What Are The Odds?
Against All Odds • Sermon • Submitted
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· 104 viewsWhat are the odds of One individual single handedly fulfilling all of the O.T. prophecies?
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What Are The Odds?
What Are The Odds?
Story
A tourist was driving through West Texas and stopped at a gas station. He observed a small piece of rope hanging from the porch under which was a sign reading ’weather forecaster’. ‘How does this work’, he asked. ‘When it swings it is windy. When it is wet it means rain. When it is frozen stiff it means snow. When it is gone…tornado!
Intro
we talk about the chances or odds of something
we are speaking of the likelihood of the unfolding of a future event
Some things are less likely to happen than others
Plane crash
Shark attack
Some things are more likely to happen
Being a victim of a serious crime
Dying in a car accident
Being audited by the IRS
The God factor
When you bring God into a situation, there is no such thing as chance
A virgin birth was against all odds, but with God, nothing is impossible (see Luke 1:26-38)
Many situations in Scripture were against all odds
Lightning from heaven (see 1 Kings 18:36-38)
Hailstones from the sky (see Exodus 9:18-26)
Darkness that covered the land for three hours (see Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44)
God predicted over and over again that He would defy the odds
Layers and layers of details
Odds are exponentially decreased
He can tell the future with detailed accuracy (see Isaiah 41:21-23)
Jesus said fulfilled prophecy will bolster your faith (see John 13:19)
Three basic credentials of Jesus Christ
His impact on history
His physical, bodily resurrection from the dead
Fulfilled prophecy
A Sorrowful Walk (vv. 13-24)
A Sorrowful Walk (vv. 13-24)
The disciples were at a low point
They did not know Jesus had been resurrected
They were venting
Their expectations
They expected a conquering Messiah; they got a crucified Man
They expected a politician; they got a Prophet
They expected the glorious Lion of Judah; they got the humble Lamb of God
They did not recognize Jesus
They were not expecting Him
Many people did not recognize Him
Mary (see John 20:15)
His disciples (see Matthew 14:25-26; Mark 6:49)
Their eyes were restrained
They were kept from recognizing Jesus
They could express honestly their thoughts and feelings about Him
Their disappointment
They talked about Jesus in the past tense
When Jesus died on the cross, their hopes died with Him
Jesus revealed Himself to them not through their sight, but through their ears as they listened to Him talk about Scripture (see Romans 10:17)
A Scriptural Talk (vv. 25-27
A Scriptural Talk (vv. 25-27
Jesus rebuked them, then informed them
"Slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken" (v. 25)
Some people are slow of heart to believe the things of the Scripture
If you are slow to believe God's promises, you will be slow to receive His benefits
The first Bible study Jesus gave after His resurrection was an exposition on biblical prophecy
The prophets foretold
Jesus started at Moses and expounded on all Scriptures about Himself
He would crush Satan (see Genesis 3:15)
He, God's only Son, would be sacrificed, just as Abraham almost sacrificed his only son whom he loved (see Genesis 22:2-18)
First time love is mentioned in Scripture: love of a father sacrificing his son
Same mountain Jesus would be sacrificed on
He would be the perfect Lamb sacrifice (see Exodus 12:1-27)
Practices in Leviticus
Sacrifices
Tabernacles
Festivals
He would be lifted up (see Numbers 21:8-9; John 3:14)
He would die by crucifixion (see Psalm 2; 16; 22)
He would be born of a virgin (see Isaiah 7:14-16)
He would be a Child (see Isaiah 9:6-7)
One-fourth of the Bible is prophecy
Jesus fulfilled
Anyone can make predictions; getting them fulfilled is another story
The more detailed the prophecy, the less probable it will come to pass
There are over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament about Jesus
Just sixteen of those prophecies:
Born of a virgin (see Isaiah 7:14)
Born in Bethlehem (see Micah 5:2)
From the tribe of Judah (see Genesis 49:10)
Begin ministry in Galilee (see Isaiah 9:1-2)
Work miracles (see Isaiah 35:5-6)
Enter Jerusalem on a donkey (see Zechariah 9:9)
Betrayed by a friend (see Psalm 41:39)
Betrayed for thirty pieces of silver (see Zechariah 11:12)
Wounded and bruised (see Isaiah 53:5)
Hands and feet pierced (see Psalm 22:16)
Crucified (see Isaiah 53:12)
Garments torn (Psalm 22:18)
Bones not broken (see Psalm 22:17; 34:20)
Side pierced (see Zechariah 12:10)
Buried in a rich man's tomb (see Isaiah 53:9)
Would rise from the dead (see Psalm 16:8-11)
Some of these are impossible to manage
In his book Science Speaks, Peter Stoner calculated the probability of one man fulfilling the messianic prophecies
Eight fulfilled prophecies: one in 1017
Sixteen fulfilled prophecies: one in 1045
Forty-eight fulfilled prophecies: one in 10157
There is no way to explain the Bible's ability to predict the future unless you see God as the author
We should not be amazed at these fulfilled prophecies, because God is omniscient—all-knowing (see John 5:39)
When the prophets wrote these things, they didn't always know what they were writing (see 1 Peter 1:10-11)
A Satisfied Flock (vv. 28-35)
A Satisfied Flock (vv. 28-35)
Opened eyes
When they arrived at their destination, Jesus acted like He was going to keep going, but the disciples begged Him to stay
Jesus will never force Himself on anyone
He works by invitation only (see Revelation 3:20)
Burning hearts
Their hearts burned when they stopped talking and started listening to what He was saying to them
A new understanding of old things
Jesus didn't tell them anything they didn't know
We do not need a new revelation; we need a new application of the old revelation
Closing
A God who is this detailed and accurate deserves our trust
He can handle our problems and issues