the glory of heaven until the cross. It was necessary that their sins be put away first, only done through the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.
18 When you ascended on high,
you took many captives;
you received gifts from people,
even from[a] the rebellious—
that you,[b] LORD God, might dwell there.

Psalm 69 is quoted more times in the New testament than any other psalm except for Psalm 110.
Psalm 69:9 (NIV) PROPHECY
He is zealous for God
9 for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.

Psalm 69:21 (NIV) PROPHECY
He was offered vinegar for his thirst on the cross
21 They put gall in my food
and gave me vinegar for my thirst.
Jesus brought forth blood and water when His side was pierced, indicating that He died by a heart rupture.

Psalm 89:3-4, 35-36 (NIV) PROPHECY
He will be a descendant of David
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
4 ‘I will establish your line forever
35 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
and I will not lie to David—
36 that his line will continue forever
and his throne endure before me like the sun;

Psalm 96:13 (NIV) PROPHECY
He will return to judge the world
13 Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Psalm 110:1 (NIV) PROPHECY
This is a messianic psalm with its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
He is David's son and David's Lord
1 The LORD says to my lord:[a]
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”
In Hebrew this reads "YAHWEH said unto my Lord." Jesus is sitting on the right hand of the father in glory. God will judge the earth and bring all things into subjection under Christ.

Psalm 110:4 (NIV) PROPHECY, MODEL
He is the eternal priest-king
4 The LORD has sworn
and will not change his mind:
“You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek.”
A priest of the most high God, Melchizedek (also known as the King of Peace), came to Abraham. Abraham gave him one-tenth of all his goods. Melchizedek was greater than Abraham because he received from Abraham.
The duties of the high priest were two-fold. He was a mediator between man and God, because the people themselves couldn't approach the holy and righteous God. He would also come to the people and speak to them for God. In the New Testament Jesus Christ is the high priest who performs these duties.
Jesus Christ is of the order of Melchizedek, which precedes and is superior to the priesthood of Levi, because the father of Levi, Abraham, paid tithes to Melchizedek.

Psalm 118:22 (NIV) PROPHECY
Jesus probably sang this psalm with His disciples on the night of the Passover feast.
He is rejected by many but accepted by God
22 The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
This is prophetic. The "stone" is Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus refers to this verse in Matthew 21:42-44. Peter refers to it in Acts 4:11. The "builders" were the Jews who rejected Jesus Christ. They refused the Gospel, so it was then given to the Gentiles.

Psalm 118:24-26 (NIV) PROPHECY
24 The LORD has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.
25 LORD, save us!
LORD, grant us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.
From the house of the LORD we bless you.[
This refers to Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem when His disciples cried "Hosanna, O Lord," which means, "Save now, O Lord." As the disciples sang this psalm with Jesus, they were actually singing a prophecy that had been fulfilled a few days earlier when the "stone" was rejected.

Psalm 132 17-18 (NIV) PROPHECY
The Messiah will come from the line of David
17 “Here I will make a horn[a] grow for David
and set up a lamp for my anointed one.
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but his head will be adorned with a radiant crown.”
The horn to "grow for David" refers to one of his mighty descendants. David's son, Solomon, was indeed a glorious king but these verses look ahead even further to another descendent of David, Jesus the Messiah. (Life Application Bible)

TABLE DISCUSSION
1. We've heard your Genesis and your Exodus, now if time permits; what is God calling you to today? How will you respond? Lift it up in prayer.

Witnessing to a Jehovah's Witness

The Current Teaching Of The Watchtower Society:
Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus. They believe he took on different bodies, and was a spirit. The Watchtower Society's publication, Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, p. 52, teaches that Jesus was not given human life again because that would mean he was taking back His ransom.

What the Bible Says about RESURRECTION OF JESUS:

1. Key Facts About The Body And The Resurrection Of Jesus

• Ransom paid was Christ's blood, not His body Hebrews 9:14, 20
• Shed His blood Hebrews 9:22
• Purchased with His blood Acts 20:28
• Flesh and blood cannot enter God's Kingdom 1Corinthians 15:50
• "It is I myself, a spirit hath not flesh and bones," then He ate Luke 24:36-43
• Thomas touched Jesus' wounds and said, "My Lord and my God John 20:27, 28
• Jesus said He would raise His own body John 2:19-21
  

2. According To The Scriptures, Jesus Was Raised PHYSICALLY From The Dead:

• He will return as He left Acts 1:9-11
• Antichrist denies Jesus is coming in the flesh 2John 1:7
• If Christ has not been raised our faith is in vain 1Corinthians 15:14, 17
• Believe in your heart that Christ was raised from the dead Romans 10:9
• God raised Jesus from the dead Acts 2:24
• Jesus raised His own body, SOMA — Greek word for tangible physical body John 2:19-21; 10:18
• The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead Romans 8:11
  

3. The Physical Resurrection Of Jesus Christ Is Confirmed By:

• The empty tomb John 20:1-9
• Angelic testimony Matthew 28:5-7
• His enemies Matthew 28:11
  

4. Additional Confirmation Came After The Resurrection When Eyewitnesses Saw Him:

• Mary Magdalene Mark 16:9
• Other women Matthew 28:9
• Two disciples Luke 24:13-15
• Simon Peter Luke 24:34
• Ten Apostles John 20:19, 24
• Apostles at Sea of Galilee John 21:1
• Apostles in Galilee Matthew 28:16, 17
• 600 Brethren 1Corinthians 15:6
• Paul 1Corinthians 15:8
• James 1Corinthians 15:7

For more information on witnessing to the Jehovah's Witness click below:
http://www.blueletterbible.org/audio_video/comm_topic.cfm?AuthorID=35&commInfo=62&groupID=2&commTopic=How to Witness to Jehovah's Witnesses&SeriesOrder=3

Jan. 12, 2011 - On The Road To Emmaus - Week 2

Jan. 12, 2011 - On The Road To Emmaus - Old Testament Jesus

Luke 24:13-27 NIV
On the Road to Emmaus
"...25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah (or Christ) have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”
27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself."

Seven and a half miles. A typical constant walking pace, while conversing with one another, "over rocks and flint stones" one could expect to average 3 to 3 1/2 miles an hour. That means Jesus 'expounded with these disciples for 2 to 3 hours about "what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself."

Why do we bother to study the Old Testament Scriptures?

Paul reminded Timothy of the importance of the Old Testament scriptures he had learned as a child:
But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Ti 3:14-17)


WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR; OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE PASSAGES THAT SHOW
CHRIST INCARNATE - Definition of INCARNATE. 1. a: invested with bodily and especially human nature and form b: made manifest or comprehensible : embodied
A PICTURE OR MODEL OF CHRIST - noun. 1. a standard or example for imitation or comparison. 2. a representation, generally in miniature, to show the construction or appearance of something.
A MESSIANIC PROPHECY - A prophecy is the message that has been communicated to a prophet which the prophet then communicates to others. Such messages typically involve divine inspiration ...

So what have we covered so far?
Genesis:
○ The Messiah would: reconcile men to God at painful cost to Himself; come from the seed of a woman (Genesis 3:15) PROPHECY
○ He will be a Semite (Genesis 9:26) PROPHECY
○ descend through Abraham (Genesis 22:18) PROPHECY
○ Offered as our substitute (Genesis 22:13) MODEL
○ The Messiah shall be from the line of Judah, Jacob's 4th son (Genesis 49:10) PROPHECY

Exodus 12:46 (NIV) MODEL, PROPHECY
Messiah's bones were not to be broken
46 “It must be eaten inside the house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones. "

Exodus 12:46 - (Numbers 9:12) - "They must not leave any of it till morning or break any of it's bones." (John 19:36) "These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken," (NIV Life Application Bible)

Numbers 21:8-9 (NIV) MODEL
8 The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.

When the bronze snake was hung on the pole, the Israelites didn't know the fuller meaning Jesus Christ would bring to this event. Jesus explained that just as the Israelites were healed of their sickness by looking at the snake on the pole, all believers today can be saved from sickness of sin by looking to Jesus' death on the cross. It was not the snake that healed the people, but their belief that God could heal them. This belief was demonstrated by their obedience to God's instructions. In the same way, we should continue to look to Christ. (Heb. 12:2) (NIV Life Application Bible)

Numbers 24:15-19 (NIV) PROPHECY Read vs.10 - 19 aloud
Balaam foretells of his coming
Balaam’s Fourth Message
15 Then he spoke his message:
“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,
16 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,
who has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
17 “I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
a scepter will rise out of Israel.
He will crush the foreheads of Moab,
the skulls[a] of[b] all the people of Sheth.[c]
18 Edom will be conquered;
Seir, his enemy, will be conquered,
but Israel will grow strong.
19 A ruler will come out of Jacob
and destroy the survivors of the city.”

The star out of Jacob is often thought to refer to the coming Messiah. It was probably this prophecy that convinced the Magi to travel to Israel to search for the baby Jesus.

Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19 (NIV) PROPHECY
15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.
18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. 19 I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.

All Jews will testify that there was no other prophet as unique as Moses; unique in his miracles, his direct access to God's revelation, his giving of the Law, his actions as a deliverer, and his office as judge over the people. In everyone of these functions, and more, he distinctly anticipated the Messiah who was to come. (The Messiah in the Old Testament, by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.)

TABLE DISCUSSION

We've heard your Genesis, now let's go around the table and take a couple minutes each and share your Exodus, your middle years, maybe your wanderings. What was God doing in your Life?

Talking Bibles

Last Wednesday morning, we had the honor of hearing from one of our members from our Bible Study.  Mike Westbrook volunteers on weekends at North Coast and spends about 1 month or more a year overseas doing Missionary work to wherever God calls him.

This week he told us about one of the organizations that he will be traveling with later this year and the organization he describe was amazing.  He laid out the statistics of how many people in this world that cannot read.  There is 6.3 Billion people in the world, 1 billion of them cannot read.  That is a lot people.  Even if and when the scriptures/the Bible is translated into their own language, they still will not be able to read it.  That is why Mike Westbrook has teamed up with Talking Bibles.   Talking Bibles is a new way to get the Bible out to people who cannot read.  It is a Audio Bible with a little sundial to recharge the battery via solar power.

I cannot do Talking Bibles justice by describing it, so please click on the link above or click on the Talking Bibles link listed under our links pages.  If you have further questions or you would like to get involved please contact Mike Westbrook directly at 760-586-5646.

Jan. 5, 2011 - On the Road To Emmaus - Introduction

Jan. 5, 2011 - On The Road To Emmaus - Old Testament Jesus


In November 2009 we completed a 10 year study of the New Testament. We decided at that time we would do a review of the Old Testament Scriptures that had messianic references or pointed to Jesus Christ and the New Testament. Isaiah was one of the first books to come to mind so we decided to start out with Isaiah. Now, after spending one year in the book of Isaiah we have decided to take a little detour from the model that we have used for our Bible study for the last 10 years.

Over the next few weeks we will be doing a study or overview of different books of Old Testament Scripture references that pertain to Jesus in the Old Testament. The foreshadowing and the foretelling, the prophesy of the coming Messiah and Savior Christ Jesus.

I have titled this study; "On the road to Emmaus." It comes from chapter 24 of Luke's gospel, beginning is verse 13.

Luke 24:13-27 NIV
On the Road to Emmaus
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah (or Christ) have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”
27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained ( He expounded, which means He stuck close to the text) to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

Mark 16:12-13 (New International Version, ©2010)
12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. 13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

Emmaus - "Emmaus was situated, according to the testimony both of Luke and Josephus, sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, that is, about seven miles and a half. D'Arvieux states, that going from Jerusalem to Rama, he took the right from the high road to Rama, at some little distance from Jerusalem, and ""travelled a good league over rocks and flint stones, to the end of the valley of terebinthine trees,"" until he reached Emmaus; which ""seems, by the ruins which surround it, to have been formerly larger that it was in our Saviour's time. The Christians, while masters of the Holy Land, re-established it a little, and built several churches. Emmaus was not worth the trouble of having come out of the way to see it."""

Seven and a half miles. A typical constant walking pace, while conversing with one another, "over rocks and flint stones" one could expect to average 3 to 3 1/2 miles an hour. That means Jesus 'expounded with these disciples for 2 to 3 hours about "what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." What did HE say? What was important to Jesus and what was it that, as they said to each other, made their "hearts burn within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" (Luke 24:32)

One commentator says:
i. He told them that the Messiah was:
○ The Seed of the Woman, whose heel was bruised.
○ The blessing of Abraham to all nations.
○ The High Priest after the order of Melchizedek.
○ The Man who wrestled with Jacob.
○ The Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
○ The voice from the burning bush.
○ The Passover Lamb.
○ The Prophet greater than Moses.
○ The captain of the Lord’s army to Joshua.
○ The ultimate Kinsman-Redeemer mentioned in Ruth.
○ The son of David who was a King greater than David.
○ The suffering Savior of Psalm 22.
○ The Good Shepherd of Psalm 23.
○ The wisdom of Proverbs and the Lover of the Song of Solomon.
○ The Savior described in the prophets and the suffering Servant of Isaiah 53.
○ The Princely Messiah of Daniel who would establish a kingdom that would never end.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR; OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE PASSAGES THAT SHOW
CHRIST INCARNATE - Definition of INCARNATE. 1. a: invested with bodily and especially human nature and form b: made manifest or comprehensible : embodied
A PICTURE OR MODEL OF CHRIST - noun. 1. a standard or example for imitation or comparison. 2. a representation, generally in miniature, to show the construction or appearance of something.
A MESSIANIC PROPHECY - A prophecy is the message that has been communicated to a prophet which the prophet then communicates to others. Such messages typically involve divine inspiration ...

Genesis 3:15 (NIV) PROPHECY
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring[a] and hers; he will crush[b] your head,
and you will strike his heel.”

Genesis 3:15 - Satan is our enemy. He will do anything he can to get us to follow his evil, deadly path. The phrase "you will strike his heel" refers to Satan's repeated attempts to defeat Christ during his life on earth. "He will crush your head" foreshadows Satan's defeat when Christ rose from the dead. A strike on the heel is not deadly, but a crushing blow to the head is. Already God was revealing his plan to defeat Satan and offer salvation to the world through his Son, Jesus Christ. (NIV Life Application Bible)

Genesis 22:13 (NIV) MODEL
Offered as our substitute
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

Genesis 22:13 - This is a parallel between the ram offered on the alter as a substitute for Isaac and Christ offered on the cross as a substitute for us. Whereas God stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son, God did not spare his own Son, Jesus, from dying on the cross. If Jesus had lived, the rest of humankind would have died. God sent his only Son to die for us so that we can be spared from the eternal death we deserve and instead receive eternal life. (Jn 3:16) (NIV Life Application Bible)

Genesis 49:10 (NIV) PROPHECY
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,[a]until he to whom it belongs[b] shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.

Genesis 49:10 - Why was Judah--known for selling Joseph into slavery and trying to defraud his daughter-in-law--so greatly blessed? God had chosen Judah to be the ancestor of Israel's line of kings (that is the meaning of "the scepter will not depart from Judah"). This may have been due to Judah's dramatic change of character (44:33, 34). Judah's line would produce the promised Messiah, Jesus. (NIV Life Application Bible)

TABLE TALK DISCUSSION

1. Beginning with Genesis. Go around the table and share your genesis; where you were born and lived until end of high school. Your spiritual upbringing during that time. Did you come to Christ in that time? Any important events in your life in those years?

February 9, 2011 - On the Road to Emmaus - Communion

February 9, 2011 - On The Road To Emmaus
Jesus in the Old Testament - Communion

John 1:45 (NIV) DECLARATION/WITNESS
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

How Certain Can We Be?
Luke 24:13-32 Emmaus Road: Jesus uses the Old Testament to authenticate Himself

John 5:39 “Search the (OT) Scriptures ...they testify of me.”

2 Pet 1:19 “More sure word of prophecy”


Composite Probabilities
Two events, each with a 50% probability, together have a 25% probability: .50 x .50 = .25
If each had a 10% probability, together they would have 1%: .1 x .1 = .01, or 101 x 101 = 102.

A Sample of 8 Prophecies

1) Micah 5:2 Would be born in Bethlehem 1:200,000
10,000/2 x 109
2) Zech 9:9 King on Donkey 1:100
3) Zech 11:12 30 pieces of Silver 1:1000
4) Zech 11:13 Temple; Potter 1:100,000
5) Zech 13:6 Wounds in hands 1:1000
6) Isa 53:7 No defense though innocent 1:1000
7) Isa 53:9 Died with wicked Grave with rich 1:1000
8) Ps 22:16 Crucified 1:10,000
Total composite probability: 1:1028 or 1028

8 Prophecies
Total population < size="1">11 1028/1011 = 1017
Concept Model: State of Texas covered with silver dollars, 2 ft. deep. [Alternate model: there are only 1017 seconds in the history of the universe!]

16 Prophecies 1028 x 1028 = 1056 1056 / 1011 = 1045
Concept Model: ball of silver dollars: radius 30 times the distance of the Earth to the Sun!

48 Prophecies 1028 x 1028 x 1028 x 1028 x 1028 x 1028 = 10168 10168/1011 = 10157!
(That’s a bigger number than we can grasp)
Concept Model 1) Make a “ball” of every atom in the universe; 1066 2) Make such a ball for each atom of the universe; 1066 x 1066 = 10132 3) Repeat that exercise, every second since the universe began... 10132 x 1017 = 10149 and we’re still short by 100,000,000 times: 108 ...and we’ve still only dealt with 48 prophecies out of over 300 in the Old Testament!

*Adapted from Peter Stoner, Science Speaks.

Supplemental Observations Total Atoms in the Universe: 1066
Total Particles: 1080
Seconds in 10 Billion Years: 1017
Scientific Threshold for the Absurd: >1050

McDowell notes that the Old Testament was completed in about 450 B.C., but if you won't accept that, you can verify that the Septuagint (Greek translation) was begun during the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus (285-246 B.C.), which means the Hebrew version had to have been completed at least 250 years before Christ was born.
He also notes that while it's true that Jesus could have arranged to fulfill some of these prophecies, He could not have orchestrated the place, time and manner of His birth, that He would be betrayed, the manner of His death, people's reactions to His crucifixion, the piercings and the burial.

If you're not yet amazed, study Daniel 9:24-27, which many believe predicts, to the precise year, the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.
Who do you say that He is?

I Corinthians 11:23-26
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Names, Titles and Characters of Jesus Christ

For Wednesday Morning 2/9/2011 - Communion

"...in remembrance of me."(Luke 22:19, I Corinthians 11:24, 25) Today we shared Communion with our Lord and took time to remember HIM and Craig shared: Names, Titles and Characters of Jesus Christ. The complete list is at:
http://www.blueletterbible.org/study/parallel/paral19.cfm