I have a question that puzzles me. Why is it that there are some people who readily accept Jesus as Lord; yet, there are others who don’t? And I’m talking about people in the same family. When I look back on my childhood, I remember how I felt about Jesus. I loved talking about Him. Other members of my family not so much. Some were converted later, and now they talk about Jesus, I get that. But still…
I wonder about what it takes to convince a person about God and Jesus. How much evidence does a person need before he or she will come to Jesus? And be converted! And be saved! And know Him as the God of love that He is… And worship Him. Yes! And actually desire to worship Him. How much evidence is needed?
I believe in God. I believe in Jesus and His word, the Holy Bible. In His word we find a gift. Do you like presents? The greatest present, the greatest gift ever given is the gift of salvation that God has given to the world through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Love was and still is fully revealed in the cross of Jesus Christ. In His birth as a human baby, in His life as a human man, in His suffering, in His humiliation and in His death. In His resurrection. In His ascension to heaven back to the right hand of God the Father. Yes! In all that and in His promise to come again, after He judges the world in righteousness. That’s in His righteousness.
So, how much evidence of the love of Jesus does a person need before he or she is converted?
Luke (chapter 24) records the story of two disciples walking to a place called Emmaus. It was a Sunday morning, the third day after Jesus was crucified. They had heard from the women who had seen the empty tomb, and who had told about speaking to angels. But these two disciples were in grief, because they had hoped that Jesus would have been the one who would redeem Israel. All of a sudden a stranger begins to walk with them asking them about their discussion. They do not know the stranger is Jesus. Jesus has been resurrected! It's true. Yet they do not know that. And they believe this poor stranger is simply unaware of what has happened. As Jesus listen's to them, their dashed hopes, He begins to teach them. The Scripture says, "And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself."
Would you like to know what things Jesus spoke to them?
Pastor Read presents the evidence from Scripture that proves Jesus is the Messiah, the One who was sent by God to the Savior of the world. But is this incontrovertible evidence enough? Will doubters and skeptics be convinced? What else is needed to convince sinners that Jesus is the Messiah?
Listen to his sermon here: Prophecies of the Messiah.