Now let's open our Bibles to
the book of Acts, chapter 3, and let me revive your memory just a little
bit. The Apostle Peter said in verse
22 of Acts 3, Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall
the Lord your God raise up. I said this morning two things
of which these Old Testament believers were persuaded and
confident and in which they believed. Number one, they knew they were
sinners. They were thoroughly convinced that they were sinners.
They were thoroughly convinced there was something wrong between
them and God. That their sins and transgressions
and iniquities, and these are the words they used. They didn't
use the words we use today, our mistakes and our failures. But
they used the word transgressions and iniquities and sin. David
said, my transgressions are against thee. My iniquity, my sin is
ever before me. They were persuaded. They were
sinners. But the second thing of which
they were totally, completely persuaded was that God would
send the Savior. God would send a Redeemer. God
would send a Christ. God would send a prophet. And
that's who Moses is talking about here. Now, I've done a little
work on this this week. In fact, I did so much work on
it, I had to make two sermons out of the one sermon. But I
had just too much material for one service. And I came to this
conclusion. I came to this conclusion. Do
not be misled into thinking that these Old Testament believers
did not know what God was promising them. They did. They did. They knew what God was promising
them, and they knew more about the person of Christ, and the
work of Christ, and the life of Christ, and the death of Christ,
than you think they knew. Much more than you think. Now,
and I sat down and thought about this. Now, they looked for a
Messiah. They called him the Messiah. They looked for the
Christ. They said to John the Baptist,
are you the Christ? No. No, I'm not the Christ. The woman at the well said, when
the Messiah comes, the Christ, he'll tell us all things. Philip
said to Nathaniel, we found the Christ. We found him of whom
Moses spoke. We found him. And then those
people in John 7, that great day of the feast, they said,
is not this the Christ? Is not this the Christ? They
were looking for Christ. Now what did they know about
him? Well, number one, they knew that the Messiah would come from
God. That's what he said here in verse 22. A prophet shall
the Lord your God raise up. They knew he would come from
God, that he would be sent from God. They knew that. Secondly,
they knew that he would be a man. Turn to Isaiah 32. Let me show
you something over here. They knew he would be a man.
And this is not the only place you find this. I could just turn
to dozens of references, but there's no need of burdening
you with dozens of references. One is sufficient. If we preach
on, we must be born again. Just turn to John 3. That's sufficient. But here in Isaiah 32, it says,
Behold, verse 1, a king shall reign in righteousness. That's
Christ. And princes shall rule in judgment and a man. And a
man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from
the tempest, and rivers of water in a dry place, and a shadow
of a great rock, and a weary land." Who's going to be all
that? A man. That's what he said. A man. They
look for one sent from God, and they look for a man. Job said,
my Redeemer's going to stand on this earth. He's going to
stand. I know He lives. He's going to
stand on this earth. They look for a man. They did. And then thirdly, they knew that
this Messiah, this Christ, not only would be from God, not only
would He be a man, the seed of a woman, but they knew He would
have to do with sins. They knew He would have to do
with redemption. They knew He would have to do
with this thing of reconciliation. Job called Him, My Redeemer.
My Redeemer. David said, He restoreth my soul. They knew he'd have to do with
redemption. Jeremiah kept saying that he
would be the Lord, our righteousness. Our righteousness. So they knew
that. He would have to do with sins.
He would have to do with redemption. That he'd have to do with reconciliation
with God. And they knew, fourthly, that
he would have to do with an atonement. An offering, a sin offering.
They knew that. That he would have to do with
a sin offering through the blood. through the blood. Now Isaiah
wrote about that in Isaiah 53, wounded for our transgression,
bruised for our iniquities. And let me show you this, Isaiah
53, turn over there a minute. Turn over there. And you know
what a lamb meant to the Israelites? It meant sacrifice. It's like
when Abraham and Isaac started up that mountain, the boy said,
Dad, Father, you have the fire and the man. I have the wood,
where's the lamb? There's no worship of God without
a lamb and a knife to slay a lamb, and the blood to be shed. God
said, I've given you the blood upon the altar. It'll make an
atonement for your soul. Without the shedding of blood,
there's no remission. And it says here in Isaiah 53,
verse 7, he was oppressed, he was afflicted, yet he opened
not his mouth. He's brought as a lamb to the
slaughter. As a lamb to the slaughter. That's what it says about him.
In verse 11, we're going to come back to this in a minute, but
he's going to see the travail of his soul, shall be satisfied
by his knowledge, shall my righteous servant justify many, he'll bear
their iniquities. So they knew that. I know these
things. They knew he would be from God.
They knew he would be a man, seed of woman, seed of Abraham,
house of David. They knew that he would have
to do with sins. Redeeming them. Redeeming them. He'd have to do with righteousness.
He'd have to do with reconciliation. And then they knew he would have
to do with blood atonement. He would have to do with this
sin offering, this lamb. And then they knew this. They
knew he'd be a prophet like Moses, who would speak for God. They
knew he would be a priest like Melchizedek. Turn to Psalm 110.
Psalm 110. They knew he'd be a priest like
Melchizedek because David writes about it here in Psalm 110, verse
4. The Lord hath sworn and will
not repent. Well, let's go back to verse
1. The Lord said unto my Lord. Now, this is that scripture I
quoted this morning. When our Lord Jesus Christ said,
why, he said, what think ye of the Christ? Whose son is he?
You remember he said that to the Pharisees? They said, well,
he's the son of David. He's the son of David. Then our Lord said,
why did David call him Lord? And this is a psalm he quoted.
David said, the Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right
hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall
send the rod of thy strength out of Zion. Rule thou in the
midst of thine enemies and thy people. shall be willing in the
day of thy power in the beauty of holiness from the womb of
the morning thou hast to do of thy youth the Lord has sworn
and will not repent thou art a priest thou art a priest and
a man's not a priest who doesn't have an offering a man's not
a priest who doesn't have a sacrifice a man's not a priest who doesn't
have a blood atonement these people I tell you they weren't
in the dark I used to think that they just took a shot in the
dark on all this thing, you know? They said, well, somebody's coming.
They knew something about this somebody. Brother, they did. Moses, when he said, God, raise
up a prophet like me, and you listen to it. I'll show you something
in a minute about Eve. You raise up a man, a man-child,
and that man-child will have to do with redemption. He'll
have to do with righteousness. He'll bring in righteousness.
He'll have to do with a sin offering, and he'll be a priest. And not
only that, but he'll be a king with authority. Now turn to Hebrews
1. Let me show you this in Hebrews
chapter 1. Now this is so clear in Hebrews chapter 1, verse 1
and 2. Now I want you to listen to this.
In Hebrews 1, verse 1. Listen to it. God, who at sundry
times and in different manners, spake in times past unto the
fathers by the prophets, what do you speak about? Redemption. God never speaks to, what does
God say one time in the sermon? God never speaks to nor will
be spoken to with a sinner or by a sinner except through a
priest, except through a righteousness, except through a sacrifice, except
through a Redeemer. Well, what do you speak to these
fellows about? Redemption. That's what he talked about.
Verse 2, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son. What
did his Son say? He said, Come unto me and I'll
give you rest, I'll give you life. Talk about redemption.
That's what God's message is. It's redemption. God spoke to
them and God never speaks to sinners except on the basis of
redemption. Now let me show you something.
I said these people were not in the dark. Don't be misled
into thinking these Old Testament believers didn't know what God
was promising them and what to expect. But the second thing,
the revelation that they had of the Christ, the revelation
of the Christ, was not as full and complete as the one we have. But let me tell you this, we
don't know enough about it or as much as we could know if we
apply ourselves to it. Now I'll just tell you this,
it's my guess that Moses and David and Isaiah knew a whole
lot more about the Christ than we do, because they studied it
more. They were more interested in
it. The average person knows nothing about what I'm talking
about tonight. The Christ and the Messiah and the Prophet,
the Redeemer, and the fulfillment of Scripture? Sure we think we
do. We say we're living in the days
of great illumination and great enlightenment and great all these
things, you know. We haven't profited much by it.
I'll tell you that. Their revelation was not as full
and complete as ours could be. Let's put it that way. As ours
could be. But God revealed His glory and
redemption to them. Now turn to Genesis 3.15. Let
me show you something. Here is what I believe to be
the first prophecy of the Messiah. The first prophecy concerning
the Christ in Genesis 3.15. He says, he's talking to the
serpent. You remember Satan tempted Eve and Adam. Eve fell, gave
to her husband. He did eat with his eyes wide
open. He was not deceived. Pure rebellion. Verse 15, and God said, I'll
put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and
her seed. And her seed will bruise your
head. Her seed will crush your power and your authority, destroy
your head. You'll bruise his heel. I could
spend a lot of time talking about the heel being Christ's human
nature. It was crucified on the cross and persecuted and mocked
and buffeted and harmed and hurt. But our Lord Jesus reigned in
authority even on the cross. But when he died, he put Satan
out of business. He crushed his power. But what
I want to talk about tonight in this particular point is he
said something to that serpent and that woman heard that promise.
That woman heard it. And Adam heard it. Now Adam and
Eve were nobody's fools. They were fools in a way that
they rebelled against God. Any man's a fool that rebels
against God. But Adam and Eve were smart and intelligent. Our
parents weren't cavemen. Now you just get that through
our heads that these Noah's smart enough to build an ark to withstand
the flood while everybody else drowned. He must have been a
pretty intelligent man. And Adam was an intelligent genius,
and Adam and Eve heard these things that God said. They participated
in these promises. And all that God told them is
not recorded here. And here's what Adam and Eve,
here's what they were looking for. They were looking for a
man. to come from Eve, a Redeemer,
a Savior to come from Eve, out of Eve. Some way they were looking
for Him to come from Eve. Now when she had her first son,
Genesis 4-1, and Adam knew Eve, his wife, and she conceived and
bear Cain, her first son, the first birth, the first boy, and
she said, now here's what she said, the King James says, I've
gotten a man from the Lord. But you check some of the better
translations. And this is what she said when
she held that baby in her arms. Imagine the miracle of this birth.
She never knew anything about this. There was no birth before.
There was no understanding of this. God, she simply remembered. And I tell you this, no man,
no man has ever gone from corruption to holiness. But Adam certainly
went from holiness to corruption. Now, Paul said this, he said,
when I went to the third heaven, I saw things that wasn't lawful
to utter. And I'll tell you, Adam and Eve, they knew what
it was to fall from that state to this state. And they were
looking for a redeemer. Brother, they were anticipating
and expecting and awaiting and anxiously wanting somebody to
restore them back to the favor of God. Somebody restore them
back to the paradise back to Eden out of which they'd been
thrown by God and when she saw that baby Gave birth to that
child and took him in her arms. You want she said she said here's
what she said. I've gotten the man The Lord
himself you check and see if that's not what she said one
writer said Jehovah himself is what she said Here he is! I've gotten him! He's here! The
promise is fulfilled! Well, it will be, Eve, but not
yet. That one you've got, that's a
product of Adam, and he turned into a murderer. And every son
of Adam has always been a murderer. We're all murderers, every one
of us. She said, I never shot anybody. You'd like to. Many
a time, right? And Christ said to hate in your
hearts to be guilty already of murder. So this was a murderer. See, that's the only kind of
child that Adam can produce, is a murderer. We murdered God
or tried to, nailed Him to a cross. We're murderers. That's what
we are. Everyone of us are murderers. Just like Cain. Don't be too
harsh with Cain. We're just like him. We were
born to the same daddy and mama. We're murderers. But I tell you,
when Christ came to see the woman, He's born of God. He's the Son
of God. And he's no murderer. He's a
pure and holy one. All right, what about Abel's
sacrifice? Turn to Hebrews 11 a minute.
Hebrews 11. Now you know the story, how these
two boys... And let me tell you something.
This sacrifice that Abel brought, this blood, he didn't do that
by chance. He didn't do that as a ritual.
He did that because his daddy, who was taught of God, instructed
him, when he worshipped God, to bring a lamb, and to bring
a sin offering, and to bring a blood offering. That's the
reason he did it. I'll show you that here in Hebrews 11, verse
4, it says, By faith, by faith Abel offered the sacrifice. He
offered it, Joe, on the basis of faith. Faith in God, faith
in the expected Redeemer, faith in the coming Christ. He offered
this by faith. Cain didn't offer his sacrifice
by faith. Cain's sacrifice was born of
his pride. Cain's sacrifice was born of
his human logic and human reasoning. Cain's sacrifice was born of
the principle of bargaining with God. I'll bring you something,
God, and you give me something. Something for thee. That's that
song Darch and I were looking at this afternoon. Something
for thee. I'll bring something for you and you do something
for me. But Abel came by faith. Now watch it. He offered a more
excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness
that he was righteous. What's that say to you? He believed
God and he was righteous, same way Abraham was righteous. He
believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. And
he brought this sacrifice not in order to make him righteous,
but because he was a righteous man in his thoughts about God. He was righteous in his thoughts
about himself, and righteous in his thoughts about God, and
righteous in his thoughts about Christ, the sin offering. And
his sin offering says he was a sceptic man, a righteous man
in Christ Jesus. And I'll tell you this, I can't
believe that Abel's sacrifice of blood was a matter of form.
I can't believe it. when God said he offered it by
faith. And Cain's rebellion, Cain's wrath, followed his rebellion. His wrath against his brother
was nothing in the world but the outcrop of his wrath against
God. God rejected his sacrifice and
he couldn't touch God. He couldn't kill God. He takes
it out on his brother. Takes it out on his brother.
How sad. How sad. All right, let's turn
to Jude 14. Jude 14. Now here's a fellow Enoch. And
I want you to sometime get your Bible and study how these men's
lives overlapped one another. You see, Adam knew Methuselah,
didn't he? And Methuselah knew Noah. There
were only three men. They knew one another. Adam lived
800 and some odd years, Methuselah lived 900 and some odd years,
and Noah came along with his heart, you know, and these fellas
knew each other. It's like me knowing my son Paul
here. I listen to Brother Barnard preach
the gospel, I preach the gospel, Paul hears the gospel, he'll
tell his son the gospel. You just got three generations
there. We just got three from Adam to Noah, three men. They
knew one another. They told this gospel that God
taught them, this gospel. They knew He was coming. It says
here, Enoch, the seventh from Adam. That doesn't mean the seventh
as each one of them died, but the seventh generation from Adam.
Listen to Jude, Jude chapter, or verse 14, 15. And Enoch, also
the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these sayings of these, saying,
Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints."
Recognize who he's talking about? Christ. You know what he's talking
about, Charlie? He's talking about the second
coming of Christ. The Lord's coming, the Lord Jehovah's coming
with his saints whom he has already come and redeemed to execute
judgment. Here's Enoch talking about the
second coming. They talked about the second
coming before he came the first time. In fact, his second coming
is so much about it in the Old Testament that they got the two
comings confused. They thought he was coming as
a king the first time, but he came as a lamb. He comes as a
king the second time. Let's look at John 8, 56. Our
Lord talking here about Abraham. And I'm not going to take the
time tonight, but I wish you'd read Genesis 22, that whole discussion. about Abraham and Isaac and the
sacrifice there. In John chapter 8, verse 56,
our Lord said, Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He saw
it and was glad. He saw it and was glad. He saw
my day. He saw the day of the Christ, the day of the Messiah.
Now brethren, there are a lot of things about Abraham. God
promised him a seed. miraculous son. He believed God. He believed God. Now when that
son was about 14 or 15 years of age, God came to him and said,
take that boy up on the mountain and offer him as a burnt offering
to me. And that old man headed straight
for that mountain. Straight for that mountain. He
believed God. Now I know these things would have gone through
our mind. What am I going to tell Sarah?
This is the only child she's ever had. And she had this child
when she was 95 years old. What am I going to tell her,
that I took him up on a mountain and killed him? He never even
considered having to tell her that. What am I going to tell
my neighbors? My neighbors all know I believe
in God. My neighbors are cannibals, they eat each other. My neighbors
are pagans and heathens, and they destroy each other and offer
human sacrifices. And I take my own son, I'm a
believer in God, I've stood for God, with God, for these 50,
70 years. I've preached righteousness,
and I've preached godliness, and I've preached His sovereignty,
and I take my own son up on a mountain and kill him. Just what am I
going to tell my neighbors? He never discussed that, Mike.
Because he knew he was bringing that boy back. He knew, he considered
God had already raised him from the dead. Doesn't the Bible say
that? Abraham knew that boy. He told those fellas when he
started up, what am I going to tell these fellas with me? He
said, the lad and I are going up there and worship, and the
lad and I'll be back. That's exactly, I read that to
you this morning. We'll be coming back. You had faith like that,
you'd be saved. That's exactly right. He believed
God. Now I tell you, because this
seed of his, Isaac, is Christ. And then I'll show you something
else. Turn to John 5, verse 45. Our Lord said here about Moses.
He said, Moses wrote of me. John 5, 45. He said, don't think
that I'll accuse you of the Father. There's one that'll accuse you,
Moses, in whom you trust. For had you believed Moses, you'd
have believed me. He wrote of me. Moses wrote of me and you
believe not his writings. How can you believe my words
Moses? Do you do you not believe that Moses and Aaron saw Christ
in that Passover lamb? And Moses was an intelligent
Moses was a keen minded man and Moses saw that Passover lamb
and the way it that way it was selected firstborn or rather
the first thing of the flock it was put up and observed and
Its blood was shed, it went to a particular way of roasting
it, of eating it all with unleavened bread, of putting the blood on
the door. Don't you know this intelligent man, taught of God,
saw something in that? Saw the land, and when he had
observed, he's the one that built the tabernacle. God gave him
the specification. That tabernacle's Christ! And
God gave him the specific specifications personally on top of that mountain.
Moses knew Christ. I'll tell you this, even before
that, turn to Hebrews a minute. Now let me show you something. The Christ. He knew the Christ.
He knew the Christ. He knew about the Christ. Look
here, if you will, in Hebrews 11, chapter 11, verse 23. Now
listen to this. Hebrews 11, verse 23. Or verse 24, by faith Moses,
by faith, when he was come to years, refused the throne of
Egypt, the son of Pharaoh, choosing rather to suffer the afflictions
of the people of God, rather to enjoy the pleasures of sin
for a season. And that's all I heard preached
when I was a boy. There's another verse right below that. That's
a semicolon there, not a period. Esteeming the reproaches for
Christ. or of Christ greater riches than
the treasures of Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense
of the reward." He knew. Oh, yes, he knew. I believe he
knew. And then turn to Genesis 49.
I want you to listen to this, Genesis 49. I just love this. You know, Jacob, whom God called
the prince, Israel and his twelve sons, he's down in Egypt, he's
dying now, and he calls these boys around him. In verse 2 of
Genesis 49, Jacob called his sons and said, verse 2, gather
yourselves together and listen to me. Reuben, you're my firstborn. He blessed him. Simeon, verse
5, and Levi are brethren. He talked about them. Verse 8,
listen to this. Here's Jacob, the old man, about
to go to glory, blessing his sons. He said, Judah, that's
the kingly tribe. Thou art he whom thy brethren
shall praise. Thy hand shall be in the neck
of thine enemies. Thy father's children shall bow
down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp from
the prey. My son, thou art gone up. He
stooped down, he couched as an old lion, who shall rouse him
up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from
between his feet, until Shiloh come. Unto him shall the gathering
of the people be. What's the word Shiloh mean?
It means the Messiah, the one of peace. That's what that's
what Jacob said. Old Jacob. Old Iron Jacob. He called his boys when he got
to Judah. He said, Judah, you're gonna
be a king. Your tribe's a kingly tribe.
Men like David are coming from you. But I'll tell you this,
the scepter is not going to depart from Judah. till in Bethlehem's
manger Shiloh was born." That's exactly what he said. Yes, sir. And then Isaiah 53. Turn over
to Isaiah. Isaiah 53. And I must move along,
but Isaiah 53. Oh, if we just had the time tonight
to go just phrase by phrase. Isaiah said, Who hath believed
our report? And could you believe that this is written hundreds
of years before the Christ came, before Jesus of Nazareth came?
To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? He shall grow up before
God as a tender plant. Not going to come to this earth
on a white horse with a kingdom, with a lot of followers. Going
to grow up like a little tender plant, like a seed out of the
ground, as a root out of a dry ground. That's the nation of
Israel, a dry ground, a root that looks like it's dead. He'll
have no form, no comeliness. When we see him, no beauty. We
should desire him. There's no beauty about Jesus
Christ, just a rough carpenter. Well, we know him, the carpenter,
wine-bibber, gluttonous man, friend of sinners. He's not anybody. He doesn't wear satin and silk. King's clothing doesn't sit on
a throne who are his followers? Nobody that's anybody no education
verse 3. He's despised He's rejected of
anybody that was anybody a man of sorrows acquainted with grief
Well, he we his it were our faces from him He was despised and
we esteemed him not but he hath borne our griefs and carried
our son. That's the reason he came that way he was a man a
Redeemer and You see, by man came death, by man came the resurrection. By man came sin, by man the restoration. By man came iniquity, by man
the cleansing. You see, God required righteousness
of men. Not only, my friend, must we
have a sin offering, not only must we have forgiveness and
pardon, but we've got to have a righteousness. A complete,
full, accepted, perfect obedience to all that God's written and
Christ did just that. He fulfilled all righteousness
as a man. As a man. As a man. Isaiah knew what he's talking
about. Verse 12, therefore will I divide him a portion with the
great, he shall divide the spoiled with the strong, because he poured
out his soul unto death. He was numbered with the transgressors,
he was one of them. He bared the sins of many, he
made intercession for the transgressors, our mediator. If I could get
one thing across to you tonight, it would be this, the unity of
the scriptures in regard to the person of Christ. The unity of
the scriptures. The Old Testament says someone's
coming. The four gospels say someone
has come. The epistles say someone's coming
again. Look for him. That's the unity
of sacred scriptures. According to the scriptures,
this Jesus is the Christ. Now turn to Luke 24. When our
Lord Jesus Christ was talking to his disciples after his resurrection,
After his resurrection, he said to them in Luke 24, verse 25,
Oh, he said unto them, fools and slow of heart to believe
all that the prophets have spoken. All that the prophets have spoken.
Ought not Christ have suffered these things? And let me say
that, let me shock you a little bit. I'm saying this, I know a lot
of preachers say, they don't preach much from the Old Bible.
And we talk about being New Testament Christians. Now, my friends,
when Christ talked to his disciples, he said, you ought to believe
the prophets. You ought to believe the prophets.
That's where the message is. This is the fulfillment, I know.
Christ is the fulfillment. But that's the foundation. The
foundation is in the Old Testament. Now listen, read on. Ought not
Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His
glory, beginning at Moses? Our Lord began at Moses. Here
He is teaching people salvation, teaching people His redemptive
work in person. He began at Moses and the prophets
and expounded unto them in the Scriptures the things concerning
Himself. He died for our sins according
to the Scriptures. He was buried rose again according
to the Scriptures. Hold that right there and turn to the book
of Acts. Let me show you something. Chapter 26. This is what I told
you I was going to show you that I sit in this afternoon out on
the patio reading this scripture, and it just jumped right out
at me. In Acts chapter 26, and here's the Apostle Paul witnessing,
preaching to King Agrippa. Now listen to this. In verse
19, he said, wherefore King Agrippa? I was not disobedient to the
heavenly vision. I read that to show you who he's
talking to. Now verse 22, he says, having therefore obtained
help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to
the small and great, saying none of the things than those which
the prophets and Moses said should come. Paul said, that's my message,
what these men said. I've got to lay this foundation.
I've got to declare what Moses and the prophets said in order
to show you that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of these things,
that you might believe on Him as the Christ. These things are
written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ. You
can't call on Him, look to Him, believe on Him, rest in Him unless
you're assured that He's God's Christ. You've got another Jesus. I'm not through. Read on. That
Christ should suffer and that he should be the first that should
rise from the dead and should show light to the people and
to the Gentiles. And as he thus spake for himself, Fister said
with a loud voice, you're crazy. Paul, you're beside yourself. Much learning hath made you mad.
And he said, I'm not mad, most noble Festus, but I speak the
words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these
things before whom I speak freely. I'm persuaded that none of these
things are hidden from the king. These things were not done in
a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? You see
that question? Paul, do you believe the prophets?
He said, do you believe me? Do you believe Peter, James,
and John? He said, what I want to know is do you believe the
prophets? Do you believe what they're saying? Do you believe
what is written back here? That's what he's asking. Do you
believe the prophets? I tell you this, if you're not
careful, if you're not careful, if you're not aware, enough aware
of who this is talked about in the Old Testament, described,
defined, typified, You may find yourself trusting the wrong Savior. The Bible doesn't tell you to
accept Jesus as your personal Savior. It does tell you to bow
to Him as the Lord's Christ. That's right. You better find out who the Lord's
Christ is. Now listen. Paul said, King Agrippa,
do you believe the prophets? I know you do. And Agrippa said,
you almost persuaded me to be a Christian. a Christ believer,
a Christ lover, a Christ worshiper, and Jesus is the Christ. Brethren,
I told you this morning, this is the subject. This is the subject
of subjects where we're concerned. The subject where God's concerned,
He's holy, He's God. Behold, you're God. And the subject
where we're concerned is this God's been pleased to do something
for us He'd been pleased to set forth from the first promise.
Christ was that light in the darkness of Eden. Christ was
that life in the death of Eden. Christ was that Redeemer in the
fall of Eden, that Restorer. Christ is the Emancipator, the
Liberator. Christ is the Reconciler. And
from the time God said He'd come as the seed of woman, He kept
saying more and more about Him. And when Christ came, He said,
I am He. And those who were saved believed
Him. that he was the Christ that believed him. Isaiah said, Behold, the Lord
himself shall give you a sign. A virgin shall conceive and bring
forth a son. Thou shalt call his name Immanuel,
which is God with us. Turn to Matthew 1. And here the
angel, when he announced the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, he
said to Joseph, verse 21 of Matthew 1, shall bring forth a son I
shall call his name Jesus he shall save his people from their
sins verse 22 of Matthew 1 now all this was done that it might
be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying
behold a virgin shall be with child bring forth a son I shall
call his name Emmanuel which is being interpreted God with
us This Christ, not only born of woman in the flesh, but as
a man, by man came sin, by man came the resurrection. He'll
bring in a perfect righteousness. Jeremiah said, He is the Lord,
our righteousness. And Paul in Romans 3, turn to
Romans 3, Romans chapter 3, listen to this. Paul says, Christ is
that perfect righteousness. He's the one that dealt with
it. Romans 3 verse 19, we know what things the law saith that
saith unto them under the law that every mouth may be stopped
and all the world become guilty. Therefore by the deeds of the
law no flesh shall be justified in God's sight. By the law is
the knowledge of sin, but now the righteousness of God without
the law is manifested, witnessed by the law and the prophets.
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus the
Christ. Brethren, this is where it all
settled right here. The lamb, the sin offering. Christ,
our Passover. John the Baptist said, behold
the lamb of God. Peter said we're redeemed with
a lamb without spot or blemish. Turn to Psalm 22, just a moment.
Let me show you something for you to study on your own. My
time is gone, but I want to give you something to study on your
own. Psalm 22 is the cross. Everybody knows that. My God,
why hast thou forsaken me? That's our Lord speaking. I'm
a man, I'm a worm, and no man will reproach of me. And verse
six, all that see me shoot out their lips and laugh me to scorn
and shake their heads. They trusted the Lord that he
would deliver them. You heard that at the cross. Verse 16,
they pierced my hands and my feet. Verse 18, they part my
garments among them, cast lots upon my vesture. That's the cross,
the cross. You don't think David knew something
about what he's writing? That's the cross. All right,
look at the comfort in Psalm 23. This Lord is my shepherd. This Lord is my shepherd. Verse
3, he restores my soul. Verse 5, he prepares a table.
My cup runneth over. Verse 6, surely goodness and
mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I'll dwell
in the house of the Lord forever. That's the comfort. Psalm 24,
what's that? That's the crown. In verse 9,
lift up your heads, O ye gates, even lift them up, ye everlasting
doors, and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King
of glory? It's the Lord of hosts. There's
his cross, there's his comfort, and there's his crown. Three
Psalms right there together. This Christ is a priest. I read
that to you in Psalm 110. A priest forever after the order
of Melchizedek. And Paul repeated that four times
in Hebrews 7. Jesus Christ is a priest forever
after the order of Melchizedek. And my friends, this is the message
that all of these New Testament preachers preached when they
found an anxious center or an inquiring center. Turn to Acts
chapter 8, let me show you. In Acts the 8th chapter. That's
what Peter preached on Pentecost. He said, this same Jesus whom
you crucified, God hath made Lord and Christ. And here in
Acts chapter 8, verse 35, when Philip found that Ethiopian eunuch
reading Isaiah 53, he began at the same scriptures and preached
to him Jesus. He didn't say, that's the old
Bible. He just said, leave that right where you are, son. We're
going to talk about redemption. Just leave that right where you
are. I wish we could learn to do that. Leave that right where
you are. Leave that right there at Exodus
12 on the Passover, we'll talk about Christ. Leave that right
there at Genesis 3 15, we'll talk about Christ. Leave that
right there at Isaiah 32, we'll talk about Christ. Leave that
right there at Psalm 22, we'll talk about Christ. Do you believe
the prophets? Do you believe the prophets? You don't believe
the prophets, you don't believe Christ because the prophets wrote
of him. If you'd have believed him, you'd believe me, our Lord
said. Turn to Acts 13. Let's listen to Paul twice and
we'll quit. Acts 13, 22. Paul said in Acts 13, 22. And when he had removed him,
talking about Saul, he raised up David to be their king. Acts
13, 22. To whom also he gave testimony
and said, I found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my
own heart, He will fulfill my will, and of that man's seed
hath God, according to his promise, raised unto Israel a Savior,
Jesus." That's my message. That's my message. Acts 26, 22. I said I'd give you two scriptures
by Paul. Acts 26, 22. This is what I read
a while ago, what Paul told Agrippa. He said in verse 22 of Acts 26,
through the help of God, I continue this day witnessing
to the small and great, saying none other things than those
which the prophets and Moses said should come to pass. That's
my message. I preach Christ and him crucified, that Christ should
suffer, he be the first that should arise from the dead, show
light to the Gentiles and to the people. Romans 1. Romans
1. Paul summed up the gospel here
and he said, Paul, a bond slave of Jesus Christ, called him an
apostle separated to the gospel of God, which he promised afore
by his prophets in the Holy Scripture concerning his son, Jesus Christ
our Lord, which was made of the seed of David, according to the
flesh, and declared to be the Son of God." Made of the seed
of David, declared to be the Son of God with power. by the
resurrection from the dead. I ask you what Paul asked Agrippa,
do you believe the prophets? Do you believe the prophets?
Do you believe this book? Not a book of poetry, not a book
of romance or a book of history, it's a book of redemption. And
that redemption is in a person, the God-man, who would come and
bring in a righteousness and accomplish a redemption and go
back to glory with authority. Rain till all his enemies become
his footstool and I'm here to announce that that one born to
Mary Who walked on this earth 33 years and died on that cross
Jesus of Nazareth is that Messiah? He's that Christ and he's my
Lord and I bow with Thomas at his feet and I kiss his feet
and I say my Lord and my God and you know something I'm saved
on the basis of that faith That's what this book says God Almighty
cannot send a man to hell for whom Christ died. I believe it. Jesus is the Christ. Therefore I'm born of God. Our
dear Lord, give us an understanding of the prophets, the things which
they have written. We know in part, I know we know
in part, I wish we knew more. We'll know more someday. We preach
in part with a limited understanding, but Lord, This understanding
includes a revelation of who he is and what he did and why
he did it and where he is now. We believe and assure that Jesus
Christ is your son and he's the fulfillment of all that the prophets
have written. We look not for another, we look
for him who has come and who will come.