TELECAST SERMON FOR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2018 "WHO IS THE MESSIAH?" HEAD PASTOR BILLY HAN, JR.

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1 TELECAST SERMON FOR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2018 "WHO IS THE MESSIAH?" HEAD PASTOR BILLY HAN, JR. Thank you Jose! What a glorious day to read the Word of God with you, as I present my sermon entitled, "WHO IS THE MESSIAH?," generated and inspired by God's Holy Spirit. Have you ever sought help to overcome some monumental problems, and not found that help? Have you needed guidance and direction to do right in the eyes of God, that is, to live a life above sin? In these times of peril, have you wished for that special protection to sustain you, whether in or out of the House of God? Well, look no further. The answers to these questions are within your reach, and are found in the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Join us in these weekly telecasts, and I'm sure the solution will unfold before you. Nearly seven hundred and fifty years before the birth of the Savior, a remarkable prophecy was given concerning the birth of the Messiah. Not only did the Bible accurately foretell the time and conditions of His lowly birth in a lowly manger, they foretold His character as well. Listen to Isa. 9:6, "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." Turn back the pages of time 1900 years and look at this Wonderful Man as He walked upon this earth. We find this Wonderful Man sitting alone on an ancient well. The day was hot and humid, and Jesus was wearied from His journey. At that time a poor woman of Samaria came to draw water. Little did she realize that there, sitting before her, was One Who could give her a special kind of water and make known unto her that, although she was living a degraded life, she could receive His special gift, which would lead her towards eternal life. However, she would have to repent of her sins for she was living in adultery. Let us read of the encounter between Jesus and the woman in John 4:14-15, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst: but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw." Then Jesus revealed Himself unto her. She left her waterpot and ran into the city and said: "Come, see a man, which told me all things that I ever did. Is this not the Christ?" We read on in the 25-26th verses in which the woman saith unto Him, "I know the Messiah cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he." She discovered that He was the Messiah and found Him to be a wonderful man. 1

2 Listen to Acts 10:35, "But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." Now, we come to the grave of a young man. He had been dead four days. His sisters and friends mourned for him. Jesus explained to them that Lazarus was only asleep; His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleepeth, he shall do well." Jesus said unto them, "Lazarus is dead." We read in John 11:21-25, 27, 35, & 43. "Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead yet shall he live. She saith unto him, Yeah, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. Jesus wept. Then after looking up to Heaven in prayer, And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth." Lazarus who was dead came forth. Lazarus, no doubt, found Jesus to be a wonderful man. In the 26th verse, we read of Jesus, Who told them, "And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" Down through the centuries men and women found this Man to be wonderful, as prophesied by Isaiah. It is truly wonderful, what the Lord has done! Glory to His name. He pardoned our transgressions; He makes us white as snow; He sanctifies our soul; by His blood we are made whole; He brings us through affliction; He is with us in temptation; He prospers and protects us: His blessings ever flow; there's not a single blessing which we receive on earth that does not come from heaven, the source of our new birth! Jesus Christ, the second Adam, was born to give us second birth: a Spiritual one! Man cannot bring about this new birth by his own efforts, any more than a baby can cause his own conception and physical birth. Rebirth is something that God initiates and completes. Apart from this Spiritual rebirth, man remains outside of God's family. Anointed" has been the subject of conversation for almost 1900 years. This "Messiah, or the The questions are: "Who is the Messiah? How can I know the Messiah? and, When will the Messiah come?" There are many prophecies in the Bible, which tell of the coming of God's Anointed One and the clues or signs which will positively identify Him. One such clue is He will be born in Bethlehem. This was foretold by the prophet Micah, as we read in Micah 5:2, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." When the wise men from the East came to Herod seeking the birth place of the Messiah, Who was the Lord Jesus Christ, the scribes pointed to this verse as being a prophecy that it would be in Bethlehem. Though they knew the prophecy, they did not give their hearts to the One of Whom the prophets spoke. 2

3 There were two Bethlehems, one in Judah and the other in Zebulan. The Spirit of God, through the prophet, 70 years before the birth of Jesus, revealed the exact one in which He would be born. To make sure that there would be no misunderstanding, both Hebrew and the Aramaic names were given, Bethlehem and Ephratah, both of which mean "House of Bread." Both the Deity and humanity of Christ are clearly set and found in this verse: "As Man, He was born as a baby in Bethlehem; as God, He was 'from of old, from everlasting.'" You ask, "Where was the Son all this time?" We read in John 1:18, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." Isaiah tells us that the Savior was to be born of a virgin. The Hebrew word, translated virgin, occurs many times in the Old Testament and means an unmarried woman, chaste, pure and untouched. Therefore Isaiah's prophecy of the virgin birth of the Messiah was literally fulfilled when Christ was born. We read in Isa. 7:14-15, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign, Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good." The word: "Immanuel," means "God with us." When Jesus was born, God became "flesh and dwelt among us." Not only did Isaiah predict the virgin birth of Christ, but he proclaimed the Deity of Christ, as well, in this wonderful scripture. Paul tells us in I Tim. 3:16, "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." Another question is: "When will the person fulfilling this description come?" Actually, the Messiah has already come! Over 1900 years ago, Jesus was born in a manger at Bethlehem. His mother was the virgin Mary. He was of the seed of Abraham. He was of the tribe of Judah. He was of the house of David and performed many wonder-working miracles: the blind received their sight; the lame walked; the lepers were cleansed; the deaf heard; the dead were raised to life, and the Gospel of the Kingdom of God was preached to the poor. He not only claimed to be God, but proved Himself to be God, by His words and by His works. Who is the Messiah? The Messiah of Israel is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself. Israel expected Him to come as a conquering militarist and in great splendor! Instead, He came in lowly grace. He was born in a manger, because there was no room for Him at the Inn. And today, there is no room in the hearts of people for Jesus. Throughout time since His birth, He has been despised and rejected of men. Yes, viewers, He died on the cross of Calvary for your sins, for my sins, and for the sins of the whole world. He made the perfect sacrifice once and for all, for without the shedding of blood, there could be no remission of sins. 3

4 He is the true Passover Lamb, Which taketh away the sin of the world, and the sin of the world today is unbelief in Christ Jesus. We read in John 16:9, "Of sin, because they believe not on me." The children of Israel could not enter into the Promised Land or enter into His rest because of unbelief. Jesus was buried, and on the third day, He rose triumphantly over death, hell and the grave. After that, He was seen by many witnesses. For forty days the risen Lord had been instructing the apostles "of things pertaining to the kingdom of God," teaching them from the scriptures. We read in Luke 24:47-48, "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things." And it began with Peter's sermon in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. We read in Acts 2:36, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God had made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." Yes, it was clear that Jesus was the Messiah! No message could have been more unwelcome to the Jews, who had rejected His Messianic claims and crucified Him. While Peter preached in power and demonstration of God's Holy Spirit, they, that heard, were pricked in their hearts, and asked, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" And that same question should be in the hearts of people, "What must I do to be saved?" We read in Acts 2:38, "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Yes, the Spirit of God fell upon the 120 believers, who tarried in the Upper Room for ten days, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost speaking in tongues, forming the First Church of which Christ was, and still is, the head. Peter gave the greatest altar call of all time. Three thousand souls accepted the Lord and were baptized in Jesus' name and filled with the Holy Ghost, as we read in the 41st verse, "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls." Praising God, they had all things common, and were acceptable to all the people. The Lord added to the church daily, such as should be saved. The word, "common" is sometimes called "first century communism." It is different from today's kind of Communism. The early Christians were unselfish and reasoned, "What's mine is yours." Today selfish communism claims, "What is yours is mine." Outside the name of Jesus one cannot be saved. We read Isa. 43:11, "I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no savior." This verse confirms Acts 4:12, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Today there are many very noble and upright people, who believe that their good life will earn them a home in heaven, but that is not so. 4

5 We read John 3:5, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God." And in the 7th verse it reads, "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." To be born of water is to be baptized by immersion in the name of Jesus. To be born of the Spirit, is to speak in tongues or an unknown language. Thus, we see by the Scriptures, that baptism is essential to salvation. We read in Mark 16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Salvation does not consist in merely joining a church and striving to live up to Christian principles. What it does mean is living to please God, which means living a life above sin. Paul tells us in Roms. 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Today this wonderful Messiah, the Mighty God Himself, offers not a literal, material kingdom, but a Spiritual Kingdom. During the time of Jesus, the kingdom was actually in the "midst" of the Pharisees in the persons of Jesus and His disciples. Jesus told the Pharisees that "The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold the kingdom of God is within you." The Bible tells us, "Had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." One day soon, Christ, the Messiah, will return to earth to set up His Kingdom. Those, who receive Him now, will reign and rule with Him. Will you, television viewers, receive the Messiah, Christ the Lord, the Son of the living, God and crown Him in your hearts, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Soon, we will be celebrating His birthday. Let us remember that one of His names is Wonderful! If you have never found forgiveness, peace, joy, and rest for your soul through Jesus, will you not now commit yourself to Him? As the song goes, "I was lost in sin, but Jesus rescued me, He's a wonderful Savior to me; I was bound by fear, but Jesus set me free. He's a wonderful Savior to me. Sweeter is his grace while pressing on my way, He's a wonderful Savior to me." Yes, it is truly wonderful what the Lord has done! The greatest miracle one can receive today is the salvation of his soul. This is the number one priority in the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Healing is secondary! There is no joy in heaven over one who receives the healing, but there is much joy in heaven when one sinner, repents and is saved, versus ninety-nine just persons, who need no repentance. Today is the day of salvation, for all who will hear his voice! There are many great nights mentioned in the Bible, some of them laden with tragedy and others bright with hope. It was a great night when God sent down His death angel into Egypt. It was tragic 5

6 for the Egyptians, because the firstborn in every home died that night. But it meant salvation for the Israelites, because they were safe behind the blood of the Lamb, which was without blemish. And it is this same salvation, which we enjoy in Christ Jesus. It was a great night when Jacob slept beneath the stars and dreamed of a ladder reaching up into heaven; with angels ascending and descending the ladder. But the greatest and grandest night of all time was that night when Jesus was born. He was born to be our Savior, born to die for our sins, born to save us, born that we might be reborn, and born to take us home to heaven someday. When the angels sang, "Glory to God in the Highest," the Son of man came into the world. What a night it was! It was a night which has meant more than any other night. When was Jesus born? We find the answer to that question in Gal. 4:4, "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a women, made under the law." Why didn't he come a hundred years before or a hundred years after? It was because God has a program for the world. He is always on time. He sent His Son when it was the best time for Him to come. Let us look at God's promises concerning the Savior. The whole situation started in the Garden of Eden. Man had just fallen into sin, and as a result, brought the whole human race tumbling down into utter ruin. Because the serpent had been used by the devil to tempt man, God pronounced a curse upon him. God said that the seed of a woman would bruise the head of the serpent. In other words, Jesus would some day crush Satan. In the manger was the baby Jesus, the seed of the woman. Man had nothing to do with His birth. We read Jer. 31:22, "How long wilt thou go about, o thou backsliding daughter? for the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth, A women shall compass a man." In other words a woman would bypass a man and would bring forth a child, being not of human parentage. This was truly a miracle indeed! When Father Abraham came, God told Him that through his descendants all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Jesus was the One destined to bless all nations. And true to this promise, history shows that He has done so. And we, who are of faith, are the children of Abraham, thus becoming Spiritual Israelites. The Jews made their contribution to this fullness of time. They were covenant people. God had committed His oracles to them. Every tabernacle and temple sacrifice pointed to the ultimate sacrifice, which was to be Christ upon the Cross. The Jews stood for monotheism. There was only one God, whose glory filled all the earth. This was the great contribution that they made to the world. This was the great truth which would sound out that men should worship God in Spirit and in truth, and Him only. The Greeks made their contribution to this fullness of time. Alexander the Great had conquered the known world. He had spread the Greek language near and far. 6

7 The time was at hand for Jesus to send His preachers out to every nation and preach the glorious "Gospel of the Kingdom of God" in a language which all men would understand. Jesus instructed His apostles to make "disciples" out of men, not "denominations." We all know that today throughout the world, language creates a barrier, but at that time the Greeks had removed the barrier. The Romans also made a contribution to this fullness of time. They had crushed the warring nations of the earth and peace reigned. It was a good time for the missionaries to go forth to preach Jesus and His perfect sacrifice. In addition, the Romans had built magnificent highways, making the journeys of the missionaries more bearable. And so it was a wonderful time for the Savior to come and bring His deep settled peace, which the world could not give. It is true that this earth is but a tiny speck among the planets and suns of the universe. But in God's sight our world is different. He has put a race of people upon this earth. The planet "earth" is the only planet, able to sustain human life. We read Isa. 40:22, "It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens, as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in." Thus, from this verse, we find that the earth is not flat, but a sphere or globe. Therefore, we who have been born again know Who the Messiah is. The Messiah was to come from the tribe of Judah-- Jesus did! The Messiah was to be a descendant of David--Jesus was! The Messiah was to be the Son of God--Jesus was and still is! If you would like to learn more about God s Word and the Church, and view these telecast presentations in their entirety, please visit our website at Until our next telecast, this is your host, Head Pastor Billy Han, Jr. expressing my sincerest appreciation to each of you, who have allowed us to come into your homes. May the good Lord bless and keep you all in the hollow of His hands. Entire contents of this text copyright 2018 by The Apostolic Faith Church (Jesus Coming Soon), Honolulu, Hawaii. All rights reserved. 7