The Prophecy Will Happen

²⁶Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

²⁷to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

²⁸And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

²⁹But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.

³⁰Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

³¹And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.

³²He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.

³³And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

 

There is a portion of the prophecy that has been fulfilled.  However, there is more to come.

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THE PROPHECY WILL HAPPEN

He will be Great – v.32

Great – remarkable or out of the ordinary in degree, magnitude, or effect; great importance

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Everything about Jesus was Great – OUT OF THE ORDINARY

• His Birth
• His Name
• His Life
• His Acts
• His Sacrificial Death
• His Resurrection

Called the Son of the Highest – v. 32

Son – offspring

Highest – the God of Israel understood according to his exaltedness and authority

• The fact that her Baby was to be called the “Son of the Most High” pointed to His equality with Yahweh.
• In Semitic thought, a son was a “carbon copy” of his father, and the phrase “son of” was often used to refer to one who possessed his “father’s” qualities.
• The Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and placed in her womb the Son of God

Luke 1:35 (NKJV)

³⁵And 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.

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The Lord will give Him the throne of His Father David – v. 32

Give – to allow someone to have what the person has requested

The Throne – sovereignty over a kingdom

His father David

• The promise to David found its initial fulfillment in Solomon, the king who built the temple. However, the ultimate fulfillment of the everlasting character of this line of rulers is clearly realized in Jesus.

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He will reign over the house of Jacob forever – v. 33

Reign – to rule as king over a nation

House of – one’s ancestry conceived of as a house (for example – “the house of your father”)

Jacob – heel grabber, trickster

Forever – always

Of His Kingdom there will be no end – v. 33

Kingdom – royal authority to exercise dominion over a region

No End – the point in time at which something is fulfilled, ends

• The length of his being-king will be without limit,
• He will never stop commanding,
• His chieftainship will not finish,
• His reign will not come to a stopping place
• David understood the prophecy as referring not only to his immediate son (Solomon) who would build the temple, but also to the future Son who would rule forever

Revelation 21:1–4 (NKJV)

¹Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.

²Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

³And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

⁴And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

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THE PROCESS OF PROPHECY

Prophecy – God, who is in eternity and sees all of time, takes a snapshot of a specific time and shows it to someone before it happens.

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God Gives a Promise Through Prophecy

God’s Promises – When God says a thing will happen, it has to happen.  His integrity is on the line, and He cannot lie.

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There Is a Pace to the Prophecy Given

God’s Pace – We may not know the PACE that the prophecy is happening, but God knows.

“The word God has spoken has a time and a date stamped on it.” – Pastor Billy Johnson

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Ultimately, the Prophecy Fulfills God’s Plans

God’s Plans – The prophecy involves you but is bigger and more significant than you.

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WHY IS IT THAT WE CAN BE CONFIDENT THAT THE PROPHECY WILL HAPPEN?

 

Luke 1:37 (NKJV)

³⁷For with God nothing will be impossible.”

Luke 1:37–38 (NLT)

³⁷For the word of God will never fail.”

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OUR RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD SHOULD BE LIKE MARY’S RESPONSE.

Luke 1:38 (NKJV)

³⁸Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:38 (NLT)

³⁸Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.