JESUS! WHO IS HE? Prelude: Have you seen a man? Have you come in contact with God? Out of this communion man becomes friends with God. A relationship is born. Man is ready to commune with his maker’s term of covenant. God sets the terms of that new covenant. The new covenant is that Jehovah is man’s God. Christ is the Lord and Savior of his life he is not and cannot by himself any more. He has someone to answer to. Man is expected to walk according to the statutes and laws of that covenant found in Exodus 20. While God provides him daily of that Grace to do so. Jesus, Who Is Jesus? Mertile: Sister Beatrice, do you know that in this day and age, there are millions of people who still don’t know who Jesus is? Beatrice: “I am not surprised at all. Looking around, reading the newspapers, listening and watching the television tell me that a great portion of the Earth’s population does not know who Jesus is in spite of the many efforts of the early believers who spread the good news about Jesus over the centuries. There are still millions in darkness. And many have not come to know him.” Mertile: Why don’t we tell our audience who Jesus is? Beatrice: Certainly! In the scriptures we learn that God promised a Messiah to redeem man from his sins. When the time was near, God looked throughout the Earth and saw a man named Abram in the land of the Chaldeans. He called him out and made a covenant with him. In that covenant God said: that if he Abram, would walk before him and obey him, He (God) would bless him and make a great nation of him. Out of Abram would arise a Messiah that would save his people. And not only Abram’s seed but through that Messiah, all the peoples of the world would be blessed. (Genesis 12:1-3) Mertile: Why did he choose Abram? Was he more righteous? Beatrice: Do you remember when we spoke of the three characteristics of God? (a) God is omnipresent (b) God is omnipotent (c) God is Sovereign These declare his majesty. Mertile: Yes, I understand these characteristics and acknowledge that God is all knowledgeable, all powerful and is everywhere. Beatrice: Well, I learned a lot about Abram who later became Abraham. I learned that he was an obedient old man and one with a lot of courage and faith. At the time Abram was called, it was not because of his righteousness. On the contrary, Abraham needed a Messiah just like you and I. He was blessed to be God’s chosen at that time. You can turn your bible to Genesis chapters 12- 25 to read all the acts of Abram. It is true the name “Jesus” is not written but indirectly it was implied. The fact is a Messiah (one that would save,) had to come. The word Messiah means anointed; one to fulfill God’s cause and purpose. We read from Moses to David many leaders, elders, prophets, and kings came and went, but none in connection with Jesus. Keep in mind that the children of Abraham knew that God had promised them a Messiah. So they kept looking and hoping. Many false Messiahs came and went, for they could not fulfill the role. They had the wrong credentials. They were not Jesus. Mertile: Did they grow impatient? Beatrice: Yes; over the centuries they grew very impatient, and because of that we learned that they asked for and got kings as leaders. Sad to say, they were led astray from God. Mertile: Were they given any clues so that they could identify the Messiah, when he did come? Beatrice: There are many clues. Let us review a few. In Isaiah chapter 7 we are told that during the reign of king Ahaz, a confederacy was made against Judah by their brethren. The Israelites with the Syrian’s were to wage a war against Judah to conquer and divide Judah among themselves, and to set their own kings. In all that turmoil the people’s hearts were afraid, after going through so many battles. God stepped in to comfort them and also to remind them that He (God) had not forgotten them. He would not have allowed them to go to nothingness but would protect them from their enemies. God also let them know that he would be here soon. Isaiah 7; 10-14: “More over the Lord spoke again unto Ahaz, saying: “ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God. Ask it in the depth or the high above.” Isaiah 7: 12 But Ahaz said “I will not ask, rather will I tempt the Lord.” Verse 13 says: “and he said hear ye now oh house of David it is a small thing to weary men, but will he weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel.” Mertile: This is a pretty clear sign. It tells me that the conception and birth of Jesus (Messiah) was supernatural, and also he would have to come from the house of David (lineage) who was of Abraham. Beatrice: Yes it was. Let’s look at clue number two. The Messiah (Jesus) had to be born in a certain place and he had to be a super natural baby. Micah 5:2 says: “But thou Bethlehem, Ephratah though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be a ruler in Israel whose goings forth have been from of old from everlasting.” Mertile: That we understand. The Messiah had to be born in a particular place. Clue number two is very important. Beatrice: Clue number three: God’s Messiah (Jesus) had to be extraordinary because of the task that God laid down for him to fulfill. It had to take more than a simple sinful man to accomplish. So God had to provide his own Messiah. The Messiah (Jesus) had to reclaim the lost paradise God created back in Genesis. Mertile: This work needed divine power and intervention. That is why the Messiah (Jesus) had to come to restore things. Can you elaborate a little more on that lost paradise? Beatrice: He allowed Satan the intruder to invade the Kingdom of Eden and launch the greatest assault ever. From creation unto this day the earth is still experiencing the repercussions. That is why God had to provide the Messiah (Jesus) that would restore the lost paradise. The Lord God declared to us what the Messiah (Jesus) had to be able to do. Turn to Isaiah 9:6,7. “Unto us a child is born unto us a son is given. The government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called wonderful, counselor, the Mighty God, the everlasting father, the Prince of peace. Of the increased of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it and establish it with judgment and with justice from hence forth for ever and ever the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform it. Amen.” Clue number 4: The Messiah (Jesus) had to be one with a large heart; A heart that is impregnated with love and compassion. In all truthfulness, One that is moved by the woes of others and is prompt to act by ministering to their needs. One that would go to all length to bring solace to the pains of humanity. One that would be willing to give his life that mankind can be salvaged. (Isaiah 61:1 and 3). Mertile: Did the Messiah, Jesus come? Who is this Jesus? Beatrice: Jesus is that Messiah, The Anointed, the Savior, the Son of God, The Soon Coming King. And yes He came just as the scriptures stated. He came and is coming back a second time to reign. Mertile: Do the records prove that? Beatrice: Absolutely! The evidence is here and so are the testimonies of the witnesses both past and present. In the book of Divine Records, the Holy Bible, when the Messiah came to this earth, it was not a secret. Jehovah God sent His messenger to earth to inform the inhabitants. The angel Gabriel was the announcer. The angel was sent to a special place, to a special person; the one who was to bring forth the Messiah, whose name is Jesus. According to Isaiah 7:14 a virgin of the house of David would conceive and shall bring forth a son. And this son she would call Emmanuel (meaning God with us). In the book of Luke chapter 1 verses 26 and 27, the evidence states: “And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David, and the virgin was Mary”. Mary was God’s choice. She fitted the criteria given by the prophet and the angel. On hearing such news, Mary was allowed to cross-examine the messenger to prove him. Luke 1:34: “Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing that I know not a man?” Verse 35: And the angel answered and said unto her, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the highest shall over shadow thee. Therefore also that Holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” Mertile: This proves that Jesus was extraordinary. He was more than human. He was both man’s and God’s son. Next Page