Mensa Otabil - It Will Be Accomplished (11/01/2025)
Yesterday, we looked at Zachariah’s prophecy concerning the king who would come to Jerusalem, and we’ll be focusing our study this week on the account from Luke’s Gospel. So, we look at Luke 18, verse 31: «Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, 'Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.'»
In the final days of Jesus Christ, he set his face towards Jerusalem because his mission required that he go there, and every step he took was calculated to lead him to Jerusalem. The season at this time is the Passover season, the Jewish feast of the Passover. It wasn’t the first time Jesus was going to Jerusalem during the Passover; if you remember, he had started even when he was twelve years old and went to the feast in Jerusalem. He was familiar with going there, but this visit was unique because it was going to fulfill Scripture in a significant way.
One thing to note from this passage is that Jesus knew what the Scriptures said about him. He is the Word of God, the Word of God incarnate. But not only was he the Word of God as a human, he studied the Word of God and knew it well. He understood the Word concerning himself, and Jesus paid attention to everything that had been written about him that pointed to the Messiah. He knew what the prophets of old had said about the Messiah, and he was in a position to fulfill them. In all, there were over 300 such prophecies concerning the Messiah from his birth until his death, and Jesus was poised to fulfill them.
Jesus knew that the Word of God concerning him would be accomplished, and that’s what he said. Not only did he know the Scriptures, but he also knew they would be accomplished. You know, many times we know what God has said, but we don’t take the second step to believe that what God has said will be accomplished. In that, Jesus shows us how to live our lives and how to live fulfilled lives as Christians. We must know what God has said concerning us, and we must believe that those words will be fulfilled.
I know some of you might say, «But Pastor, I’m not Jesus; there’s no prophecy about me in the Bible.» Oh, there are prophecies about you in the Bible! Whenever you read the Bible and you come across a promise of God to «whosoever,» you can fit yourself into " whosoever» because you are a whosoever. Or you see a promise of God to the righteous, and if your sins have been forgiven by the Lord Jesus Christ, then you are the righteous. That prophecy has relevance for you. Or you read and find a prophecy or statement in the Bible for those who trust in the Lord. If you trust in the Lord, then that word is for you.
There are many words in the Bible that may not have your name on them and don’t have the same specificity for you as they had for Jesus. However, for you and for me, there is so much that God says to us because of who we have become in Christ Jesus. You can look into the Scriptures and see those passages and say, «God has spoken to me.»
Now, when you know God has spoken to you, you must also know he will accomplish what he has said. That’s what Jesus is saying. The prophets said it, but they didn’t throw words into the air; the words will be accomplished. Many of the Old Testament prophecies concerning Jesus were thousands of years old at the time of Jesus, and although the words were often spoken without a date, Jesus knew when it was time for prophecy to be fulfilled. That means when God deals with us, there must be a sense of timing to know that what God says to you is about to happen.
I believe something good is about to happen to you in this season of your life. Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, I receive what you have written in your word for me. Accomplish them in my life, in Jesus' name. Amen and amen.»