The Branch

Thank you Kieran and Lauren. You know Christmas is about anticipation. Anticipation. Before there's a celebration there is an anticipation of what to celebrate. And so many times we have forgotten that everything surrounding the Messiah was in anticipation of his arrival. We have been going through a devotional book called the Advent Jesse Tree devotional book. The word Advent means coming. A significant title to understand that it's all about the coming of the Messiah. And the Bible is very clear that there is a title for the Messiah and that title is the coming one.

In fact in Luke chapter 7, a passage of scripture we studied many months ago, Luke chapter 7, John the Baptist is in prison and he gathers some of his disciples together and he wants them to go to Jesus and to ask him if he is the coming one. The Bible says in Luke 7 verse number 18, And the disciples of John reported to him about all these things.

And summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, Are you the expected one, or the coming one, or do we look for someone else? And when the men had come to him, they said, John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, Are you the expected one, the coming one, or do we look for someone else? At that very time he cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits. And he granted sight to many who were blind. And he answered and said to them, Go and report to John what you have seen and heard.

The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed. The deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them, and blessed is he who keeps from stumbling over me. In other words, Jesus says it is imperative that you do not stumble over the fact that I am the expected one, the Erechomai, the coming one.

That was the title of the Messiah laid forth in the Old Testament in Psalm 118 verse number 26, where it says, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. He is the coming one. It is also a title that comes from the book of Zechariah, Zechariah chapter 9 verse number 9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you. He is the coming one. In fact, John early in his ministry, John the Baptist early in his ministry would refer to Jesus as the coming one when he said that there is one who is coming after me.

There is one coming. He is the coming one who will arrive after me whose shoes I am not even worthy to tie. He would speak of the Messiah as the coming one, the expected one. Charles Wesley wrote a hymn, a hymn entitled, Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus. In that hymn he said these words, Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free from our fears and sins, release us, let us find our rest in Thee. Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth Thou art, dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.

What Charles Wesley put into a hymn is really a synopsis of the nation of Israel. They were expecting one to come, the coming one. And in his hymn he refers to the Messiah as the desire of every nation. We sang earlier, O come, O come, Emmanuel. In that hymn the Messiah is referred to as the desire of every nation. The reason there was an anticipation of the Messiah the reason there was a longing for the expected one is because he is called the desire of every nation. There was a desire of the people of God to be redeemed from their sin, to be set free from their sin.

There was a desire of the people of God for their Messiah to come, so much so they called him the desire of the nations out of Haggai chapter 2 verses 6 and 7. In Haggai 2 verses 6 and 7 it says this, For thus says the Lord of hosts, once more in a little while I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. The Lord God prophesies concerning how he is going to shake the world. If you read Revelation 6 through Revelation 19 you understand exactly how he is going to shake the heavens, how he is going to shake the world.

And then he says this, And I will shake all the nations, and they will come with the wealth of the nations. Or literally the desire of all the nations will come to them, and his glory will fill my house. So Israel knew there was one coming who was called the desire of the nations. In fact every rabbi translated Haggai 2 verse number 7 that this is a description of Israel's Messiah. The early church fathers followed in the footsteps of the rabbis and translated Haggai 2 verse number 7 as a title for the Messiah.

He is the desire of all the nations. That's why there was this anticipation of the coming one. There was, that's why they lived in always looking for the arrival of the Messiah. In fact it would be Israel who on Passover when Christ would fulfill Zechariah 9, 9 and ride into Jerusalem on a donkey. That the nation of Israel would lay down branches and their garments symbolizing that they were willing to give their lives in subjection to this one who was coming into Jerusalem. And if you read through the gospels you will read that there's a quotation given by the people when they say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

A quotation of Psalm 118 verse number 26. Which is where we get the title the coming one, the expected one. And that's what made the rabbis so upset on this day, on this Passover day when Jesus would ride into Jerusalem and the people would begin to hail him as their king. Hosanna, save now, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. And the reason the rabbis were so upset is because what the nation was doing you don't do at Passover. And that is the laying down the garments and the laying down of the branches.

You do that at the Feast of Tabernacles. And the Feast of Tabernacles is a celebration that anticipates the coming one, the Messiah who will dwell among his people in person. It's a celebration of what the Lord God did for the nation of Israel when they wandered in the wilderness and he provided for them, he protected them. There's a celebration of the anticipation of the day the Messiah will arrive and tabernacle among them and protect them and preserve them and watch over them. And so what the people were doing on this Passover when Christ fulfilled Zechariah 9, 9 by coming into Jerusalem, they were celebrating him as the coming one, the Messiah.

And they would lay down the branches and they would lay down their garments because they were willing to subject themselves to him. That's what made the rabbis so upset. Teacher, tell your disciples to stop saying and doing what they're doing because they knew the people recognized Jesus as the expected one, the coming one. The title, the Old Testament would give to the Messiah. So crucial for us to realize that what we're doing as we go through the Advent Jesse Tree is a celebration of the one who is coming, the Messiah.

The question is why is it Israel ended up not celebrating the arrival of the coming one? Why is it John the Baptist would ask after he had already proclaimed that Jesus is that coming one, he would then go back and ask why is or are you, Jesus, the expected one? Why would he send his disciples to Jesus because he's in prison to ask him that question? What would cause people not to expect Jesus as the coming one? And that's what our topic is about today. I will get to the branch in a moment. But you need to understand.

You see, Jesus says something very significant in Luke chapter 24. When he had risen from the dead and he was walking on the road to Emmaus with two disciples and they were depressed over the fact that Jesus had died. They didn't know what to do. Not recognizing Jesus, he would walk with them and talk with them and he said these words, O foolish man and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken. The key word is all. They believed in some of what the prophets had spoken. Their problem was that they did not believe in all that the prophets had spoken.

See, that's a problem with most people today. They want to believe certain parts of the Bible. They just don't want to believe all the Bible. We want to pick and choose what we believe. You can't do that. You have to believe all that the Bible says.

And so there were certain parts of the Old Testament that they were excited about when it came to the Messiah. There were other parts that they were not so ready to believe. And Jesus says, you're foolish, you're slow of heart, because you don't believe all that the prophets have said concerning the Messiah.

You see, you must believe what the Bible says about the Messiah in order to be saved. You must believe that. That's why Jesus asked the question in Luke chapter 9, who do men say that I am? Well, some say you're Jeremiah, some say you're one of the prophets, some say you're Elijah. In other words, they say you're really, really great. But nobody's saying you're God. Jesus says, but who do you say that I am?

And Peter said in Luke's account in Luke 9, you are God's Messiah, which is a direct quotation from Psalm 2, which says these words, Psalm 2, verse number 1, why are the nations in an uproar, and the peoples devised in a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Messiah, His anointed. In other words, Peter says you are the fulfillment of Psalm 2, the Messianic Psalm. You are God's Messiah. You see, Christ wanted His men to believe all that the prophets said concerning the Messiah.

The Bible says in John chapter 21, verses 30 and 31, or John 20, 30 and 31, these things are, excuse me, many other miracles did Jesus do that are not written in this book, but these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah.

And that believing, you might have life in His name. Life comes to those who believe that Jesus is God's Messiah. In order to believe that Jesus is God's Messiah, you must believe all that the prophets said concerning Jesus, the Messiah. That's so important. So what is it that was said about, in the Old Testament, about the coming one? How would we understand that Jesus was the expected one, the coming one? Because that's a title given in the Old Testament about the Messiah. They lived in anticipation of the one who was coming.

Because the one who would come would be their ruler. He would be their king. So who is this coming one? And let me briefly take you through the Old Testament to help you understand that, to lead you to our text today in Isaiah chapter 11 that will help you understand why they didn't accept the one who came.

If you go all the way back to Genesis chapter 3, you begin to understand that the coming one was first described as a seed, the seed that would crush the serpent's head.

Genesis 3, verse number 15. If you read Galatians chapter 3, verse number 16, Romans chapter 1, verses 3 and 4, Hebrews chapter 2, verse number 14, you know that Jesus is that seed that crushed the serpent's head on Calvary. So in order to believe all that the prophets said, you must go all the way back to Genesis chapter 3, verse number 15 to realize that the Messiah will come. He is called the seed who will crush the serpent's head. And Jesus is that seed. You go from Genesis chapter 3 to Genesis chapter 22 to realize that not only is the coming one the seed of Genesis 3, he is the substitute of Genesis 22.

He is the substitute of Genesis 22. Remember on Mount Moriah there was Abraham who went to sacrifice his only son, the son that he loved. And there the angel of the Lord would stop him and there Abraham rejoiced to see the day of the Messiah and told his son Isaac that God will provide himself as land. And therefore we begin to understand that Genesis chapter 22 shows us that the coming one is that substitute. Genesis 3 says he's the seed. Genesis chapter 28 tells us that he is the staircase as we talked about last week.

Remember Jacob's ladder, that staircase that would descend from heaven to earth and that in John 1, 51 we know that Jesus says to Nathanael that you will see the Son of Man ascending and our angels descending and ascending on the Son of Man.

To show us that that is the gate to heaven as Jacob saw the doorway to heaven on that day in Genesis chapter 28. So to believe all that the prophet said you must go back to the Old Testament and realize that the coming one is the seed of Genesis 3. He is the substitute of Genesis 22. He is the staircase of Genesis 28. And he is the Shiloh of Genesis 49. For when Jacob blessed his sons he looked to Judah he said and the scepter shall not depart from Judah until Shiloh comes. That was a prophecy given to Judah.

By the way Mary and Joseph are from the tribe of Judah. Bethlehem is located in Judah. And the translation of Shiloh is simply this. The one to whom it belongs. The one to whom what belongs? The scepter. The scepter shall not depart from Judah until the one to whom it belongs arrives. The coming one comes. Interesting to note that as you read through history in 87 the scepter departed from Judah. So whoever the Messiah is had to arrive before 87. Because there Israel was no longer had the right to the scepter.

That's why they were unable to crucify and to murder the Messiah. The scepter had departed from Judah. So whoever the Messiah is had to come sometime before 87. And that was Jesus Christ our Lord. And so the Bible says that the coming one is described as a seed in Genesis chapter 3.

The coming one in Genesis chapter 3 is described as the substitute in Genesis chapter 22. The staircase in Genesis chapter 28. And Shiloh in Genesis chapter 49. Because you see it's all about the arrival of the one who is to come. And the one who is to come is not here yet. But this is how you know he's coming. He's coming because he's the seed. He's coming because he's Shiloh. He's coming because he's the staircase. He's coming because he is the substitute. Good you're paying attention. But number 5.

The one who is coming is described in Numbers 24 as a star. Every rabbi will tell you that Numbers 24 verses 17 to 19 describe for you a title for the Messiah. That's why on the flag of Israel there is a star of David. Because the Messiah is described as a star in Numbers 24 verse 17 which says the star shall rise out of Jacob. And we know, we know from the Bible in Revelation 22 that Christ is called the bright morning star. We know that Zacharias in Luke chapter 1 verse 17 speaking to his son John the Baptist as he held him in his hands that the sun rise from on high shall rise with healing in his wings.

Speaking of the Messiah and we know from Luke chapter 2 that the glory of the Lord shone all around those shepherds outside of Bethlehem. And the glory of the Lord is the presence of God manifested in light. Jesus said he is the light of the world. And we know that there was a star that led the Magi for 2 years to the house of Jesus. Because the Messiah is described as a star. There's a star that is coming. There's a seed that is coming. There is a substitute that's coming. There's going to be a staircase that's coming.

A son of man will descend to this earth. Shiloh he is the one to whom it belongs. What? The scepter. He's coming. See that? So there's a reason why Psalm 118 says blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. There's a reason why the Messiah is described as the expected one. Because there's one who is coming who is the seed, who is the substitute, who is the star, who is as Deuteronomy says the seer, the prophet. There will be a prophet that comes Moses says that's greater than me, a seer, a prophet who's going to arrive.

And many times in the New Testament they call Jesus a prophet. They just didn't call him the prophet. Big difference. He's much more than a prophet. He is a prophet. He is the prophet. The prophet, the priest, the king. He is all those things. But Deuteronomy chapter 18 would describe for us that there was one called the prophet. In Peter in Acts chapter 3 verses 19 to 26 and Acts 7 verse number 37 says that Jesus is that prophet that Moses spoke of in the book of Deuteronomy. So who is the coming one?

See if you're going to believe all that the prophet said about the one who is coming you must believe that he is the seed of Genesis 3 verse number 15. You must believe that he is the substitute of Genesis 22. You must believe that he is the staircase in Genesis 28. You must believe that he is Shiloh in Genesis 49 and 10. You must believe he is the star in Numbers 24, 17 to 18. You must believe he is the seer of Deuteronomy 18, 15 to 18. You must believe that he is the son of David of Psalm 89 and Psalm 110.

He is the son of David. In Matthew 1 you understand the genealogy of Christ. That he truly is the son of David. Psalm 110 verse number 1, the messianic psalm, a psalm that Christ would quote to the rabbis right before his death. It would be the last question that Jesus would ask the people because he wanted them to understand who son is David. Who is the son of David? He is the Messiah. That's who the son of David is. And in Psalm 89 and Psalm 110 he is described as that son. And isn't it interesting that the Bible says in Malachi chapter 3 verse number 1 that the messenger will come before the Messiah and the Messiah, listen carefully, will come suddenly.

So Malachi 3 verse 1 speaks of a sudden coming of the Messiah. A sudden coming of the Messiah. And so Malachi prophesied concerning, listen carefully, the second temple.

So whoever the Messiah is had to come during the second temple. And had to come suddenly to that temple. And we know that he did at his dedication in Luke chapter 2. We know that he did later in Luke chapter 2 at age 12 at his declaration about he must be about his father's business. And we know that he came in John chapter 2 suddenly when he cleansed the temple. So we know that the Messiah suddenly appeared at the temple at his dedication, at his declaration, and at his denunciation of the Pharisees and their hypocritical system.

Interesting that that temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. So no Messiah could arrive suddenly at a temple that doesn't exist. Right? And if he did, claiming to be the Messiah, there would be no records to check if he was from the line of David or not. You can bet that every rabbi, when Jesus claimed to be the son of David, marched right down to the temple to check out the genealogy to make sure that Jesus was a direct descendant of David. And by the way, there was never one time in the ministry of Christ that everyone or anyone posed the argument, Jesus, you are not a descendant of David, because he was.

See that? So in the last 1923 years, nobody could have been the Messiah, because nobody could come suddenly to the temple. But Jesus did. So if you're going to believe all that the prophets said about the one who's coming, you must believe. He is the son of David in Psalm 89, the seer of Deuteronomy 18, the star of Numbers 24, the Shiloh of Genesis 49, the staircase of Genesis 28, the substitute of Genesis 22, the seed of Genesis chapter 22. You must also believe that he is a stone the builders rejected in Psalm 118.

The stone the builders rejected in Psalm 118, verse number 22, in Isaiah chapter 8, verse number 14. We know that Jesus is that stone, 1 Peter 2, verse number 6, 1 Corinthians 10, verse number 4, that Jesus is that rock, that rock of redemption, that rock of refuge. Jesus is that stone the builders rejected. Isaiah 41, verse number 14, Isaiah 43, verse number 3, 11, and 25, all talk about the Messiah being the Savior. There's only one Savior, and that's Jesus Christ the Messiah. He is the Savior.

So to believe all that the prophets said, you must believe what the prophet Isaiah said as he described the Messiah as a Savior. And when you read Luke chapter 2, it says that for you to stay in the city of David, there's been born a Savior who is Christ the Messiah, who is the Lord, and Jesus is that Savior. Over in Isaiah 48, verse number 17, you must believe that Jesus or the Messiah is the separate one, that is the holy one. The word hagios means to be separate, means to be distinct, and the Messiah is that separate one, completely distinct from anyone else.

And if you read the New Testament in Acts chapter 3, verse number 14, it was Peter who said, and you disowned the separate one, the holy one, and asked for a murderer. In Isaiah 49, Isaiah 52, the Messiah is called the servant of the Lord, the servant of the Lord. In Philippians chapter 2, we know that our Lord took on the form of a servant and dwelt among us. In Isaiah 53, he is that sinless sacrifice. And we know from 1 Peter's account and all through the gospels that Christ is that sinless sacrifice.

In Ezekiel chapter 34, Zechariah 13, verse number 7, the Messiah is called the shepherd. Jesus declared in John 10 that he was the good shepherd. In Daniel 2, verse 44, in Daniel 7, verse 14, he is the sovereign king, the sovereign ruler of the world. And we know from Luke chapter 1, verses 32 to 35, that when Mary rejoiced, she rejoiced that she had in her womb the sovereign ruler of the world. In Daniel 7, verse 13, he is called the son of man. 82 times in the gospels, Christ referred to himself as the son of man.

In Malachi 4, verse number 2, he is called the son, s-u-n, of righteousness, who will rise with healing in his wings. And we've already described to you that Zechariah has called him that sunrise. And he is called in Revelation 22, that bright and morning star. He is the one who shines because he is the light of the world. He is the son, s-u-n, of righteousness. In Isaiah 9, verse number 6, he is called the son of God. Isaiah 9, verse number 6, the son of God. The child will be born, but the son will be given.

And that son has a title called El Gabor, the mighty God. He is the son of God. And in John 8, verse number 24, Christ declared that he was the son of God. In order to believe all the prophets said about the coming one, you must believe that he is all that and more. But you must also believe that he's not only the seed, he's not only the substitute, the staircase, Shiloh, star, seer, son of David, son of man. Shepherd, son of righteousness, servant of the Lord. You must also believe that he is the sprout or the shoot that will stem from the root of Jesse, Isaiah 11.

And now we come to our symbol for today, Isaiah chapter 11. If you have your Bible, turn there with me, if you would, please. We have five minutes left. That's okay, it won't take me that long. Isaiah chapter 11, verse number 1, then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. And the spirit of the Lord will rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Over in the book of Jeremiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah chapter 23, it says this, Isaiah, yeah, Isaiah, excuse me, Jeremiah 23, verse number 5.

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord. Speaking again of the coming day of the Messiah. When I shall raise up for David a righteous branch and he will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In his days, Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell securely. And this is his name by which he will be called the Lord our righteousness. In other words, the branch is the Lord of righteousness. And every Jewish rabbi will tell you that the branch or the sprout or the shoot is a name for the coming Messiah that will rule over Israel.

Now, the Bible says in Isaiah 11 that that branch will have the spirit of the Lord rest upon him. That's why at the baptism of Jesus, those who were present, including John the Baptist, were able to see the spirit of God descend upon Jesus the Messiah. Because the prophecy was that the one who comes in the name of the Lord, the Messiah, the coming one, the branch, will have the spirit of God rest upon him. How would people know that the spirit of God was upon Jesus unless they were able to see something visibly?

And the spirit of God would descend from heaven and there would be a voice from heaven, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. So the voice would confirm the descent of the spirit upon the Messiah who was coming. So, when Jesus would go to the synagogue in Luke chapter 4 and they would ask, the attendant would give him the book to read. And it was the reading of the day because they had assigned readings throughout the year. And the assigned reading of the day was Isaiah 61, which says, and the spirit of the Lord is upon me.

So when Jesus gets up to read Isaiah 61 verses 1 and 2, he reads the very fact that the spirit of God is upon him. In Luke chapter 4, he talks about how he came to preach the gospel to the blind, to the broken hearted, to the bound, and to set the captives free. And on that day in Nazareth, Jesus said, today this is fulfilled in your ears. Every other rabbi said, one day the one who is coming will fulfill this. Jesus said, the coming one has arrived. And because he's already arrived and the spirit of God has already descended upon him, today this has been fulfilled in your ears.

You have seen the fulfillment of the coming one. Now, you must understand that Jesus, the branch, a name that every Jewish rabbi would tell you is a title of the Messiah. In Hebrew, it's the Netzir. And Jesus himself was from the village of the branch, Nazareth. When you drive into Nazareth today, it talks, there's a sign that says, the village or the city of the branch. Isn't it interesting that in Matthew's account, in Matthew chapter 2, it says these words. As the Lord God was speaking to Joseph, and being warned by God in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee.

This is Joseph and Mary with Jesus. And came and resided in a city called Nazareth. That what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, he shall be called a Nazarene. Now, if you were to read the Old Testament and memorize every verse in the Old Testament, you would never find that phrase recorded. It says, and they resided in the city, Nazareth, that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled. Well, if it's not in the Old Testament, how can it be fulfilled? And why is it in quotes?

He shall be called a Nazarene. If you read the Old Testament, that phrase is never there. But listen carefully. It was spoken by the prophets. Even though it wasn't recorded there. How do we know that? Because Matthew recorded it there. That's why. Remember in Jude 14, it says these words, And Enoch, also the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these sayings, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints. Do you know that that was never recorded anywhere in the Old Testament? So how do we know Enoch said that?

Jude tells us he said it. Under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, Jude tells us what Enoch preached when he was a preacher of righteousness. Matthew, under the inspiration of Scripture, tells us what the prophets of old said about the arrival of the Messiah. He shall be called a Nazarene. Now listen carefully. Those from Nazareth were people who were despised and people who were rejected. And we know that Psalm 22, Isaiah chapter 53, Psalm 69 tell us that the Messiah would be despised and rejected.

And although that phrase, and he shall be called a Nazarene, is nowhere recorded in the Old Testament, it is a fact that the prophets of old said that Jesus the Messiah, or the Messiah the branch, shall be called a Nazarene. Because he would be despised and he would be rejected. It's no coincidence that the branch, the Nazir, would be from the village of the branch. Because that's how God himself designed it. Jesus was never called Jesus of Bethlehem, but he was born in Bethlehem. Why is he called Jesus of Bethlehem?

Because the prophets of old prophesied he'd be called a Nazarene. That's why they went back to Nazareth. To fulfill what was spoken by the prophets of old. If he was called Jesus of Bethlehem, he would be given a title of royalty. Because Bethlehem is a city of kings. Jesse was a Bethlehemite. So his father was a Bethlehemite, but Jesus is not called Jesus the Bethlehemite. He's called Jesus from Nazareth. Jesus the Nazarene. He was always called that. Even the demons said, what do we have to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth?

That's what he was called. Why was he called that? Because he was born in Nazareth? No, he wasn't born in Nazareth. Because his parents were from Nazareth? No. He was called that because the prophets of old prophesied he shall be called a Nazarene. Why? Because the Messiah, the coming one, will be despised and rejected by man. And sure enough, he was. You see, the coming of the Messiah is all about the arrival of the coming one who would be rejected and despised. This one who was called the Branch had the Spirit of God descend upon him.

People witnessed it. John the Baptist saw it. They heard the voice from heaven. When Jesus got to speak in Luke chapter 4, he spoke and said, today this has been fulfilled in your hearing. And it was on that day in Nazareth, the place he was from, where the people wanted to kill him and throw him off a cliff because it was the fulfillment of the coming one. And that's why it's so important to believe all that the prophets have said concerning the Messiah. You can't just believe bits and pieces about the Bible or the part you like about the Bible.

You've got to believe it all. And John the Baptist wanted to know, are you the coming one? Because if you are, why am I in prison? Remember when Jesus quoted Isaiah 61 verses 1 and 2, he stopped with the year of Jubilee. Or the year of my redemption. He didn't go on to speak about the day of vengeance because it wasn't time for the day of vengeance. Oh, there will be a day of vengeance, but now wasn't the time. And you can imagine some of the people in the synagogue that day saying, why didn't he finish verse number 2?

Why did he stop with the fact that this was the year of my redeemed? Why was this the year in which Christ would redeem his men? Because that was the time of his arrival. He came as a substitute. He came as a savior. He came as the promised seed. He came as Shiloh. He came as a servant of the Lord. As son of David, son of man, seed. He came as the sprout from the stem of Jesse. He came to save. One day, though, he will come again. And he will come to kill. Because that which was prophesied by the prophets will be fulfilled.

And that's why Psalm 2 as we read earlier states very clearly these words. Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed. Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us. He who sits in the heavens laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. Then he will speak to them in his anger and terrify them in his fury. But as for me, I have installed my king upon Zion, my holy hill.

Now where do the kings take their counsel? Where do the rulers of the earth stand? They stand in a very significant spot. In the Jezreel valley. The valley of Megiddo. They will gather together and take their counsel. And the Bible says in Revelation chapter 16 that the kings of the east will gather together in the valley called Armageddon.

On the northern part, the northern slope of that valley lies a village. The village of Nazareth. The village that oversees and overlooks the Jezreel valley. And Psalm 2 is spoken about that coming judgment. And the Lord scoffs at them. It's almost as if the Lord wanted to make sure that the branch, his Messiah, lived in a city that would overlook the valley where all those who have rejected him for years would gather together against him. Against God's Messiah. And they won't win because they can't win.

But it was prophesied that the branch, the sprout from the village of the branch would be despised and rejected. Even in his own title, it's a title of derision. It's a title that signifies what the people would do to him. They'd reject him. And why did they reject him? It's simply because they refused to believe all that the Bible says about him.

How about you? Do you believe all that the Bible says about the coming Messiah of Israel? It's not enough just to believe some of those things. You must believe it all in order to be saved. You say, well, I don't know it all. That's irrelevant. You don't have to know it all. You just got to believe all that you know, right? All that's spoken. And as the Word of God is unveiled before you, you say, oh, I believe that. I believe that. Oh, yeah, I believe that. Why do you believe that? Because the Bible says so.

Just because the Bible says so, I believe it. And that's enough. So this day, when you gather your children together, you talk about the sprout that will stem from the root of Jesse. You explain to them that in that name, the Netzir, there's a name that describes the rejection of the people of God. Even though the Spirit of the Lord will descend upon him, and he is the Messiah, it was all a part of the plan of God for his son to be rejected by man. And they crucified him. And yet you tell them that this one who was rejected is their Redeemer.

And they need to be redeemed by his blood. Explain to them how important it is to believe all that the prophets have said about the coming one, the expected Messiah. And all these people who lived in anticipation of the arrival of the Messiah. It's like opening a gift, anticipating Christmas. The great gift. Opening the gift and looking at it and saying, that's not what I wanted. That's what they did with Jesus. They anticipated the arrival of the Messiah and they opened the gift. They unwrapped the child in swaddling clothes.

They said, that's not what we expected. That's not what we wanted. Take him back. Give us another Messiah. Give us another king. And they even said, we will not have that king rule over us. Because that's not the king they wanted. And why didn't they want that king? Because that king demanded their allegiance. That king demanded their submission. That king demanded their all and they weren't willing to give that. And that's what the king demands. He demands it all. Because that's the Messiah. That's the expected one, the coming one, the branch who died for your sins and mine.

Let's pray. Father, we thank you for today. And we thank you for your word that so explicitly states your coming. And I pray that those here today would believe all the prophets said about the arrival of the Messiah. And no man, no child would leave not believing that Jesus Christ is that branch. He is that seed. He is that sprout. He is that shepherd. He is that servant. He is that Shiloh. He is that substitute. He is that son of David, son of man, son of God, son of righteousness. He is your Savior.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.