SPRING REVIVAL 2009 @ GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH

EVERYONE is invited to the Spring Revival at Grace Baptist Church coming April 27th - 29th. Our Guest Preacher will be Pastor Bobby Stewart of Redemption Baptist Church in Morgan County. We will have special singing Nightly at 7:00PM. Come Join us...there's never been a better time to get back into church!

THE ONLY "MESSIAH" PROPHECY?

DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE "MESSIAH" PROPHECY? Whoa! Wait a minute preacher! There are lots of prophecies about the Messiah!
True, but did you know that the Old Testament contains only one prophecy that mentions THE MESSIAH by name? This is found as part of the Seventy Weeks prophecy in Daniel 9:25,26.

"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall even in
troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the
prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood and unto
the end of the war desolations are determined."

This is the only prophecy which names the Messiah doing anything from the Old Testament, although there are certainly other references. Now if you wanted to know what the Messiah would do, wouldn't you first go to the one prophecy that actually names him as such?

I had the opportunity to converse with a Rabbi and according to Judaism, Jesus couldn't possibly be the Messiah because he died. But wait, what did the one prophecy say about the Messiah when he appears? It said he would come at a particular time and when he arrived he would be "cut off" but it also said, "not for himself." Did you catch that? The Bible said that when Messiah comes he will DIE FOR OTHERS! Yet the Rabbis would say he can't be the Messiah because Messiah doesn't die...WRONGO! The Messiah must Die when he comes...die for others and that's exactly what the Lord Jesus did when he came!

WHATS SO BAD ABOUT A BELIEVER DYING?

APART FROM THOSE CHRISTIANS ALIVE WHEN THE RAPTURE OCCURS, WE WILL ALL FACE THE CHILLING HAND OF DEATH. (nice way to start off a post huh?)

Nevertheless this is the truth. Death is seen as an enemy, but what is so bad about a believer dying?

IS IT THE PAIN?

1. 
   
   Pain is felt by the mortal body, but death is separation from the mortal body.


2. 
   
   Those believers who die have left pain behind along with the problems of life.


3. 
   
   So, it can't be Pain...

IS IT THE LOSS OF HOPE?

1. 
   
   Actually, for a believer, death is HOPE realized!


2. 
   
   Jesus is our hope of Eternal life...in death we find that promise fulfilled.


3. 
   
   "For to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord"


4. 
   
   So, it can't be a loss of hope...

IS IT FEAR?

1. 
   
   Death is mentioned as something that stings, but we often fear things which cannot harm us.


2. 
   
   Death, for a believer, is like a garter snake...no fangs...it might look like something dangerous, but there's really nothing to fear.


3. 
   
   The "sting" of death was sin and the penalty of God's law for sin, which is eternal separation (second death)...but through faith in Jesus Christ the penalty of sin has been paid for us, so it can't be fear...

IS IT THE LOSS OF MORTAL LIFE?

1. 
   
   Mortal life is only temporary for any of us!


2. 
   
   In Christ the mortal shall put on immortality and the life to come and the glorified body promised are far better!


3. 
   
   Believers who die leave behind: pain, sorrow, troubles / trials...they would never trade what they have now to come back to the mortal body!


4. 
   
   In fact, they would rather see you leave the mortal body to come to where they are now with Christ for it is far better, so it can't be a loss of mortal life...

THE ANSWER IS THAT IT IS A LOSS OF FELLOWSHIP WITH THOSE WHO PASS!

1. 
   
   We who are left behind in the mortal life long for their company but can no longer have it...we miss them being with us here.


2. 
   
   We are left here wondering about mysteries they already fully understand!!


3. 
   
   But our hope is also in Jesus Christ and so we have the assurance that though they will not come back to us, our loss of fellowship is only temporary! We will one day join them!