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ARE THESE THINGS SO ...

November 26, 2000 AM

Sermon Outline

THAT JESUS FULFILLED PROPHECY?

Lk 24:44 - Jno 1:45

INTRO: The question the Jewish high priest asked of Stephen in Acts 7:1 continues to give us a launching point for some serious questions deserving of thoughtful answers. This morning we consider the question of Jesus and fulfilled prophecy. Some have noted that over 300 Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus. Is this so? If it is so, what is the significance of it? In the two verses we have read we hear what both others and Jesus claimed ... that He is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

I. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FULFILLED PROPHECY?

A. Deut 18:20-22 The great test

1. is the prophecy from God? is it spurious?

2. if it does not come to pass, there is excellent reason to question its source

3. so, prophecy concerning Jesus must come to pass - or there is good reason to question!

B. Acts 7:51-53 What Stephen claimed?

1. Old Testament prophets did speak of a coming Just One

2. the Jews, under influence of their religious leaders, had murdered Him Who fulfilled those prophecies!

3. those prophecies were from God because they had been fulfilled exactly as they had prophesied

C. So, its a question of credibility

1. can Jesus be believed? is Lk 24:44 true?

2. if the claims Jesus (and others) made to be fulfillment are not true, He cannot be believed ... on the other hand ...

D. And its a question of identity

1. the prophets clearly spoke of the Messiah

2. if Jesus fulfilled those prophecies, He is without doubt the promised Messiah ... and many, many of His contemporaries attested to His having filled those prophecies ... as did Stephen!

II. A BRIEF LOOK AT SOME OF THE PROPHECIES

A. Of a forerunner

1. Isa 40:3,4 with Mk 1:1-4

2. Mal 4:5,6 with Mt 11:12-14

3. John the Baptist! and note what He said of Jesus at Jno 1:29

B. Of His birth

1. Isa 7:14 with Mt 1:22-25virgin birth

2. Micah 5:2 with Mt 2:4-6born in Bethlehem

3. Hos 11:1 with Mt 2:13-15sojourn in Egypt

4. Isa 9:6,7 with Lk 2:4,11of the lineage of David

C. Of His ministry

1. Isa 61:1,2 with Lk 4:17-21 of preaching, of healing, of true deliverance

2. Isa 53:4 with Mt 8:16,17 his miracles of healing, bearing peoples infirmities

3. note Lk 7:19-22 such things, subject of prophecy, confirmed Jesus identity as Messiah

D. Of His death

1. Zech 9:9 with Mt 21:1-5triumphal entry

2. Ps 41:9 with Jno 13:18betrayal by a friend

3. Isa 53:12 with Mk 15:27,28number with the transgressors

4. Ps 22:16-18 with Mt 27:35crucified, casting lots for His garments

5. Ps 34:20 with Jno 19:33,36no bones broken

6. Ps 16:9,10 with Acts 2:27 and 13:34ff resurrection

CLOSE: All of these prophecies are found in scripture and fulfilled in Jesus. Thus, scripture is credible, and Jesus is the Messiah. Yes, these things are so ... so, why do you wait?

Cecil A. Hutson

26 November 2000

God's Plan of Salvation

You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)

You must believe and have faith in God because "without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)

You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called "Sinner's Prayer" that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the "Sinner's Prayer" to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)

You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus "Lord of your life." Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just "accept Jesus as your personal savior." We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)

Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God's grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God's grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)