The Messiah In Prophecy

Posted by Jeannie on January 5, 1999 under Ladies Bible Class

I can predict that we will have a luncheon here January 12 and another one around the second week in
February. We’ve traditionally done so once a month. This group is really into fellowshipping. So I feel reasonably comfortable making that prediction.

I can even predict that Southside High School will win the State Football Championship next fall. They were No. 1 all year long this year. They have a coach who has led his teams to the No. 1 position a number of times. Southside traditionally produces quality players with a drive to win.

But we may not have that luncheon. The weather could prohibit that. Southside may not win the state championship next year. Their star quarterback is graduating and I have no idea if they have another one that good waiting in the wings.

Any man can predict. All you need are some facts from the past and a little bit of experience or intelligence to put those facts into a reasonable premise for the future. But a prediction is not a prophecy. A prophecy is generally detached from the present. It is a truth that cannot be drawn, concluded, or deduced from anything in the past or the present. It must therefore come from an inspired source – the Holy Spirit.

It is generally accepted that Satan was the first to receive the prophecy of the coming Messiah in Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

All Abraham was told is that all the nations would be blessed through his seed. This promise was very vague. He was not told how that was going to be accomplished or how soon that would occur.

Moses gave another glimpse, or piece of the picture, when he told the Israelites in Deuteronomy 18:15, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,” and in verse 18, God said, “I will … put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.” Now we know this blessing promised to Abraham would come in the form of a person or prophet.

Some twenty to twenty-five Old Testament writers, over a span of some two thousand years, add to the picture of a coming Messiah. None had ever seen the Messiah. None had a complete picture. Very few of the prophesiers even knew another prophet. The prophets themselves probably often did not understand the words they wrote or spoke from their mouths. At times, perhaps, they were not even aware that their words were a prophecy. Yet, by putting the prophecies all together from the Old Testament, we can get a very distinct picture of the much anticipated Messiah:

• He would bless all nations. 
• He would have the words of God in His mouth because He would have the Spirit of God upon Him. 
• He would be a king like David from the tribe of Judah.
  (Inferred — A great, respected, prosperous, self-governing, God-directed nation again. National pride would return.) 
• He would be born in Bethlehem, from a virgin, while other babies were slaughtered. 
• He would be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 
• He would be a Good Shepherd and a Light to the Gentiles. 
• And from Isaiah 61:1-3, He would be sent “to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.” 

   

• And numerous other prophecies that paint such a lovely picture that all Jews and others who believed the Old Scriptures would eagerly look forward to that day of this glorious Prophet. 

Somehow, they missed or simply chose to overlook prophecies like Isaiah 53:1-10, Psalm 69:21, and Zechariah 12:10, and others which foretold of the Messiah’s betrayal, suffering, and death.

The purpose of prophecy was to give hope and prepare the world for the coming of Christ, the Messiah. It prepared the world for Christ’s mission and His teachings and how His coming was to affect men directly. Although quite misunderstood generally, the prophecies prepared for the heavenly nature of the coming kingdom. And probably the purpose we understand best of all, the prophecies bear witness to the truths of Christianity and the scheme of redemption.

If you have prepared the lesson for our class today, you know we will be discussing four different New Testament texts in which we will see how Luke, Peter, Phillip and even Jesus Himself used the prophecies of the Old Testament to teach others of God’s goodness and saving grace. As we study these Messianic prophecies for the next ten weeks, let’s see what purposes they can fulfill in our own lives. Can we use them to prepare for studying the scriptures with our Jewish friends? Yes. Can we use them to prepare for studying with people of the Muslim faith? Yes.

Most of all, my prayer is that this study will build your faith in God’s Holy Book and build your love for Him as He reaches out to you, so that, like the two on the road to Emmaus, you can say “wasn’t our heart burning” with the excitement of knowing that God is in control and has been since the beginning of time. Knowing that He has been in control since the beginning of time, we can trust the glimpse of our future in the Holy Scriptures – a home in heaven prepared for those who believe and are faithful.

An Evening of Praise

Posted by David on January 3, 1999 under Sermons

Songs play an important role in worship and an important role in scripture. Many of the psalms were songs sung when Israel worshipped God. Several statements in the New Testament were either songs or parts of songs that were sung in the early church.

A number of statements in Paul’s writings were likely songs sung in the early church.

• Ephesians 5:14
  Awake, sleeper,
  And arise from the dead,
  And Christ will shine on you.
  

  ---

• 1 Timothy 1:17
  Now to the King eternal,
  immortal, invisible,
  the only God,
  be honor and glory
  forever and ever. Amen.
  

  ---

• 1 Timothy 6:15,16
  He who is the blessed and only Sovereign,
  the King of kings and Lord of lords,
  who alone possesses immortality
  and dwells in unapproachable light,
  whom no man has seen or can see.
  To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
  

  ---

• 1 Timothy 3:16
  By common confession,
  great is the mystery of godliness:
  He who was revealed in the flesh,
  Was vindicated in the Spirit,
  Seen by angels,
  Proclaimed among the nations,
  Believed on in the world,
  Taken up in glory.
  

  ---

• Revelation 5:9,10 writes about a “new” song that was sung in heaven.
  Worthy are You to take the book
  and to break its seals;
  for You were slain,
  and purchased for God with Your blood
  men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
  You have made them to be a kingdom
  and priests to our God;
  and they will reign upon the earth.
  

  ---

This evening I want us to read some scriptures and sing some of the songs that came from those scriptures.

• Reading: Psalm 23

  Song #134 – “The Lord’s My Shepherd”

• Reading: Psalm 25:1-3

  Song #794 – “Unto Thee, O Lord”

• Reading: Psalm 40:1-3

  Song #608 – “He Gave Me A Song”

• Reading: Psalm 100

  Song #103 – “He Has Made Me Glad”

• Reading: Hebrews 12:22-24

  Song #718 – “We Shall Assemble”

• Reading: Philippians 2:5-11

  Song #791 – “On Bended Knee”

What does it mean to be God’s people? It means many things. But one thing it means above all other things is that we seek God first. God and His purposes come before everything else.

God wants you as His child. Jesus wants to forgive your sins and give the gift of righteousness. The Spirit wants you to see God as the God who loves and Jesus as the Savior who loves you. We want you to be baptized into Christ. We want you to renew your commitment to godliness.

Since the invitation is given by Jesus, let’s allow him to make it. After I share with you this reading, we will stand and sing our invitation song.

Matthew 6:33 – “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Invitation Song #555 – “Seek Ye First”

A 1999 Challenge: Grow Spiritually

Posted by David on under Sermons

A good company experienced an all too common problem. It was economically sound. It served a strong market. It provided quality services and products at competitive prices. From a business perspective, it had a promising future.

The company paid its employees better than average. It provided a strong package of employee benefits. Employee incentives encouraged productivity and commitment. There were creative opportunities for advancement within the company.

But the company struggled with an all-to-common problem. Approximately half of its employees were not committed to their job or to the company. These employees simply were not motivated. They had little interest in opportunities, and they did not care about incentives. The company solicited employee feedback in many ways. Each time the disinterested segment of their work force stated the same message: our only desire is to (1) draw our pay check, and (2) endure the job to get to the weekend.

1. The company knew that employee development and commitment were essential to future success.
   1. All their past efforts produced little progress in employee development.
      1. Disinterested employees were unimpressed with anything they offered.
         1. Financial incentives did not motivate them.
         2. Opportunity for advancement did not motivate them.
         3. Rewards for productivity and quality did not motivate them.
      2. The company had to find an effective way to motivate more of its employees.
   2. They decided to make an daring effort.
      1. They would completely shut down the company for one day.
      2. They would pay their employees as if they worked if the employees attended a special company meeting.
      3. They would rent the civic center for the day.
         1. The first session would be an honest statement of their desire to better understand the employees.
            1. Any employee could communicate any grievance, complaint, or desire that he or she wanted to express.
            2. Notes from each statement would be made for later discussion and consideration.
            3. The employees would receive a full response from the company.
         2. The second session would be devoted to an effective motivational speaker who would challenge the employees.
         3. The third session would divide the employees into natural groupings.
            1. Capable, knowledgeable group leaders would share in specific, clear ways the opportunities that existed.
            2. They would answer any questions completely and understandably.
         4. The afternoon would be dedicated to food, entertainment, and association.
      4. With a lot of humor and good will, basically this was the message of the motivational speaker.
         1. “The key to your future, your success, and your fulfillment is your growth as a person.”
            1. “The key to your personal growth is your personal development.”
            2. “Never be content just to be.”
            3. “Never stop dreaming of what you can become.”
            4. “Whatever you do, do it well. Do it well with the determination to do it better next year. Do it well with the dream that in time one can do it better than you.”
            5. You do these things for yourself.”
         2. “Also have this honest understanding: the more this company prospers the more you prosper.”
            1. “You know that cutbacks and close downs are an every day reality.”
            2. “The more secure this company is, the more secure your job is.”
            3. “Good business means the company stays and grows.”
            4. “Good business means that they will continue to need you.”
            5. “Doing your job well powerfully contributes to good business.”
         3. “Several key things are essential in building and maintaining a strong company.”
            1. “None of those keys are more essential than having capable, committed, dependable employees.”
            2. “Any company is only as strong as its employees’ commitment.”
            3. “Always improve your mind.”
            4. “Always develop your skills.”
            5. “Always do your job better than it has been done.”
            6. “Certainly, do it for the good of the company.”
            7. “But more importantly, do it for your own good.”
            8. “Do it in the certainty that it will pay big dividends in your life as well as in your job.”
      5. That day produced such desirable results that it became an annual event.
2. I hope that you can see a powerful parallel.
   1. All of our members and many of our friends want this congregation to be a strong, effective, successful congregation.
      1. To build and maintain a strong, effective, successful congregation, there are several essential components.
         1. It must have good leadership on every level.
         2. It must have challenging, positive preaching that builds faith in God.
         3. It must have good teaching and good learning opportunities.
         4. It must deal with the real needs of its members and the community.
         5. It must have committed, involved, serving members.
      2. Each member needs to clearly understand one fact, a truth to which there is no exception.
         1. Nothing can make this congregation strong, effective, and successful without the commitment, involvement, and service of its members.
         2. It will not be enough to have good leadership, good preaching, good teaching, good classes, and good ministry opportunities.
         3. As essential as every one of things are, they are not enough without members who are committed to two things:
            1. Their personal spiritual growth and development.
            2. The spiritual growth and development of the congregation.
      3. So each of us must understand this truth.
         1. The key to my spiritual success is my spiritual growth.
         2. The key to my personal spiritual growth is my personal spiritual development.
         3. I must never be content just to be a Christian; I must never stop dreaming of what I can yet become as a Christian.
         4. Everything I do, I must do with the commitment to do it well now, to do it better in the future, and to someday grow to the point that I literally do it to the highest level of my ability.
      4. I do this for my benefit and the benefit of the congregation.
         1. The more I grow and develop, the more spiritually secure the congregation becomes.
         2. The quality of my faith powerfully contributes to the good of the congregation.
   2. This congregation must count on me; it needs me to be dependable.
      1. Spiritually, I must improve my mind; I must develop my abilities; I must become a better servant, a better worshipper, a better student, and better prayer than I have ever been.
      2. Surely I do this for the good of this congregation, but equally I do it for the good of my relationship with God.
      3. Being a Christian involves two basic responsibilities that are my responsibility from baptism until death.
         1. I am responsible to grow and develop as God’s child.
         2. I am responsible to assist God’s purposes and objectives in His family, His kingdom, a congregation of His people.
      4. Only by growing spiritually can each of us accept those responsibilities.
3. The fact that God expects each of us to grow spiritually is clearly evident.
   1. In 1 Peter, Peter addressed scattered, suffering Christians who were under distress. He encouraged and challenged them with these words:
      1 Peter 2:1-3 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
   2. The writer of the book of Hebrews addressed experienced Christians who had endured severe suffering and hardships, and, as a result had become so discouraged that they considered giving up Christ. The writer encouraged and challenged them with these words:
      Hebrews 6:1-3 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. And this we will do, if God permits. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
   3. Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to Christians who had enormous problems as a congregation. There were things he wanted to share with them that he could not tell them because they were not spiritually developed enough to understand what he said. This is what Paul said to them:
      1 Corinthians 3:1-3 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
   4. Paul wrote to the Christians at Ephesus and explained that God wanted every Christian to grow, to mature, to develop into the image of Christ himself.
      Ephesians 4:14-16 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
4. My specific challenge to each of us is to grow and mature spiritually in 1999–grow and mature to a spiritual level you have never before reached.
   1. I challenge each of us to grow in our prayer life to a new level.
      1. Take more time to pray than you have ever taken.
      2. Give more thought to your prayers than you have ever given.
      3. Learn to pray prayers of thanksgiving and praise as well as prayers of intercession and requests.
   2. I challenge each of us to grow to a new level of worship.
      1. Better understand what worship is, and do not be afraid to worship.
      2. Let your worship declare God’s place in your heart and life.
   3. I challenge each of us to reach a new level of service.
      1. Prove that Jesus is Lord of your life in your service.
      2. Put your heart and your faith in your service.
   4. I challenge each of us to develop the highest level of fellowship we have ever experienced.
      1. I challenge you to make powerful relationships in this congregation.
      2. I challenge you to help others build relationships.
      3. I challenge you to encourage and uplift fellow Christians every week.

[Song of reflection – “We Will Glorify”]

None of us knows what we will experience in 1999. Whatever those experiences may be, let’s face them with the most powerful, mature relationship with God and each other that we have ever known.

Whatever happens will be okay, because we belong to the God who has defeated death.

Be baptized and let God make you a part of the family. Make your life right for yourself and for the good of this congregation. We invite you to the only Savior–Jesus Christ.

Priorities

Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles

One definition of “priority” is something that merits prior attention. Stated in “everyday language,” priority identifies a need that deserves attention, action, or consideration before other needs receive attention, action, or consideration.

Some approach needs by thinking, reflecting, and evaluating. When one makes a list of needs that must receive attention, he or she “prioritizes” the list. Each need on the list appears in order of importance. Number one is the need of greatest importance. Number two is the need second in importance, and thus the list continues. The importance of the need determines its position on the list. Priority determines how, where, and when the need is addressed.

Some approach needs by reacting to the urgent. These needs are no less real. One even may make a random list of needs. But time and energy are not used to care for important needs first. He or she often works hard, but commonly the “urgency of the moment” receives first consideration. Often important needs are neglected because the person reacts to the moment’s cries for attention.

Some rarely think about importance. They seldom prioritize. On a daily basis, they live by reacting to the moment’s situation. The “important need” is the immediate need. Priorities do not exist. The only consideration is “what must be cared for right now.” Only the urgency of the immediate produces needs.

Christ introduces us to the necessity of priorities. They include loving God above all else; loving people above things; trusting God instead of worrying; resisting temptation instead of yielding to evil; living for God’s kingdom instead of physical needs; forgiving instead of judging. That is only the beginning. As each of us spiritually matures, priorities mature. Priorities change because the person grows in his or her knowledge and understanding of God.

How much did you grow spiritually in 1998? What are your priorities for 1999?