Jesus, the “Messiah”

A “messiah” is an expected deliverer or savior of an entire people. In Jewish tradition, the Messiah is the expected king and deliverer of the Jews. In the Christian tradition, the Messiah is Jesus Christ–our Savior.

What do you currently know about Jesus, the Messiah?

A:___________________________________________________

 Throughout the Old Testament Scriptures, a spotless, unblemished lamb was the picture of a sin offering. This offering pointed to the future spotless Lamb of God, the Messiah, who would be God’s perfect sacrifice for our sins. John 1:29 records, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”  (NIV).

Here is that “sin” concept again! Yes, our sin really does matter to God! It separates us from Him and only a sacrifice can pay for that sin. It is important to recognize and accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah, because without Him, we do not have a relationship with the God of the universe!

For centuries the prophets of Israel foretold the coming of the Messiah. Specifically the prophet Isaiah wrote about the coming of Jesus the Messiah 700 years before Jesus was born. Over the span of fifteen hundred years, nearly three hundred specific references were made to his coming. All of these are recorded in Scripture.

 The odds against one person fulfilling merely eight of these prophecies would be the same as a blindfolded person picking one special silver dollar from a two-foot high stack of silver dollars over an area the size of Texas (greater than the entire nation of France.) Yet, Jesus Christ fulfilled over two hundred of them … exactly!  And his sinless life qualified Him to be God’s perfect sacrifice for all of our sins. Hebrews 9:11-15 explains, “But when the Messiah arrived, high priest of the superior things of this new covenant, he bypassed the old tent and its trappings in this created world and went straight into heaven’s “tent”—the true Holy Place—once and for all. He also bypassed the sacrifices consisting of goat and calf blood, instead using his own blood as the price
to set us free once and for all.  

If that animal blood and the other rituals of purification were effective in cleaning up certain matters of our religion and behavior, think how much more the blood of Christ cleans up our whole lives, inside and out. Through the Spirit, Christ offered himself as an unblemished sacrifice, freeing us from all those dead-end efforts to make ourselves respectable, so that we can live all out for God” (The Message).

As you read the verses from Hebrews, what new ideas were presented to you? What facts stood out to you?

A:___________________________________________________

Listed below are just a few Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah that were fulfilled by Jesus and recorded in the New Testament.

 Prophecy:   Micah 5:2–“You, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village in Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past.” (NIV)

 Fulfillment:   Matthew 2:1–“Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod.” (NLT)

What key information is given in these verses?

A:___________________________________________________

 Prophecy:   Isaiah 9:6-7–“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” (NIV)

 Fulfillment:   Luke 1:31-3 –“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (NIV)

What important information do we learn about Jesus in these verses?

A:___________________________________________________

 Prophecy:   Psalm 22:1–“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you
so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?” (NIV)

 Fulfillment:   Matthew 27:46–“About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud
voice, “Eli, Eli,lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?”).” (NIV)

What do you learn about Jesus from these verses?

A:___________________________________________________

 Prophecy:   Psalm 22:18–“They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” (NIV)

 Fulfillment:   Matthew 27:35–“When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots”. (NIV)

Why do you think this detail is included in the Bible?

A:___________________________________________________

 Prophecy:   Isaiah 7:14–”The Lord himself will choose [a] sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel-
‘God is with us.'” (NLT)

 Fulfillment:   Luke 1:35–“The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born
will be called the Son of God.’”(NIV)

Why do you think the information in these passages are important?

A:___________________________________________________

Jesus Christ fulfilled these prophecies. His sinless life qualified Him to be God’s perfect sacrifice for all of our sins!

Application:

As you look over all of the information contained in this lesson, what does it mean to you personally that Jesus is the “Messiah”?

A:___________________________________________________

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