Sweet Will of God - King’s Heralds God So Loved the World - King’s Heralds

Sweet Will of God - King’s Heralds God So Loved the World - King’s Heralds

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Voice Of Prophecy

H.M.S. Richards

Christ, Israel’s Messiah

From, Oh, The service today is going to be a great blessing for each of us, I'm sure as we enjoy the good music and then as we study God's holy word, my father, HMS Richards is bringing to us now the subject entitled Christ Israel's Messiah. It was Dr. William Ing, well-known dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London who once said, I have no fear that the candle lighted in Palestine years ago will ever be put out. And we agree the candle of Christ's life and influence and teachings will never be put out no matter what happens in the world. He himself said, I am the light of the world, John eight 12, and why is this? Why do men in every section of the world revere his name? Why do we find him honored as a great teacher and philosopher and leader of men by pagan, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian leaders? Why is it our answer is that he was more than a mere man. He was actually the promised Messiah of holy scripture. He was the light of the world. Through many centuries, ancient prophets of God had pointed forward to the coming of one whom they called the Messiah or the Anointed one, or as we say the Christ, all three names mean the same. By the way, turn to the margin in John 1 41 and you'll see that was Jesus Christ the Messiah of the prophets. Let us take a brief look at some of the things the ancient Hebrew prophets said about the coming Messiah. Now listen carefully. First in the prophecy of Micah, the fifth chapter, verse two, we read that the coming Messiah was to have an eternal origin. He was the Son of God prior to his being born to the blessed virgin in a way not to be explained by man. Listen to the exact words of the prophecy, Beth th Bethlehem Freta though thou belittle among the thousands of Judah, yet out of the shall he come forth onto me, that is to be ruler in Israel whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. That's no mere man, that's divinity. Yet the Messiah was to be man. Also, as we read in Zechariah 13, seven, where the mighty God speaks of quote, the man that is my fellow, meaning my associate or my equal. In Daniel seven 13, we find the prophet applying the term son of man to one who appears before the throne of God. Messiah was to be a son of Abraham who was the father of the faithful and the friend of God. Genesis 21. This was fulfilled as we read in Matthew the first chapter where we find Christ genealogy traced right back to Abraham. Messiah was not to be born according to the ordinary course of nature, but as to descend from a pure virgin. In Genesis three 15, we read the first prophecy of the Messiah or Christ stating that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head. And in Isaiah seven 14 we read, A Virgin shall conceive and bear son and shall call his name Emmanuel in fulfillment of these prophecies. Be sure to read the story of the miraculous birth of Christ in the first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke. And notice this inspired record was written by a physician. Another step forward in the prophecy of the ancient Hebrew prophets is that the coming Messiah was to be born as one of the descendants of Isaac and not of Ishmail, both of whom were sons of Abraham. So Jesus Christ sprang from Isaac and not from Ishma. As we come a little further down the stream of time, we find that according to the prophet Messiah was to be the son of Jacob and not of Esau, who were the two sons of Isaac. Jesus Christ did descend from Jacob, not his brother, Esau. And here's another step. Jacob had 12 sons, but the Messiah was to spring from none other of the 12 than Judah. Jesus Christ claimed Judah as his ancestor in a direct line, as you'll see in Matthew one, one to 16, we look down the family line a little farther and we see the prophecy that Messiah was to spring from Jesse, the father of David, king of Israel, and Jesus Christ was indeed his descendant. See Isaiah 11, one, and remember this, Jesse had eight sons and David was the youngest from none of the seven older, but David alone was Messiah to derive his origin. Jesus Christ was the son of David. Compare first Samuel 16, first 13 verses with Matthew, the first chapter in the first 16 verses. These facts show why the numerous genealogies of the Bible were recorded. When we are reading the Bible through, sometimes we tire these long lists of names, but they're very important in proving the messiahship of Jesus Christ. The true messiah of the prophets was to be born under very poor conditions when the family would be reduced to a very low estate on both his fathers and his mother's side. Jesus Christ was a very humble origin, though dissented from lu illustrious ancestors. His father was a carpenter. His mother came from an obscure family. He was also lowly in appearance. According to the prophets, the messenger was to precede the Messiah, preparing the people for his coming. You'll find this prophecy in Malachi the third chapter in the first verse, and he was fulfilled in the experience of Christ who had a messenger going before him, namely John the Baptist. This forerunner of the Messiah was to be either Elijah himself or one in the spirit of Elijah John the Baptist Christ cousin and forerunner was all together in the spirit of that great prophet Elijah read the first chapter of Mark on this. The forerunner of the Messiah was to preach in the wilderness to prepare the minds of the people for Christ coming. Well, John the Baptist did preach in the wilderness of Judea and he himself professed to be sent to prepare the people of that time for the advent of Messiah or Christ. You'll find all this in a third chapter of Matthew. We must hasten along with these prophecies for there are many of them. Here's the important one. The Messiah was not to be born in Jerusalem, the capital of the country, but in Betham an obscure village by a very peculiar providence. Jesus was born in Betham as we all know. Matthew two verse six. The coming Messiah was to preach the law of God to his countryman in great congregations as the prophecy of Psalm 40. Verse nine declares this was fulfilled in the life of Christ as we read in the four gospels. Now, here's something that's often been overlooked. There were 12 tribes of ancient Israel. Two of the most northern ones were Zebulon and natoli. According to the words of the ancient prophets, they were to be greatly distressed, but afterwards highly honored and exalted by the appearance of the true messiah among them. It is a historical fact that these very tribes were the principle ones who suffered in the first greatest Syrian invasion under tig Lath pza. But they were afterwards among the very first to enjoy the blessings of Christ's preaching of the gospel and his holy ministry. They saw his miraculous works among them. Now this prophecy to which I'm referring is found in Isaiah ninth chapter three verses, and in two kings 15, 29 and his fulfillment. You will read in Matthew four verse 12, beginning another prophecy of Isaiah nine. Now remember, the prophecy of Isaiah was written about a thousand years. Well, no, 700 years before Christ was born. And here in the ninth chapter, the ancient Hebrew prophet declared that the true coming Messiah was to converse and preach the gospel in the region of Galilee. That's exactly where Jesus Christ lived, where he taught that obscure and despicable part of the land of Israel by way of contempt. He was sometimes called the Galion Mark 1470. Now the Messiah was to have a temple to which he should come when he made his appearance in human flesh. This prophecy you'll find in Malachi Thei chapter written several hundred years before he was born that Christ did so is clear for when he came the son of God. He claimed the temple of Jerusalem is his own in a sense that no mere mortal ever could. This we find fulfilled as recorded in Luke 1947 in Matthew 2112, to some people who had commercialized the precincts of the Holy temple of God in those days, he said, and I'm reading now from Mark 1117, my house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer, but ye have made it Aden of thieves. Then you remember he cast them out. Their commercial interests were compelled to leave the temple that day. Now, there are many other messianic prophecies that is prophecies about the Messiah or coming Christ in the Old Testament, but we shall mention just a few more here. Now, the Holy Messiah is spoken of by the ancient prophets of Israel under the characters of an angel, a messenger, a redeemer, an interpreter, one in a thousand, a plant of renowned. I'm just giving you some of the names under which he's prophesied a captain, the beloved of God, the true David. Now their text for all of these, which I could give you, Genesis 48, 16, Genesis 32, 24, 12 3, and so forth. All of these texts are easy to find in the scriptures. Now, according to the New Testament story, Jesus Christ was all of these. He was whatever was peculiar to the character of that August being the promised Messiah. Now, we have given scriptural references for these prophecies and their fulfillments. There are many more prophecies of the Messiah, which were accurately and literally fulfilled in Jesus Christ's life in his ministry and character, which we must consider at some other time. But we have given enough today to convince the earnest and honest heart of any man or woman that Jesus of Nazareth called by Christians. The Lord Jesus Christ was the actual fulfillment and fulfiller in person of the prophecies of the Holy Messiah, of the ancient prophets of Israel. There's no doubt about it. He fulfilled his prophecies literally and actually and in his own person. You can read them for yourself in the holy scriptures of the Old Testament and read the fulfillment in the new. And remember, there was 400 years before those two. Between those two testaments, there could be no collusion. Whatever the prophecies of the glorious Messiah are twofold. Throughout the Old Testament, we read of the glory of the Messiah who was to come as a king, as a mighty ruler, as a conquer over all the foes of God in Israel. There are also prophecies of the same Messiah, which picture him as a suffering servant of God as one who was spit upon, cruelly treated and even put to death. Now, these two lines of prophecy confuse some in ancient times, but they really proved the actual messiahship of Jesus Christ who fulfilled both lines of prophecy. He was not only the suffering servant of our necessities, but he is to come the second time as Lord of Lord and king of kings. He was to come and die for the sins of the whole world. That's right in the prophecies for both Jew and Gentile. But he is to come again and rule from David Throne, just as the prophet said, his kingdom shall reach from sea to sea as the prophecy said, and from the river to the ends of the earth. Zechariah nine 10, every human being, every non-Christian, every pagan, every Muslim, every man of Israel, every Christian should study the claims of Jesus of Nazareth, to be the Christ the Messiah of Israel's prophets. Millions are doing so and every year, tens of thousands, yes, hundreds of thousands are accepting his claims. This is not a matter that should be treated with neglect or with prejudice. The claims of Jesus Christ should have an honest hearing and earnest consideration. If Christ is the true Messiah, it would not only be a mistake but a terrible tragedy to neglect him or to reject him. Why not study these ancient prophecies? Why not see if Jesus Christ actually is the Messiah? Here's what he said himself to some men who in his day had not given proper attention to this great subject, search the scriptures for in them. You think you have eternal life, and they are they, which testify of me. John 5 39, those various scriptures of the ancient prophets testified of prophesy of him. Then he continued with sadness and ye will not come to me that you might have life. Some years ago the principle of the English mission College in Karu, Egypt received a letter from a Japanese Buddhist whose children had been attending his school. The letter contained this question, who is John three 16? My children are always talking about him. The principal sent a note back at once explaining that John three 16 was not a man but a verse in a book. Soon he received another letter from the father with a request. Can you supply me with a copy of the book? Of course, a copy of the New Testament was sent to him, is not long until the principal of the school received a third letter saying that he and all the members of his family had accepted Christ as the true messiah and savior of the world. And how does John three 16 read? Let's read it to you. Let's repeat it all together. For soul loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believers in him should not perish, but however, lasting life sounds good, doesn't it? And it's true. Just try it and see. And this is the word of the Lord to you. Incline your ear and come onto me here and your soul shall live. God.

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Christ, Israel’s Messiah

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