This is the first in a seven week series where we will look at forty prophecies from the Old Testament about Jesus and how they were fulfilled. There's more than forty, but we only have so much time in each sermon. 


Jesus told his disciples: “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Luke 24:44).... It's clear that Jesus considered this important, important enough to remind the disciples about it and to teach them about it (Luke 24:45). Why are we going over these prophecies? 1) it's a good introduction to Christianity and as we approach Christmas we'll see more visitors in church. 2) knowing the prophecies and how they are fulfilled is one way to defend your faith. 3) it's a great way to worship, seeing how amazing it is that these prophecies were fulfilled. 


Four prophecies about Jesus in the Law of Moses:


  1. Genesis 3:15: The Messiah will be a human, a man, who will be wounded by the devil but will crush the devil’s head. See Galatians 4:4; Hebrews 2:14; Romans 16:20…. So, that's why we don't like snakes! But there's more to it than just that. This prophecy of bruising his heel while crushing the serpent's skull was fulfilled when Jesus died on the cross and was raised three days later. 

  2. Genesis 22:18: The Messiah will be a descendant of Abraham. See Matthew 1:1; John 8:56…. Ever wonder why the New Testament starts with a genealogy? This is why, to show the fulfillment of this prophecy. 

  3. Genesis 49:8-12: The Messiah will be a ruler from the tribe of Judah. See Matthew 1:2; Revelation 5:5…. The genealogy from the second prophecy confirms Jesus is of the tribe of Judah. We haven't seen the fulfillment on Earth yet, but Revelation tells us it is coming. 

  4. Deuteronomy 18:14-19: The Messiah will be a prophet like Moses. See John 6:14; Acts 3:22-23… Moses wrote that the Messiah would be a great prophet like himself, and Jesus certainly fits that description. 


These and the rest of the prophecies we'll look at are clues in the Old Testament to point us towards Jesus. Seeing just one of them doesn't show us much, but when we put them all together, like a stained glass window, we get a full picture showing us that Jesus is the Messiah.