THE MESSIAH
Is Jesus Christ the Messiah? The obvious Jewish answer is "No," but have you really considered Jesus Christ? Anyone can shout "NO! I don't believe that!" That doesn't require any knowledge or character, just a stubborn mind. Friend, I challenge you to carefully study the following scriptures and answer one simple question: IF JESUS CHRIST IS NOT THE MESSIAH, THEN WHO IS HE? How could any one man fulfill so much of God's prophetic word if he isn't the prophesied Messiah? Please think about that as you read the following...
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These are only SOME of the many prophecies that the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled! Jesus is the Messiah! May I ask you a question? Before the time of Christ, in the days of Moses, Samuel, David and all the other kings and prophets, why did the Jewish people offer slain animals as sacrifices to God? Perhaps your answer is, "Because God commanded it." Yes, He certainly did, but why? What is the logic in forgiving sin on the basis of a dead animal? Was this to continue forever, animals being slain for the sins of men? What was the purpose? How can a dead animal cleanse anyone from sin? It makes no sense at all!
However, when you consider Jesus Christ and His sacrificial death on the cross, it all makes perfect sense! Remember Genesis 3:21 when God made coats of skin to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve? They had already made themselves aprons of fig leaves, but God wanted an animal to shed its blood and die a sacrificial death for Adam and Eve's covering. It is THE BLOOD that makes atonement for the soul (Lev. 17:11), so God required blood.
In the next chapter, Genesis chapter four, God rejects Cain's offering of fruit and vegetables, but he accepts Abel's lamb. Why? LAMBS HAVE BLOOD!!!
Remember Exodus chapter twelve, the night of the Passover? God said the Jews in Egypt must have THE BLOOD of a LAMB on their door posts and on the upper mantle of their houses in order to be protected.
Friend, all of the Jewish sacrifices pointed to the one FINAL sacrifice of God's Son on Calvary! Your Messiah came and gave Himself as a payment for your sins! In doing so, he FULFILLED all the law and the prophets. Jesus Christ said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." (Mat. 5:17)
Jesus, your Messiah, was God manifest in the flesh, and He gave himself for you! Notice how the prophet Zechariah told you this: "And Iwill pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon mewhom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." Notice how God says "I" and "me" are the same as "him" and his "only son." Read it again, please. God said that HE (God) would be PIERCED. Do you remember Isaiah 7:14? It says that the virgin born son would be "Immanuel," which means "GOD WITH US!" Friend, when your people rejected Jesus Christ they rejected GOD WITH US! The Jewish prophet, John the Baptist, correctly titled Jesus Christ "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). What is a lamb? A sacrifice, right? Consider I Peter 1:18-20: "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,"
God came and provided Himself a Lamb! Remember what Abraham told Isaac in Genesis chapter 22? He said, ". . . My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. ." GOD IS THE LAMB! JESUS CHRIST, EMMANUEL, IS GOD WITH US, AND HE PROVIDED HIMSELF AS THE LAMB TO TAKE AWAY ALL SIN, INCLUDING YOURS!! If you believe Moses and the prophets, then you must also believe what they wrote in the aforementioned Scriptures about Jesus Christ.
My Jewish friend, there's only one thing left to do: RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOUR. You need not only a Messiah, but also a SAVIOUR, because you are a lost sinner. Romans 3:23 says, " For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Men have een in sin since the very beginning, which is why God has accepted blood sacrifices from the beginning. Romans 5:12 says, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" But notice Romans 5:8-9: "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." If you continue to reject your true Messiah and Saviour, then you must reap the wrath of God. God has no other Messiah for you. Only through the Lord Jesus Christ can you be saved. He fulfilled your law and ended your sacrifices, being the final sacrifice himself. Receive him today as your Saviour! Romans 10:9-13 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Why not pray this simple prayer right now (and really mean it):
Dear Lord,
For the first time in my life I really see the truth. I can see now that the Messiah was to be a perfect sacrifice for my sins. I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that he made the perfect blood atonement for my sins with his own blood. Please forgive my ignorance and my rejection of your Son. Come into my heart, O God, and wash all my sins away in the precious blood of Jesus Christ, for I trust Jesus only for the salvation of my soul. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
Friend, if you've just asked God to save your soul through the Lord Jesus Christ, then you are now SAVED! You have been BORN AGAIN (John 3:3) by the Spirit of God. You have done exactly what God told you to do, and God has done exactly what he promised to do. Now you can look forward to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, THE MESSIAH WHO SAVED YOU! Now you must confess Jesus Christ before men. Do not be ashamed of the one who died for you. Contact us so we can assist you in finding a good Bible believing church. You need to be baptized (as a public showing of your faith in Christ), and you need to be an active member of a strong fundamental church. Please contact us soon.
Copyright © 1999 James L. Melton
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