When
it comes to the Christmas story one of the things that I find to be the most
fascinating is the Prophecies Jesus fulfilled in His 1st coming. [1000]
A)Prophecies that were given
400-500 yrs before His birth – Such as
Time of His birth:
Place of His birth: Born in
From
the Tribe of
Heir of the Throne of David:
Born of a Virgin:
Children would be killed because of his birth:
Flight to
He shall be called a Nazarene:
B)We will be talking about
some of those Prophecies on Sunday.
C)But
tonight – Finish
1)8 Prophecies fulfilled in
this Chapter
Prophecy
#1 Judgment to come after Josiah’s death.
A)Ch.34-25 we saw that Josiah was a good king.
B)He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. 1)During the years of his
reign, the hand of God was again upon the nation of
C)However, because of the awful
abominations of Manasseh, God has pronounced the judgment that must come
upon
D)The People had gone too far, under Manasseh, in their rebellion
against the Lord.
1)So through the prophetess
Huldah, God declared that judgment would come.
E) But because of Josiah seeking the Lord, it would not come during his
lifetime.
1)But now, with the death of
Josiah, the last of the good kings, we see that there is an immediate plunge of
the nation, right down, and out.
Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and
made him king in his father's place in
3 Now the king of
4 Then the king of
Jehoiakim was nothing more than a puppet king presiding over a kingdom under
the Egyptian, rule
A)He
was more like a Governor imposing heavy
taxes on the people and paid the money to the Egyptians, as required.
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he
reigned eleven years in
Jehoiakim, like his brother
Jehoahaz, did not follow the godly example of his father Josiah.
Prophecy#2 Captured by
A)Jeremiah was prophesying at the time – Predicted that Jehoiakim would
be taken captive.
B)Jeremiah
36:22-24 describes the great ungodliness of Jehoiakim – how he even burned a
scroll of God’s word. In response to this, Jeremiah received this message from
God: And you
shall say to Jehoiakim king of
During
this time
A)But for
B)Nebuchadnezzar was the
General at the time took
Jehoiakim and others to
C)Daniel/
Shadrach / Meshach / Abendego taken at this time told in Daniel Ch.1
1)3rd year of the
reign of Jehoiakim.
8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim,
the abominations which he did, and what was found against him, indeed they are
written in the book of the kings of
Note
the Phrase and what was found against
him – A)Who
found it – Answer is God - this is
something we have been reminded of as we have gone thru 2 Chronicles is this:
B)God is watching God is
taking inventory of our lives. God is looking at your life and mine –
C)Now that can be
a frightening thing God sees the things that pp don’t see.
1)Sees every thought and
every motive.
D)He is making an account of your life and mine yes that can be a
frightening:
1)But we need to move beyond
the frightening to the motivating – Becomes a motivator to walk with the Lord
PRACTICE THE
PRESENCE OF GOD – JOSEPH
When I was a kid
growing up playing sports – I loved it when my dad showed up for a game
A)My
dad is here I want to hit a home run.
Basketball more aggressive – get some
fouls – Got 4 more.
B) His presence motivated me to excel – the presence of God in our
lives should work the same way.
C)God is watching – far out
– perform for him – Love Him Bless Him
D)Not afraid of what He
might see but desiring that he would find in me those things that He found in
Josiah / David / Hezekiah / Jehoshaphat in Solomon in his early years
Humility / Dependency – courage / godliness – desire for the word of God / faith to believe the impossible.
God is looking tonight: What
is He going to find?
The
Short Reign of Jehoiachin
V.9 Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he
reigned in
2nd of 3
deportations by
V.11Zedekiah
was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in
Now it wasn’t so
much that He was to humble himself before Jeremiah – really before God
A)Humility isn’t so much about a decision that you make – it is more
about who you are.
B)Person has a Humble spirit – not he is being humble. -
1)Those who make a decision
to be humble are really describing a false humility – false humility is a
spiritual sickness
C)The Lord sent Jeremiah to
speak to the King: What this is telling us is that God was giving Zedikiah
another Chance-
God is hoping
this conformation was going to bring about Humility
A)Mannesseh – captured – Humbled himself greatly – or strongly –
B)God resist the proud – grace to the Humble
Humility doesn’t make
excuses for our actions /
Humility calls sin what it
is
Humility = brokenness
C) Tonight God warning you ?
13 And he also
rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God;
but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD
God of
Prophecy
#3 Jeremiah Prophesied that
A)Jeremiah 32:1-5 tells us
that Jeremiah clearly told Zedekiah that he would not succeed in his rebellion
against
B)Zedekiah arrested Jeremiah
and imprisoned him for this, but the prophet steadfastly stayed faithful to the
message God gave him.
C) Stiffened His neck against the voice of God and the rest of the
leaders followed as well.
V.15 And the
LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up
early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His
dwelling place. 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words,
and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His
people, till there was no remedy.
God, great in
mercy to His people, sent many warnings but these warning were rejected.
A)The greatness of His compassion
towards His people is shown by the expression v.15 rising up early and sending them.
B)“What a touching a graphic phrase!
1)How did God yearn over
that sinful and rebellious city!
Like a man who has had a sleepless
night of anxiety for his friend or child, and rises with the dawn to
send a servant on a message of inquiry, or a message of love.
C)Pleading with them to
repent return
But They mocked . . . despised . . . scoffed:
A)This tragic triple
rejection of God’s message and messengers sealed the doom of
B)They rejected the message
until there
was no remedy and nothing could turn back the judgment of God.
The Bible tells
us God’s spirit will not always strive with man – He pleads – warnings – wake
ups
A)Now let me say that it is
a blessing that God’s Spirit does strive with man.
B)How I thank God the way
His Spirit strives with man. 1)I’m amazed with what patience and longsuffering
the Spirit strives with men!
C)There are people that I
have given up on, long before God gave up on them. God’s Spirit continued to
strive with them, long after I wrote them off!
D) I’ve seen them come to
Jesus Christ, when I thought, “There’s no way.
1)God gets a hold of their
heart! Finally softened
But there can
come a point – where God says it is no use – they will not believe - Eternally LOST
A)Tragic day when God’s Spirit ceases to strive with a man. NO REMEDY
B)Let me say to you tonight, if you’ve been hardening your heart
against the things of God,
1)if you haven’t been
listening to the voice of the Lord, as He’s talking to you, if you’ve continued
in your path after God has dealt with you,
if God’s Spirit is striving
with you tonight, be thankful. I would surely take advantage of it by yielding
myself to God. If He’s still striving there’s hope.
C)Respond to Him tonight –
Lord take my heart
1)Humble yourself –
D)Because if you get to the pt where there is no conviction –
1) Cross no longer moves you -
E)Then you’re in a dangerous
position if God’s Spirit isn’t striving with you. God said, “No remedy”.
17 Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans,
who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and
had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand. 18 And all the articles from the house of God,
great and small, the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of
the king and of his leaders, all these
he took to
Notice
that in v.17-19 the word all is used 5 times to describe the complete
destruction by the Babylonians
A)Not some – but all - This
again was a fulfillment of the Prophecy of
Prophecy #4
20
And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they
became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 21
to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had
enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill
seventy years.
#5 The length of their
Captivity in
God had, in the law stated,
that when they came into the land that God had promised unto Abraham, they were
to farm the land for six years, but every seventh year, they were to give the
land rest.
They weren’t to plant or
cultivate the land in the seventh year, but were to give the land a Sabbath, or
a rest.
God gave the ordinances of
how that in the sixth year, He would give them enough, that they could just
take a year off,
Trust that in the 6th year God
would provide.
In the four hundred and
ninety years that they had occupied the land, they had not obeyed the
commandment of the Lord.
They Owed Him 70yrs
So the Lord said through Jeremiah, “Because
you have not given the land its Sabbaths, I will give the land its Sabbaths,
and thus you will be captives in
God exacts His requirements. If we won’t give it to
God, He’ll take it, one way or another. So He did.
But God prophesied who the next world Power would be 70 yrs before –
Now
between v.21 -22 is a 70yr gap –
A)V.22-23 are the same as
Ezra Ch.1 v.1-4 come to in January look at more closely
Prophecy #6 of Cyrus coming
into Power.
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of
the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the
spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his
kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God
of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at
Here is the amazing thing
about this passage –
Jeremiah Prophesied 70 yrs
before that God would send the pp of
Context of a
famous verse
10 For thus says the LORD: After seventy
years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word
toward you, and cause you to return to this place.
11 For I know
the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not
of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go
and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me,
when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the
LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all
the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and
I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away
captive.
Beautiful Prophecy of God’s
heart and restoration
That
Prophesy was given before Cyrus and
Gets better – Isaiah Prophesied
in Isaiah Prophesied in
And that this King Cyrus
would help the pp of
Isaiah was given that
Prophecy -200 yrs before Cyrus was even born.