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Welcome to this program "ComfortForToday.com." I am Doreen Palmer and each broadcast is based upon one of the short articles on my website www.ComfortForToday.com. Correspondence is welcome at our home address of 27 Dominion Gardens Drive, Georgetown, Ontario L7G 6B2.
Or if you have a computer you may write to us at Today we are going to consider just who this "Jesus" is.
Some of you may be old enough to remember the finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls in Israel. The reason the finding of these ancient scrolls in a cave untouched since the days before Jesus was so earth-shaking is that our book of Isaiah today is identical to the ancient Hebrew scrolls. Why is this important? It is important because Isaiah's prophecies about the birth, life, death, and resurrection of the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ, took place exactly as Isaiah foretold!
On my website I have listed (under Prophecy) 38 Old Testament prophecies which came to pass when Jesus lived here among us, but there are even more about His second coming which are not listed! Indeed the first and second comings are often intertwined because Isaiah himself did not understand the magnitude of God's plan to save the world.
But just listen to Isaiah 9, verse 6:
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and 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."
Ron Martin of Paris Ontario has written a song about these names of Jesus.
MUSIC: "Wonderful, Counselor"
I am now going to present to you article number 68 on the website called:
Every one of us must answer this question for ourselves,
"Is Jesus who He says He is, or is He an imposter?" Early in His ministry He warned those who knew his secret not to
tell anyone because He knew that when the news got out He would be
killed for blasphemy in claiming to be God (Matt.16:20). Even those
closest to him had difficulty in discovering his true identity. John the Baptist had spotted Jesus as the Christ (Messiah),
while baptizing him. A dove-like Spirit had appeared and a voice
from heaven said "This is My beloved Son" (Matt.3:16). The
following day John pointed Jesus out as "the Lamb of God who
taketh away the sins of the world" (John 1:29). Yet the same
John had doubts later on and sent his followers to ask Jesus,
"Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another"?
(Matt.11:2-3) Andrew told his brother Peter, "We have found the Messias
which is, being interpreted, the Christ" (John 1:41). Peter
was present that day on the mountain with Jesus when again a voice
said, "This is my beloved Son" (Matt.17:5). Peter spent
three years with Jesus and, at their last supper together, affirmed
Jesus as "the Christ the Son of the living God" (John
6:69), yet when Jesus was arrested, Peter fled and said he didn't
know Him (Matt.26:72). Twice the disciples had heard God say, "This is my beloved
Son." Yet they did not quite understand. Jesus said, "I have come in my Father's name" (John
5:43). "If you knew Me you would know my Father also"
(John 8:19). The Jewish religious leaders disliked such talk. This
ordinary man whose parents they knew was "calling God his own
Father, making himself equal with God" (John 5:18). For this
claim He was arrested and brought to trial. They asked Him if He
was the Christ, the Son of God, and He replied, "Yes, it is as
you say" (Matt.26:63-64). Small wonder they killed Him. He was
claiming to be God! The Jews, you see, were looking for the Messiah predicted by the
Old Testament prophets, one who would be a great king of Israel.
When they crowned their kings, they always
anointed them with oil as a sign of kingship. The
names "Christ" in Greek and "Messiah" in Hebrew
both mean "Anointed One." Because the Jews were expecting
an earthly king, they had no way of knowing that He would become a
King of hearts, a "King of kings and Lord of Lords" who
in a future day will rule the whole world (Rev.19:16). The names given the Christ-child help us identify him. Isaiah
gave Jesus a name hundreds of years before His birth (Isa.7:14),
the same name God told Joseph to name his unborn child,
"Immanuel, being interpreted, means God with us"
(Matt.1:23). The name itself foretold that He would indeed live
among us as a man, then as a Spirit in believers, and in a future
day return to rule as King of the whole earth (Zech.14:9). Born in a manger, He rode to Jerusalem on a donkey to attend His
mock coronation ceremony as "King of the Jews." When
arrested for blasphemy, a crown of thorns was placed on His head to
mock His claim of King. If you and I had lived in Israel in the
time of Christ, would we have recognized who Jesus was? I doubt it.
We would probably have thought that the religious leaders must know
better than us about these things. Even today, in spite of all
evidence to the contrary, many deny that Christ is truly a member
of the triune Godhead. But true Christians know who Jesus is. How do we know? "He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put
His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to
come" (2 Cor.1:22). We can feel his presence in our
bodies! Jesus truly is who He says He is, otherwise He died in vain!
(Gal.2:21).Is Jesus Who He Says He Is?