Jesus is the Indisputable Word - He is THE Messiah
Pray – (1/2 minute)
Read – (2 1/2 minutes) – “Now this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priest and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.” (John 1:19-20)
Passage: Luke 4:16-30
When John the Baptist came on the scene in Israel, the buzz around him grew louder and louder. He spoke about being the forerunner of the Messiah, which was the final prophetic word from Malachi, who gave the last prophetic word recognized as scripture in 430 B.C. Many people wondered if he might actually be the Messiah, but John was emphatic in his denial. He was not the Christ, which is the Greek word for Messiah.
There had been men in Jewish history who had claimed to be the Messiah, but every one of them was false. Proving a false Messiah was easy, because there were around 300 prophecies that were made that would identify the Messiah. The true Messiah would have to line with every one. Not 99%. 100%. Jesus fulfills 100%. A professor of Mathematics in mid 1900’s named Dr. Peter Stoner, took 8 of those prophecies and made a conservative calculation of the probability of one man fulfilling those 8. They were things like, place of birth, being betrayed, the amount of money paid to the betrayer, the method of execution, etc. Most of the 8 were things that no one could manipulate. He calculated the probability at 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000. The evidence for Jesus being the Messiah is indisputable, but yet most of the world still does not believe. It is not only rational to believe, it is the only way to experience the gift of salvation that comes with believing and confessing Jesus is the Christ and Lord of all. He is the Word of Christmas.
Apply - (2 1/2 minutes)
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Pray - (1 1/2 minutes)