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Welcome to the WellSoul Podcast, where we pause to drink in scripture. Reflect and pray. I am your host, Shauna Scott. And sometimes life leaves our souls feeling parched. So come to the well of living water that never runs dry.
In today's episode, we summarize. where we have been in the story of the gospel. And then listen to three prophecies about the coming of Jesus. It is my hope today that you will rest in confidence that Jesus fulfills prophecies written about him hundreds of years. Before his birth, Jesus is God with us
in our story of the gospel series, we have seen the faithfulness of God. He had grace and mercy on Adam and Eve and provided a way forward for them in life, even though they sinned. And deserved immediate death. He promised to them that one day someone through the woman would crush the serpent's head the announcement of the gospel right here in the middle of the sin.
mess. God proclaimed a promise. We then meditated on God's unconditional promise to Abraham, a covenant that began to fulfill the promise to Adam and Eve. When God promised Abraham that someday through him, all the earth would be blessed, we meditated on God's relationship with Israel and his conditional promise through the law God gave to Moses, that if they followed him, they would be blessed.
If not, they would be cursed. We also saw God's patience and grace with Israel. When they sinned over and over and over, and God continued to restore them after they repented, even though they did suffer consequences for their sin. We then meditated on God's unconditional promise, His covenant to David, further fulfilling His promise to Abraham and to Adam and Eve.
God's promise to David was that through him, a king would come to sit on the throne of David forever, an eternal king and an eternal kingdom. And finally, we meditated on the last major unconditional promise from God given to the prophet Jeremiah during the time of Israel's exile because of their sin.
God said that a time is coming when God would make a better covenant, a better commitment than the law, which required continuous sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin. And this better covenant, God would make a way. to forgive sin and remember sin no more. Friend, God is faithful. God always provides a way to him.
Now prophets foretold clues about how this Better Covenant would come through the Savior, the Messiah. It is here that we meditate on three scriptures from the prophets, Isaiah, Micah, and Hosea, all written more than 400 years before the birth of Jesus. I'm going to read each prophecy two times, let the words soak in before I read.
Take a deep breath and ask the Holy Spirit. To open your heart to God's word,
come Holy Spirit,
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. The Virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and we'll call him a man. You well,
therefore, the Lord himself. will give you a sign. The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel. Micah 5 2. But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.
But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me, one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.
Hosea 11. 1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. What did the Holy Spirit highlight for you? Dwell on this for a moment,
as we will hear in the birth story of Jesus. Starting next week, Mary, a virgin conceived by the Holy Spirit, Isaiah's prophecy was fulfilled, God with us, Emmanuel, Jesus is 100 percent God and 100 percent man, Micah's prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and Hosea's prophecy was fulfilled both when Israel was led out of slavery from Egypt and when Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with the baby Jesus to avoid the slaughter by Herod.
And later. came out of Egypt. You see, we don't follow a mere man who taught good things. We follow the great I am. We follow the one whom prophets foretold was to come to bring salvation. to all who will believe God with us. This is what we celebrate and who we worship at Christmas. Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Now take a moment to reflect and pray. Maybe thank God for the gift of prophecies that build our faith or anything else that is on your heart.
Let's
pray. Father, Son, Holy Spirit, one and only true God, we worship you. Thank you for the gift of prophecies that were written down. Hundreds and hundreds of years before the coming of Jesus that can confirm our confidence that Jesus is whom the Bible says he is. He is God with us. Jesus Christ. Thank you, Lord.
Amen. Thank you for joining me today on the WellSoul podcast for our story of the gospel journey this Christmas. Sign up for our Advent Christmas devotions delivered directly into your email inbox at the link in the show notes. In less than five minutes, you can enjoy a moment with God during this hectic Christmas season.
It is my gift to you for being a well soul listener. Click the link in the show notes to join us. In closing, I remember my late friend, Brian Vasquez, who made this podcast possible. God bless you. And I pray that you have a well soul.