Christmas in the Old Testament

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Christmas in the Old Testament

Micah 5:2

December 8, 2024 • Adrian Rogers • Micah 5:2

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Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Micah 5:2

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but His existence did not begin in Bethlehem; He has been from everlasting. The Book of Micah offers us a clear picture of Christmas to come in the Old Testament.

Micah 5:2 says, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”

Adrian Rogers says, “Without the Lord Jesus, the Old Testament is simply a bundle of unfulfilled prophecies, of unexplained ceremonies, of unattainable laws. But when you bring Jesus into it, it unlocks the whole thing.”

First, there are portraits of Jesus in the Old Testament.

In Luke 24:44, Jesus says, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.”

Jesus is who all the Old Testament prophets have given witness to. He is portrayed as the Prophet, Priest and King of every story from Genesis to Malachi. He is in every ceremony, and even in the design of biblical architecture such as the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant. When we read the New Testament, we find the fulfillment of each law and prophecy.

Second, there are prophecies of Jesus in the Old Testament.

There are more than 300 prophecies concerning the Messiah in the Old Testament. Throughout the Books of Law and Prophecy, God narrows the focus to a specific man from the nation of Israel.

He would come from the Tribe of Judah, specifically the family of Jesse, and the household of David. He would be born of a virgin in Bethlehem, betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, crucified, and then raised from the dead.

Jesus fulfilled each of these prophecies and many more. Mathematically, when we speak of the laws of probability, there is no doubt He is the Messiah.

Finally, Jesus is presented in the Old Testament

We must decide how we will respond. Do we crown Him or crucify Him—accept or reject Him?

As we study Scripture, we’ll find that we can believe the Bible and trust Him as our Savior.

Apply it to your life

Jesus has been presented to us in the Old and New Testaments. How will you respond? Do you believe in Him? Do you accept Him as your Lord and Savior?

Christmas Tribute to the Trinity

December 15, 2024 • Adrian Rogers • Luke 1:35

Sermon Overview Scripture Passage: Luke 1:35 Many who don’t believe in Jesus will call Him a great moral teacher. But when we look closely at His teachings, we find that He left no room for interpretation. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and the story of Christmas is a tribute to the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:35 says, “And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.’” The doctrine of the Trinity is what makes our faith different from all other faiths. First, we must recognize the sublime mystery of the Trinity. We will never understand the Holy Trinity by human investigation, logic, or science. The only way we can know about the Holy Trinity is by divine revelation. There is one God, and He is a triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If we try to understand it on our own, we will lose our minds; if we deny it, we may lose our souls. Adrian Rogers says, “I wouldn’t have any confidence in a God that I could understand.” Second, we recognize the sacred history of the Trinity. John 1:1-3 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” There is no contradiction between the three, because they are One. The Trinity, together, created the world, composed the Scriptures, conceived the Christ, and commissioned the Church. Finally, we recognize the saving ministry of the Trinity. Through the Holy Trinity, we have our salvation. Salvation has been in the heart and mind of God before we were ever born. The Father thought it, the Son bought it, and the Holy Spirit wrought it. Adrian Rogers says, “You have been selected by the Father, saved by the Son, and sealed by the Spirit.” Because of the mystery of the manger, the blessing of Bethlehem, and the treasures of the Trinity, we can never lose our salvation. Apply it to your life It’s not enough to simply accept the intellectual premise of the Holy Trinity. Give your heart to Jesus, the Son of God.

Miracle Births

December 1, 2024 • Adrian Rogers • John 3

Sermon Overview Scripture Passage: John 3 Birth is, perhaps, the greatest miracle each of us has ever experienced. But John 3 mentions an even greater second birth for those who are born again in Jesus Christ. In John 3, the Pharisee Nicodemus represents the problem of the sinner’s birth. “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God’” (John 3:3). Because Nicodemus was born into the natural world, he was bound to the sinful world. Those of us once-born have a sinful nature. There is no “cleaning up” our nature before we get saved. Our sinful nature also blinds us to the spiritual world. Adrian Rogers says, “I can preach truth, but only the Holy Spirit can impart truth. They may get the words, but they’ll never get the music unless the Holy Spirit of God turns the light on in their soul.” But this passage also reveals the purpose of the Savior’s birth. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Jesus came, being born of a virgin, to redeem us, to reveal the truth of God to us, and to restore us to be what God made us to be. Then, we experience the second birth. God breathes new life into us, and we become completely new creations. The Word of God and the Holy Spirit are the “parents” of our new birth. As a result, our new character mimics that of our spiritual parents. (See John 3:5.) We love the Lord Jesus Christ and have the witness of the Spirit. We have the nature of our Father and desire to share Jesus with others. Just like there is a finality in our natural birth, once we are saved, we are always saved; we receive a fresh start and begin to grow with the certainty of our miraculous rebirth. Adrian Rogers says, “A newborn child has no yesterdays; he’s all tomorrows. So it is with the new birth: we receive a brand new future; our past is in the grave of God’s forgetfulness.” Apply it to your life Do you have the markers of a twice-born believer? Do you love Jesus, have the inner witness of the Spirit? Do you have the nature of your Heavenly Father, and a desire to share the Gospel with others?

Revival is When God Shows Up

November 24, 2024 • Adrian Rogers • Isaiah 64

Sermon Overview Scripture Passage: Isaiah 64 No military power, economic upturn, or presidential election can bring the revival we so desperately need. Transformation happens when, by holy boldness, one person seeks the face of God; revival can happen in one person, in a family, in a church, in a country. Isaiah 64 shows us what happens when God shows up and revival breaks out. First, this passage tells us about the presence that produces revival. “Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence—as fire burns brushwood, as fire causes water to boil—to make Your name known to Your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Your presence!” (Isaiah 64:1-2). When God comes down, mountains melt and sinners shake. His presence cannot be explained away or mocked. His presence makes the righteous rejoice (see Isaiah 64:4-5) because we know that God wants to meet with us. To experience His presence in this way, we must recognize the problems that prevent revival. “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isaiah 64:6). We are corrupted by our sins; our self-righteousness is like filthy rags. We try to cover ourselves with the thing that defiles and condemns us. We can also be complacent in our sins (see Isaiah 64:7). We need to stir up our hearts—shake up and shake off the comfort of habitual sin. We cannot let sin consume us; it cannot eat us alive. If we are serious about revival, we must get right with God and put ourselves at His disposal. Lastly, prayer precedes revival; seeking His face means fervent prayer. This type of prayer recognizes God’s sovereignty, remembers God’s mercy, and respects God’s glory (see Isaiah 64:8-9). Adrian Rogers says, “The problem with so many of our prayers is we’re not willing to repent. We want God’s mercy, but seek no repentance; and prayer without repentance is a religious farce—a smokescreen Apply it to your life Do you want God’s presence to come down and begin a revival in you? Do you want His presence to bring unspeakable joy? Pray with sincere repentance. It is not your tears or emotions that save you—it is God who saves you. He saves us instantly, stays with us continually, and keeps us eternally.