highlights of redemptive history. One of the greatest means of blessing to me as a teenager was to go through the scriptures and see the prophetic statements that are made in the Old Testament and examine their fulfillment in the person of Christ. What a blessing it was. And when we study redemptive history as we've been doing We find that the focal point of all of the promises of God is the person and work of our Lord Jesus, whether it relates to his first coming or to the consummation of his first coming, that is his second coming. And we find that he is the focal point of redemptive history. We find also that redemptive history has its source in the Garden of Eden. When sin entered the world, God made a pronouncement to Satan, to the serpent. Genesis three-fifteen. God declared war. And the warfare is between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed. He shall crush your head or bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel. And we find that As God reveals redemptive history in various stages through the Old Testament scriptures, we find it is all in fulfillment of what God said to Satan. All of it. So tonight, having studied previously that promise in Genesis three, fifteen, and then we followed through the Old Testament, we went over to Genesis chapter nine. And Saha, God calls himself the God of Shem. He picks out an individual, and it is revealed that from the loins of Shem, the Redeemer is coming. And from the loins of Shem came a man by the name of Abram, whose name God changed to Abraham. And God made promises to him, and the promise to Abraham, with whom he made a covenant in Genesis fifteen, was that through him, Blessing would come to all the world. And in particular reference to that, I like Galatians chapter three and verse thirteen, where it says, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us as it is written. Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree. And then we have another connective, that. Verse fourteen, that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. And the result of the gracious work of Christ, according to John chapter seven, is the work of the Spirit of God, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the lives of his people. And that's the fulfillment really of the promise that God made to Abraham, that his blessing would be to all the world. and his blessing is given to us who are Gentiles. It has come upon us. Then last time, when we were together a few weeks ago, we noticed how God stepped outside the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in order to introduce the prophetic office to a man by the name of Moses. And Moses made the promise in Deuteronomy Chapter fifteen. That the Lord God is going to raise up a prophet. Verse eighteen. Unto whom men will listen. And we see in the Mount of Transfiguration God the Father says, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him. Hear him. Therefore we find that the promise in redemptive history is is great, it is varied, and it gives us a revelation of the infinite wisdom of our great God. Tonight, we want to return to the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through Judah, and we want to look at the king and the promise concerning a king. We turn to Second Samuel, chapter seven, and we want to read this chapter, and then we want to read two portions from the New Testament as well. Second Samuel seven is one of the chapters that every child of God should be familiar with and it should be before us continuously for in Second Samuel chapter seven we notice the blessings of God in answering prayer we notice also how God can take a no and turn it into a bigger yes than we could ever imagine. There's so much in Second Samuel seven, but we're only going to focus on redemptive history. Notice verse one, and it came to pass when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies, that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now. I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains. And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart, for the Lord is with thee. And it came to pass that night that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the Lord, Shall thou build me a house for me to dwell in? Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day. but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. In all the places wherein I have walked, with all the children of Israel, speak I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me and hath of Cedar? Now therefore, so shall thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcoat, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel. And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth. Moreover, I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more. Neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more as before time. And as since the time that I commanded the judges to be over my people, Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies, also the Lord telleth thee that he will make thee a house. And when thy day shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed. out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with a rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men. But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul. Whom I put away from thee. Whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee. Thy throne shall be established forever. According to all these words and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David. Then went the king in and sat before the Lord. And he said, Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house? that thou hast brought me hitherto. And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord God. But thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord God? And what can David say more unto thee? For thou Lord knowest thy servant. For thy words sake, and according to thine own heart, Hath thou done all these great things to make thy servant know them? Wherefore, thou art great, O Lord God, for there is none like thee. Neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name? and to do for you great things and terrible for thy land before thy people which thou redeemest to thee from Egypt from the nations and their gods. For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people, Israel, to be a people unto thee forever, and thou Lord art become their God. And now, O Lord God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house, Establish it forever, and do as thou hast said, and let thy name be magnified forever, saying, The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel, and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee. For thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servants, saying, I will build thee in house. Therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. And now, O Lord God, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant. Therefore now, let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue forever before thee. For thou, O Lord God, has spoken it, and with thy blessing, let the house of thy servant be blessed forever. Matthew chapter one. Verse one. The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac. And Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judas and his brethren. And Judas begot Pharaoh and Zerah of Tamar. Verse five. And Solomon begot Boaz of Rehab. And Boaz begot Obed of Ruth. And Obed begot Jesse. And Jesse begot David the king. And David the king begot Solomon. of her that had been the wife of Uriahs. When we come down to verse sixteen, and Jacob begets Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called the Christ. The Gospel by Luke chapter one. Verse thirty. And the angel said unto her, Fear not Mary. for thou hast found favor with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the son of the highest. And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end. May the Lord bless. the reading of his word. Let's pray. God our Father, enable us to exalt our Lord Jesus Christ as the king, as the prophet, as the priest, the great high priest of his people. Grant our God, we'll have special insight to exalt him tonight, for we pray in the name and for the sake of him, our Lord Jesus, who loved us and gave himself for us. Amen. The promise of God in Second Samuel seven is the fulfillment of Genesis chapter three and verse fifteen. For the promises that God makes to Abraham or to David in Second Samuel seven, you'll find that little word seed. That little word appears in Genesis three fifteen. I will put enmity between thee and a woman between thy seed and her seed. We find that in the promises made to Abraham, thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven, Genesis chapter fifteen. And it's again reiterated to David. Growing out of that promise in Second Samuel seven is the anticipation of a Davidic king who will rule over Israel. The hope that is presented by Israel's prophets anticipate the king in righteousness, in judgment, and peace in the whole world. Let me quote that well-known passage from Isaiah nine that we find on Christmas cards. For unto us a child is born. Unto us the Son is given. And the government shall be upon his shoulder. And his name shall be called wonderful. Counselor the mighty God. the everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. And of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end. Oh, what a passage. What a passage. And then, of course, Isaiah chapter eleven, where we read concerning that God's going to bring forth a branch out of the stump of Jesse, out of the stock of Jesse, and he's going to bring peace to the earth. This hope is fulfilled in Christ. who ushered in, beloved, the New Covenant, wherein he abides with his people. And in the New Covenant, which was inaugurated the night our Lord took the cup, and he inaugurated the Lord's Supper. In the cup, he said, this cup is the New Covenant in my blood. And when we get over to Hebrews chapter eight and Hebrews chapter ten, We find the fulfillment of Jeremiah chapter thirty-one, where the new covenant is predicted. And in that passage we read their sins and their iniquities, will I remember no more. Christ dwelling with his people. And you'll find that in this passage we read from Second Samuel seven, the Lord Jesus speaks of walking with his people in all earthly journeys. and that he's going to dwell with these people as their king in the fulfillment of the promise that he makes to David. Now, these blessed prophetic statements of the prophets are treated by Christ and the New Testament writers as being related to the person and work of our Lord Jesus. Remember what our Lord said in John five, verse thirty nine. He said, you search the Scriptures, and in them you think you have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me. Our Lord says, the Old Testament Scriptures testify of me. Now, in the New Testament, and we read from Matthew chapter one and Luke chapter one, we see the pattern of the Old Testament Scriptures continuing. It is not only in the New Testament that Christ came and He's present, but the New Testament declares unto us He is coming again. And in the coming of our Lord, we see the fulfillment and the consummation of all that began when He came in the fullness of time the first time. Now it's interesting how the New Testament begins. And if you miss this, and if you fail to see this, you miss a lot of the Bible. The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. What is he doing? What is he doing in that verse? He's showing us that two great covenants of the Old Testament, and they were both unconditional covenants. It wasn't up to man to help God out in fulfilling them. The Abrahamic covenant was a covenant of redemption, a promise in that covenant that all the nations of the world will be blessed in Abraham, Genesis fifteen. And then, of course, the covenant in Second Samuel chapter seven, an unconditional covenant made with David. There are no conditions. to the Davidic covenant. So what do we have? We have the kingship and we have the redemption that are joined in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, this is quite interesting. Matthew begins his gospel account with a genealogy. And it shows in the first two verses that he's both son of David and son of Abraham. This genealogy is seventeen verses long. And we say, why? Why is it here? This is very important. Do you know why? Because the tree of David had been hacked down to a stump in the Old Testament. The tree of David was hacked down to a stump. And since Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, there was no king. There was no king. But now out of that stump of the tree of David, a branch is going to grow out of the roots. And that branch, and it's interesting, in Revelation chapter five, when we have the little book and the Lord Jesus, who is the lamb, the angel says, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, a branch shall grow out of his roots. The tree of David had been hacked down. to a stump but a branch is going to grow out of the root out of the root and that branch is the son of David par excellence he's Israel's king and priest and prophet but he's also something else he's also the son of Abraham therefore he brings to the nations the blessings that are promised to Abraham in the Abrahamic covenant and they are promised through Abraham's seed. That's an interesting word, that word seed, isn't it? Turn to Galatians chapter three for a moment and verse sixteen. To me, we all know a few of the three sixteenths of the Bible. Everybody knows John three sixteen. How about first Timothy three sixteen? Oh, what a passage. But here's my favorite. Here's my favorite, Galatians three, sixteen, where we read, Not to Abraham and his seed, where the promise is made. That word seed is interesting for this reason. Seed is both a singular verb, a singular noun, and it's also a plural noun. Look at all the seed, and the farmer may have a whole handful, or he may have a whole... Machinery full of seed to plant in his field. But notice the Spirit of God does something with the word seed here. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made, and he saith not, and to seeds as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed which is Christ. Who is the seed of Abraham? Christ. Who is the seed of David? Christ. Who joins in one person the covenant of redemption and the covenant of kingship? It is Christ Jesus the Lord. Now, the family tree in Matthew chapter one is most interesting. You see, the Hebrews weren't given to listing women. And yet five women are spoken of in Matthew chapter one. Isn't that interesting? Now you'd expect the mother of Jesus to be there. You'd expect Mary's name to be mentioned in the genealogy, for she was his mother. But what about Tamar? What about Rahab? What about Ruth? And what about Bathsheba? And when you consider those, it's quite interesting. They were all Gentiles but one. Ruth was a Gentile. Rehab was a Gentile. Tamar was a Gentile. Only Bathsheba was a Jewish, and she was married to a Hittite. Uriah was a Hittite. She was married to a Gentile. What is God telling us here? He's telling us that in the person of Christ, the blessing is going to go out to the Gentiles. The blessing of the world. is coming about to him. But then again, out of those four women I mentioned, they're all guilty of sexual immorality. Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba, all except Ruth. And yet she was a Moabite, and the Moabites were the result of sexual immorality. Isn't it amazing? What picture of the work our blessed Lord came to do? He came to heal the brokenhearted. He came to deliver men from the bondage of sin. Whosoever commits a sin is a servant of sin. And we forget that. Sin is a master. And he came to break, as we sing with Wesley, he breaks the power of canceled sin. He sets the prisoner free. His blood can make the violence clean. His blood availed for me. You see, these women illustrate the work that the Lord Jesus came to do. If I had time, I'd show that each of these represents A great doctrine of salvation. That can be traced through the scriptures. See, Tamar represents the doctrine of grace. When you move from Tamar, you come to the next one, Rahab. Faith. By grace are you saved through faith. Through faith, the heart of Rahab. Except where we read in Hebrews chapter eleven. And then you come to Ruth. What does Ruth represent? Redemption. Oh, she was redeemed by that great mighty man of wealth, Boaz. What a picture of our heart. Then we come to Bathsheba. What does she represent? Mercy. Oh, the mercy of God. She should have been stoned. But instead, to the mercy of God, and that's what David prayed for in Psalm fifty one, in his prayer of repentance. He says, have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness and thy tender mercy. Then, of course, we come to Mary. She's number five. What does she represent? Sovereignty. The sovereignty of God. And she cries out, Lord, why have you chosen me? Who am I? But you see, First Corinthians chapter one says, you see your calling, brethren, how that not many mighty, not many noble are called, but God hath chosen weak things to confound to things that are mighty, and things that are not to bring to nothing, things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence. You see, Matthew is emphasizing that the birth of Jesus marks the beginning of a new epoch in salvation history. He is Jesus. He is the one who came to save. For in verse twenty one in Matthew one we read, thou shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins. Furthermore, Matthew stresses the fact that Jesus was virgin born. Why did he do this? He's showing that Jesus has a qualifications. to be Israel's king there was a curse upon the Davidic line in spite of all that God promised in second Samuel seven in spite of that the kings of Judah went astray from God and Jeconiah as you read about in Jeremiah twenty two verse twenty four verse twenty eight and in chapter thirty seven also God says concerning Jeconiah, the man who took the scroll and cut it with a penknife and threw it in the fire, God said, right, that man told us. None of his descendants will prosper, sitting upon the throne of David. A curse was put on the Davidic line. But Matthew chapter one and verse twenty one, it confirms that Jesus' name reveals his work. That shall call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins. He's a greater Joshua that's going to lead his people into rest. What about that curse upon the line of David? Matthew stresses the virgin birth. He's the seed of the woman. And by being virgin born, he is not under the curse of the Davidic kings. In fact, he's the only one who has the right to sit upon the throne of David. Oh, when you see these truths, it puts a bar of steel down your back when it comes to the unbending word of the living God. For the more. He is Emmanuel. He is God with us. He was born in Bethlehem, as prophesied in Micah, chapter five, verse two. And accompanying Jesus' birth was a star, which is reminiscent of the prophet, the false prophet of the Old Testament, who always told the truth. Isn't that amazing? That false prophet's name was Balaam. And Balaam prophesied of a star that shall rise and smite corners of Moab. And that star arose. It stood over the place where Jesus was born. And over the place where Jesus was. When the wise men came to the house to see him. They loved it. He is the fulfillment of the promise made to David. Now that brings us. to application number one tonight. Having read all this, having gone through it very rapidly, we now come to a pious. What does this mean to me? Application number one, it means number one that God's word is reliable. We don't need to be deceived by false teachers who think they're great in saying things and trying to dishonor the Word of God because they have a degree behind their name and they're looked upon as being a great theologian. No, no. We have the pattern expressed in the Old Testament and we have the fulfillment in the person of Christ in the new. I don't need anything else. If we are under trial like John the Baptist, and he was in Matthew chapter eleven, when he sent two disciples to the Lord Jesus, and he said, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? You remember that? Why was he under trial? He isn't sitting in prison. Do you think he prayed when he was there? I'm sure he did. And the Lord Jesus seemingly did nothing for him. John the Baptist can't understand it. He knew who he was. He said to two of his disciples, go ask him, art thou he that should come or should we look for another? Our Lord didn't say to his disciples, those disciples of John the Baptist, he didn't say, you go tell John that I am. He didn't say that, but instead he pointed the disciples to the Holy Scriptures. And while they were there, he fulfilled in their ears and in their eyes what was prophesied in Isaiah chapter thirty-five. Aren't you glad he did that? I am. Do you know why? What do I have that's real and reliable? Just this. The Word of God. And then after they left, After the disciples of John left, the Lord Jesus said, What went ye after to see? And then he extolled John the Baptist. He said, Did you go to see a reed shaken with a wind? You're wrong if you did, because John isn't a compromiser. What did you go to see? Did you go to see a well-dressed man? He's not a celebrity either. He's not a compromiser and he's not a celebrity. Well, what did you go to see? He's a prophet. And of those that are born of women, there is no greater that has been born than John the Baptist. Beloved, our John the Baptist God is our God, and God's word is reliable. Now, that's amazing. We don't need to look for another. He's the Messiah. He's a king. But in Matthew chapter twenty-four, verses four and five, the Lord Jesus made a prediction. And in that prediction, he said, many false messiahs are going to arise. And they're going to claim to be the Messiah. He says, don't listen to them. I am the Messiah. And the deceivers abound in many ways in our day. But what do we have? We have a sure word of prophecy. That's what we have. Now that brings me to application number two. God's word gives us assurance. There are a number of Christmas carols that I really love. And most people know that my favorite is Park the Herald Angel Sing. But my other favorite is Watts' hymn, Joy to the World, The Lord He's Come. And we can sing that joyfully. Why? He is come. And in Watts' hymn, Watts takes us through the many things that are going to come to pass. because the Lord is come. Let heaven and nature sing. Oh, the blessings that God has promised to nature that are going to be evident when the king reigns in righteousness. Oh, it gives us assurance. And we can say with Nathaniel, we have found him of whom Moses and the law And the prophets did right. Jesus of Nazareth. That means I can serve the Lord every day with joy. Because he is the seed of the woman. He's the son of Abraham. He's the son of David. He's the prophet greater than Moses. Beloved, We have a glorious Savior and King. Let's pray. Father, we ask you now to take this word. Blessed to every heart. Oh, we thank you for that covenant you made with Abraham. We thank you for the covenant made with David. But tonight, we want to thank you for the covenant you made with us. The new covenant. That night you were betrayed. that night when you instituted the Lord's Supper and that covenant you made with us gives to us assurance our sins and iniquities are remembered no more forever and we can say with the great poet of old concerning our sins I know them all and thousands more but Jehovah findeth none, and we praise you for it in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.