Christmas: It's All About the Getting!
Isaiah 9:2-7
Pastor Bob Hiller
12/24/2008
Scripture Readings
Isaiah 9:2-7
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-20
Take It With You!
This month we are going to read through some of the prophecies about the coming of Christ found in Isaiah the prophet. Please consider reading through that book as you prepare for Christmas. Here is a way of understanding what is happening in the prophets:
When we read the Old Testament we see, much like the season of Advent, the whole thing is written in anticipation for the coming of Christ. We see this most explicitly in the books of the prophets. Much like a movie preview, the prophets are giving us snippets of the full length feature that is to come. As we read through them we get an idea of what kind of Savior the Israelites were waiting for.
No where do we get a clearer preview of the coming Messiah than in the book of Isaiah. This is one of the most important books in the Old Testament for helping us understand Christ. It has often been called "the fifth Gospel" because it so clearly lays out for us what Jesus will do in the Gospels. For the authors of the New Testament, it is one of the most formative books they have. No prophet is reference more than Isaiah, with 85 references to chapter 53 alone! So, this is a pretty important book and trying to discuss it in four weeks doesn't do it any justice. But, what we hope to accomplish here is getting an idea of why the Old Testament believers anticipated a Messiah and what the nature of that Messiah was. For their savior is our savior, their Christ is our Christ. We have faith in the same Jesus, they looked forward and we look back. So, we will see that the story previewed in Isaiah is the greatest full length feature ever seen!
