Introduction: How did you enjoy our studies the last few
weeks on the witnesses to Jesus being God? This week we have
a new and powerful witness, the Old Testament of the Bible.
What better proof that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the
God who came to earth, then the ancient prophecies? The fact
that the prophecies are ancient is not the important point.
Rather, our belief that God inspired the entire Bible is the
point. This witness, therefore, is God! Let’s dive in and
examine how Jesus fulfills the ancient prophecies!
I. Eyes Wide Open
A. Read John 5:37-39. What does Jesus suggest is the
level of Biblical understanding of His audience?
(Jesus says they are Biblical illiterates (“you do
not have His word abiding in you”), and thus do not
recognize Him as the Messiah.)
1. Do you think the audience would agree that
they are Biblically illiterate? (They would
strongly disagree. The Pharisees memorized the
Torah.)
2. If it is not factually true that the Jewish
leaders were Biblically illiterate, what is
Jesus saying? (He says they are not paying
attention. They are not open to understanding
that the Old Testament “bear[s] witness to
Me.”)
B. Look again at John 5:39. What is the reason the
Jews studied the Scriptures? (They thought they
were the roadmap to eternal life.)
1. So what went wrong? They were literate, yet
they could not understand. Why?
C. Read John 5:40. What is the reason Jesus says they
cannot understand the Scriptures? (“You refuse to
come to Me.”)
1. What do you think that means? (It means that
they let prejudice, preconceived ideas, or
some other misunderstanding bar them from
seeing the truth of the Scriptures. Let’s not
be like them. Let’s look today at the
Scriptures with our eyes wide open.)
D. Read John 8:17-19 and John 8:23. Jesus tells the
Jewish leaders that if they properly understood Him
and His Father they would recognize who Jesus is.
What other reason does Jesus give for their failure
to recognize Him? (They are not listening to the
two witnesses – God the Father and Jesus. The
reason they are not listening is that they are
focused on the world. He cannot simply be saying
that they live on earth and He came from heaven,
otherwise no human would ever understand.)
1. Why do they ask, “Where is your Father?” (They
are insulting Jesus over the question of His
paternity. That is further proof they are “of
this world.”)
II. Lifted Up
A. Read John 3:14-15. Do you know to what Jesus is
referring?
B. Read Numbers 21:4-5. This is the trip God’s people
made from their position of slavery in Egypt to the
land promised to them through Abraham. How valid is
their complaint about food and water? (They had
food provided by God, but they apparently did not
like it. If they had no water, they would be dead.)
1. Are the people lying? (I think so. There may
not have been “food and water” in that
wilderness, but God had been providing food
and water to them. They could not honestly say
they were on the brink of death.)
C. Read Numbers 21:6-7. Does this make you think that
God is the same in the Old and New Testaments? Ask
the classic, “What would Jesus do?”
1. Do you think that the attack by snakes is a
coincidence? (I do not. Satan is the serpent
of Eden, the father of lies. John 8:44. The
people were lying about God, they were
distracted by their rebellion and complaints,
and the snakes that lived in that area
attacked them.)
D. Read Numbers 21:8-9. Why, of all things, would God
make looking at the image of a snake the path to
healing? (The snake represented sin.)
1. Is this story a witness to Jesus as our
Messiah? (Absolutely. Jesus became sin for us
(2 Corinthians 5:21), He bore our sins. When
He was lifted up on the cross, He died on our
behalf (Romans 5:8). When we understand this
and accept Jesus as our substitute, we are
saved from the “bite” of sin.)
III. Three Days
A. Read John 2:14-16. Does this sound like the God we
have been reading about? (This sounds like the
snake story we just read.)
B. Read John 2:17 and Psalms 69:9. What is going
through the mind of the disciples? (They are
thinking that this is a fulfillment of an Old
Testament saying.)
C. Read John 2:18-20 and 1 Kings 8:12-13. The Jewish
leaders think that Jesus is referring to an actual
destruction and rebuilding of the temple building.
To what is Jesus referring?
1. If you answered, “His body,” does that reflect
an Old Testament concept? (Yes. The temple was
the place where God dwelt to be among His
people. It is no coincidence that Jesus
compares Himself to the temple, because He was
God. He dwelt in Himself.)
IV. Bones
A. Read John 19:31-33 and John 19:36. What is the Old
Testament prophecy that predicted Jesus’ bones
would not be broken? (Read John 1:29 and then read
Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12. This shows us that
Jesus fulfilled the conditions of being the
Passover lamb, the lamb that caused the destroyer
to turn away. See Exodus 12:21-23.)
B. Read John 19:34, John 19:37, and Psalms 22:16-17.
What is the Old Testament prediction fulfilled
here? (That Jesus would be “pierced.” This happens
with His hands, feet, and side. But no bones are
broken.)
C. Read John 19:23-24 and Psalms 22:18. Why would the
Old Testament predict such a small detail of Jesus’
crucifixion? (These details are important.
Christians do not make only general claims that the
Old Testament predicted Jesus’ crucifixion, they
point to very specific details.)
V. Praises and Donkeys
A. Read Zechariah 9:9 and Psalms 118:25-26. What would
you expect of the Messiah if you were a student of
the Old Testament? (Read John 12:12-15. Jesus also
fulfills these prophecies.)
B. Let’s continue with the prophecy of Zechariah and
read Zechariah 9:10. When did this take place? (It
has not. This is one of the difficult issues that
we must honestly face. The Jewish leaders and
Jesus’ disciples had a prophetic basis to believe
that Jesus would cast off both the Roman and Jewish
overlords and bring peace to the earth.)
1. How do you explain this failed prophecy? Or is
it not a failed prophecy? (Continue by reading
Zechariah 9:14-16. Many Christians believe
that the “power” prophecies about Jesus, as
opposed to the suffering lamb prophecies, deal
with a different event. That event is the
Second Coming of Jesus which is a power
event.)
2. This week I listened to one of the most
prominent preachers in my denomination. He
said we don’t believe that Israel has any
importance anymore. If Israel no longer has
any importance to future events, does that
mean this is a failed prophecy?
C. Read Romans 11:11-12 which speaks of Israel’s “full
inclusion,” and Romans 11:17-18 and Romans 11:24.
Does it seem to you that Israel and its people will
play no part in last day events?
D. Read Romans 11:25-29. What does it mean that “the
gifts and calling” of God are “irrevocable?” (I
seriously doubt that Israel is no longer important.
I do not think that the “power” prophecies of the
Old Testament failed. Most important, when I was
part of a discussion this past week about the
future, I cautioned against pride of opinion and
suggested that humility was best because the
experts of Jesus day ended up being “illiterates”
when it came to understanding the prophecies.)
E. Friend, I hope that after this study your
confidence that Jesus is the Messiah is
strengthened by the witness of the Old Testament
prophecies and events. At the same time, since
Jesus points out that the theological experts of
the day did not understand His arrival, I suggest
humility in our understanding about the fulfillment
of the prophecies about Jesus’ Second Coming.
Instead “stay awake for you do not know on what day
your Lord is coming.” Matthew 24:42. Will you
determine, right now, to be humble and alert?
VI. Next week: The Source of Life.
Copr. 2024, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are
from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within
parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail,
but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this
link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the
Holy Spirit as you study.
