Steps Of an Unknown Writer

May theses words affect Jews and Gentiles everywhere.  May the Holy Spirit enable you to believe.  May these words touch your heart, for salvation is eternity.  And may the nations take heed.  His story continues…

PART TWO: The accomplishment of redemption by the sacrifice of Jesus, mankind’s rejection of God’s offer, and mankind’s utter defeat when trying to oppose the power of the Almighty.

“Behold the Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

“He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” (Isaiah 53:3)

“He gave His back to the smiters, and His cheeks to them that plucked off His hair: He hid not His face from shame and spitting.” (Isaiah 50:6)

“Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows!  He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him.” (Isaiah 53:4-5)

“And with His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

“All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6)

“All they that see Him laugh Him to scorn; they shoot out their lips, and shake their heads, saying: (Psalm 22:7)

“He trusted in God that He would deliver Him; let Him deliver Him, if He delight in Him.” (Psalm 22:8)

“Thy rebuke hath broken His heart: He is full of heaviness.  He looked for some to have pity on Him, but there was no man, neither found He any to comfort Him.” (Psalm 69:20)

“Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto His sorrow.” (Lamentations 1:12)

“He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgressions of Thy people was He stricken.” (Isaiah 53:8)

“But Thou didst not leave His soul in hell; nor didst Thou suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption.” (Psalm 16:10)

“Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in.  Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.  Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in.  Who is the King of Glory?  The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory.” (Psalm 24:7-10)

“Unto which of the angels said He at any time: Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten thee?” (Hebrews 1:5)

“Let all the angels of God worship Him.” (Hebrews 1:6)

“Thou art gone up on high; Thou hast led captivity captive, and received gifts for men; yea, even from Thine enemies, that the Lord God might dwell among them.” (Psalm 68:18)

“The Lord gave the word; great was the company of the preachers.” (Psalm 68:11)

“How beautiful are the feet of them: that preach the gospel of peace, and bring good tidings of good things.” (Romans 10:15)

‘Their sound is gone out into all lands, and their words unto the ends of the world.” (Romans 10:18; Psalm 19:4)

“Why do the nations so furiously rage together, and why do the people imagine a vain thing?  The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against His Anointed.” (Psalm 2:1-2)

“Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their yokes from us.” (Psalm 2:3)

“He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them to scorn; the Lord shall have them in derision.” (Psalm 2:4)

“Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” (Psalm 2:9)

“Hallelujah! for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.” (Revelation 19:6)

‘The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15)

“King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.” (Revelation 19:16)

Hallelujah!

Some people say things just happen for no reason.  I say things happen because God has  planned what will happen in the course of human history, and so it comes to pass.  Where does the idea, the inspiration to invent, to compose, to build, to make things come from anyway?  And to what end?  To glorify God or man?  Just think of what happened when the printing press was invented.  The common man could have his own Bible, and the printed Word could be carried all over the world.  How marvelous the workings of God. 

I want to tell you of two such men who were inspired by God to do a great work that  would honor and glorify His name.  Some 270 years have now passed since this work has gained world attention.  We hear this wonderful composition mostly around the Christmas season in churches and auditoriums.  It is one of the most recognized sounds today; it is Handel’s Messiah. 

In 1741-42, in London, England, events brought two men together to write the music and words to “Messiah,” A Sacred Oratorio.  Once Charles Jennens selected the words from the Old and New Testaments, Handel took the material and with his usual quick speed, composed this heartwarming masterpiece.    

I suppose most are familiar with the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus, “King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.”  But do you know the source and meaning of the words?  Hallelujah comes from the Hebrew and means, “praise God.”  King of Kings and Lord of Lords is taken from Revelation 19:16…”And He shall reign for ever and ever,” Revelation 11:15.  These are prophecies from the Bible that await a future fulfillment when the Lord shall appear at His Second Coming.  You see, what Charles Jennens did was take the Messianic prophecies about Jesus, the Messiah, and weaved the story of His first coming in prophecies already fulfilled.  Then he blended the prophecies of a future time when Christ will return again.  Even our future resurrection was selected from key Bible passages of both testaments and put to composition.

The ‘Libretto’ of the Messiah means the words from selected passages of Scripture that tell the story of the coming Messiah, arranged in three parts.  As we journey through this most amazing composition, see if you can determine which prophecies have already been fulfilled, and those that still await a future fulfillment.    

Introduction:

“And without controversy, great is the Mystery of Godliness: God was manifested in the Flesh, justified by the Spirit, seen of Angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on the world, received up in Glory.” (1 Timothy 3:16)

“In whom are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge.” (Colossians 2:3)

PART ONE: The prophecy and realization of God’s plan to redeem mankind by the coming of the Messiah.

“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.  Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned.  The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness; prepare ye the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” (Isaiah 40:1-3)

“Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low; the crooked straight, and the rough places plain.” (Isaiah 40:4)

“And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” (Isaiah 40:5)

“Thus saith the Lord, the Lord of Hosts; yet once a little while and I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and dry land: and I will shake all nations; and the desire of all nations shall come.” (Haggai 2:6-7)

“The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the Covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts.” (Malachi 3;1)

“But who may abide the day of His coming, and who shall stand when He appears?  For He is like a refiners fire.” (Malachi 3:2)

“And He shall purify the sons of Levi, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” (Malachi 3:3)

“Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call his name Emmanuel, GOD WITH US.” (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23)

“O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain.  O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, behold your God!  O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, arise, shine, for thy Light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” (Isaiah 40:9; 60:1)

“For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee.  And the Gentiles shall come thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” (Isaiah 60:2-3)

“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” (Isaiah 9:2)

“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, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

“There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night.” (Luke 2:8)

“And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.” (Luke 2:9)

“And the angel said unto them: Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)

‘And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will towards men.”  (Luke 2:13-14)

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh unto thee; He is the righteous Savior, and He shall speak peace unto the heathen.” (Zechariah 9:9-10)

“Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped.  Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing.” (Isaiah 35:5-6)

“He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; and He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” (Isaiah 40:11)

“Come unto Him, all ye that labor, come unto Him that are heavy laden, and He will give you rest.  Take His yoke upon you, and learn of Him, for He is meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)

“His yoke is easy, and His burden light.” (Matthew 11:30)

Before God created the heaven and the earth, before the first ray of sunlight touched upon the sea, there was God, God in Trinity, God in purpose.  For there was always the eternal God (Deuteronomy 33:27); the eternal Son (John 1:1-2); the eternal Spirit (Hebrews 9:14); and the eternal plan.(Ephesians 3:11)

The eternal plan, which includes you and me, was preached by the apostle Paul to the church at Ephesus when he declared that we are called “according to the eternal purpose which He proposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Ephesians 3:11

The eternal plan of God was put in motion when time began during the six days of creation.  And on the sixth day, when God created man, human history began.  The story of our beginning, of sin, and redemption, and salvation is all to be found in the written word of God.  It began with the very first book of the Bible, Genesis, and ends with the last book, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, His last message to mankind.  

By His mercy and grace, we are part of God’s eternal plan.  He planned for us to be living at this exact moment in time for His own purpose and glory, according to His will.  And what is the will of God in my life, you ask?  Just this: that you believe in whom He sent, that is, Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.  From this act of belief come the things you and I are meant to do in this life.  From the power of the Holy Spirit we come to know the truth of eternal life for all who are called, all who put their trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. 

In Him is revealed our future destiny in the books of the New Testament.  Someday soon, at our resurrection or translation to eternal life, we shall be gathered unto Him  and return to where He is now.  Then, as His eternal plan continues to unfold, a time future in history that follows the seven year Great Tribulation upon the people of the earth, the heavens shall open and the glory of the Lord shall appear.  We shall follow Him, an uncountable army. And the Lord Jesus Himself shall crush His enemies, and so the remnant of Israel shall be saved.  Then He shall go to Jerusalem where He, not man, shall set up the Kingdom of God on earth.  And we shall reign with Him on earth  for a thousand years.  Following this, there comes the judgement of all unbelievers; then comes eternity.  

And so there are two destinies: one for the believer, and one for the unbeliever; one in everlasting light, the other, in everlasting darkness.

How marvelous the wisdom of God and His mercy!  For the the redemption of mankind was written in the Gospel when Jesus spoke these words:  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  How wonderful the things planned for us, even beyond our imagination to grasp.  Then we shall see, hear, and understand. Then we shall see the new heaven and a new earth, and the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven.  And so shall we ever be with the Lord, our Light and Life.   He will be our Father and our God throughout eternity.   Amen             .

Once every year, and for the past two thousand fifteen years or so, Christians everywhere celebrate the birth of Jesus, the long awaited Messiah as foretold in the prophecies of the Old Testament.

Church tradition has appointed December 25th as His birth date, in the town of Bethlehem Ephratah of Judea, as Micah 5:2 says:

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.  

How rich and blessed this Messianic prophecy that speaks of His first coming that has already been fulfilled.  Yet this passage also tells us of His future glory when He will come again and be the ruler, the King of Israel.  There was no Israel at the time when Micah wrote this prophecy or at the time of the birth of Jesus.   Has it gotten to the point that at the malls or any department store at Christmas time, the lines of children and parents waiting to see Santa are always long; but where are the lines for Jesus for whom the celebration is all about?  Is this the height of our capacity to remember Him?

Fortunately, He has given us a more perfect way to remember Him.  This pattern of remembrance was set in motion centuries ago in Jerusalem at the feast of unleavened  bread-the Passover Feast.  Here Jesus was with His twelve disciples in an upper room of a house during the passover meal.  Do you remember the words He spole to His disciples?  They are recorded in the Gospels.  We celebrate this sacred act on Sundays at church as the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Eucharist, or Holy Communion.

Matthew 26:26-29

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom. 

Luke 22:15-20

And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 

And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 

And he took bread, and gave thanks, and break it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.  

Therefore,  we can and should honor and remember our Lord and Savior not just once each year, but as often as possible through this most blessed institution of Holy Communion-the Lord’s Supper.  He died for us, can we not do as He commanded, “in rememberance of Him?”  May it ever be so in these days.  Amen.

May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.  Amen.

Good afternoon on this most blessed November day the LORD God has given us, even the   vibrant colors of the leaves on this beautiful, gray, overcast day that has the look of a coming snow shower.

We are all on a journey as God has prepared for us to walk during this time in the 61st century of human history!  This journey I speak of has a beginning, and it has an end, which then becomes a new beginning forever.  My life has been quite a journey.  It has been a winding road with lots of twists and turns, dangers,  potholes and bumps all along the way.  But in these wonderful years of late in my life, the road has become more narrow the more I walk.  There is Someone up ahead awaiting me; I can’t see Him yet, but I know His arms are wide open.  I cannot fall off, for now I am secure on the Roman Road, the same one Paul walked.   I invite as many as would come to walk the Roman Road.

THE ROMAN ROAD 

One of the greatest accomplishments of the ancient world was the Roman roads.  They built roads wherever they conquered and most can still be seen today-many are still in use.  Soldiers and travelers on the Roman roads knew the way, and the distances were marked off by mile markers so they would know how far it was to Rome, for “all roads led to Rome.”  Therefore, they could determine the beginning and end of their journey.  The Apostle Paul traveled these roads to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.

In our journey through this life, we also know the way.  Do you remember what Jesus said to His disciples just before His death?  In the   Gospel According to John, chapter fourteen, Jesus had just told them that He was to die at Jerusalem, and that one of them would betray Him.  His words upset all of them, and they were greatly troubled.  Jesus, knowing their thoughts, comforted them by telling them not to worry, and that He was going to His Father’s house to prepare a place for them, and that He would come for them so they could be with Him forever. 

Jesus said,

Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.   I go and prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know.

Thomas said unto Him, Lord, we no not where you go; how can we know the way?

Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by Me. – John 14:1-6 

The following story is used so that you, like the old man, can walk the Roman Road just as he did not so many years ago.

In a churchyard near an old Episcopal church in the town of North East, Maryland, sat an old man one Sunday morning.  He seemed to be carrying a heavy burden, his face was sad, his body hunched over; he was looking down.  Just then a man on his way to the worship service came over to see what was the matter.  He explained he had recently lost his wife; that he was unsure of his faith, unsure of his future.  Tears welled up in his eyes as he spoke. Anxious to help, the man took his Bible and turned to the Book of Romans, and that perhaps a journey together on the Roman Road could help.  

“Do I need to pack”? 

“No, we’ll journey from here.”  “Are you ready?”

“Yes, I think so,” said the old man.  “How long will the journey take?”

“A lifetime,” came the reply.

So they set out together on the Roman Road.  But instead of mile markers, the way was lined with passages from the Bible.  As they walked, they came to the first Scripture marker, and the believer handed the old man a card: Romans 3:10, “As it is written, ‘There is none righteous, no, not one.”

Up ahead they came to the second marker; it was Romans 3:11, and the old man read: “There is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God.”

As the road turned, there was the third marker, Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

Not far up the road was yet another marker, and the old man read aloud, “But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

As we came to the straight and narrow part of the road, the old man seemed to straighten up; his countenance was different.  And the next marker was Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Now he was almost running to get to the next marker: it was Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

I can’t describe his sudden happiness as tears of joy rolled down his cheeks, and I heard, “even for me, yes, even for me.”

For right in front of us was  the message of Romans 1:16, “FOR I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST: FOR IT IS THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION TO EVERYONE THAT BELIEVES: TO THE JEW FIRST, AND ALSO TO THE GREEK.”     

Straight ahead, just over the hill we canme to the eighth Scripture marker, and the old man halted and looked, and looked, and wept, and so he began to read  again and again the beautiful, heartfelt words of Romans 10:8-9, taking them in as one taking a deep, deep breath:

“But what does it say?  The word is near you, even in your mouth, and in your heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.

For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with your mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

“Oh yes,” he cried out, “Jesus, the Son of God is my Lord and Savior!” 

As we neared the end of our journey, we read together the last two markers:

Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

What a change had come over him.  “Will we see you here next week?” I said.

“Yes, I believe so,” said the old man.  “You see, I grew up in this church as a child, but over the years I lost my way “

And they departed, each going their separate way-for the old man had found his way. 

May this be a blessing to you.   

I am most blessed among men for having learned from great teachers things that have been lost to the world today, and that these things, once discovered, light up the very heart and soul of a believer. 

I propose, Lord willing, to teach through writing, things I have learned and want to share with you, dear reader.  And so, over the next couple of weeks I will try and get the word out in as simple and as humble a way that I can, teaching the truth as I have been given to see the truth, without debate or embroiled discussions.  I teach what I believe, nothing more, nothing less.  

Come with me on a journey of discovering the truth.