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Why
should you become a disciple of Jesus? Should you become a Christian just
because someone tells you to “accept Jesus as your personal Savior”?
No. It wouldn’t make sense for you to stop living your life the way
that you want to live it in order to do everything that Jesus wants you to
do without any reason- without good reason! Many people have the
mistaken idea that faith in Jesus is just blind acceptance- a leap that
doesn’t make sense, but should be and must be taken anyway. But,
Christianity is based on objective evidence that you may consider and
reach a conclusion about- evidence that can persuade you to believe.
Before you become a Christian, you should be convinced of three things:
1) There is a God, 2) The Bible is the Word of God, and 3) Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God. These three considerations follow in a logical
order, for if there is no God, the Bible cannot be the Word of God, and
obviously Jesus is not His Son. If there is a God, but the Bible is not
the Word of God, there is no reason to believe Jesus is the Son of God
because all of the evidence to consider about Jesus is found in the
Bible. Notice the building blocks below that illustrate the three-step
process of coming to faith in Jesus:
  
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There is one way, however, to
streamline this three-step process into one step, one step where faith in
God, in the Bible, and in Jesus can be considered at the same time. This
can be done by the consideration of predictions made concerning the coming
“Christ” or King in the Old Testament. If it can be shown that Jesus
fulfilled the predictions in the Old Testament, three points will be
established at once, 1) There must be a God, for man cannot predict the
future, 2) The Bible could not have come purely from the mind of men, but
must be as it claims, the Word of God and 3) Jesus is the “Christ” the
prophets wrote would come.
Isaiah wrote His
predictions about the Christ about 700 B.C., according to the dating of
the reigns of the kings who were living during the time of his writing (Isa
1:1). Even setting aside the dating from the book if Isaiah itself, it is
clear that Isaiah wrote before the time of Jesus as a complete manuscript
of Isaiah was found among the Dead Sea scrolls that has been dated from
100 years B.C. What man, without Divine guidance, can correctly predict
events 700 years before they happen- or even 100 years?
Please give careful
consideration to the predictions Isaiah made in chapter 53 and the
fulfillment of his predictions by Jesus. Study the chart on the back page
that compares Isaiah’s predictions with the life of Jesus as told in the
gospel. See for yourself if there is indeed evidence to believe in God,
the Bible, and Jesus- evidence that would persuade you to become a
Christian. |
ISAIAH WROTE ABOUT THE “CHRIST”
He would be
despised, forsaken of men, a man of sorrows (53:1-3)
He would be
pierced, crushed, chastened, and scourged for man’s sins so that man could
be healed (53:4-6)
He would not open
His mouth while He was oppressed and afflicted; He would be as a lamb led
to the slaughter or a sheep silent before its shearers (53:7)
His grave would be
assigned with wicked men (53:9)
He would be with a
rich man in His death (53:9)
He would prolong
His days after He gave Himself as a sin offering (53:10-11)
He would receive a
reward from God because He poured Himself out to death to bear man’s sins
and to intercede for Him (53:12) |
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GOSPEL WROTE ABOUT JESUS
Jesus was
despised, forsaken of men; a man of sorrows (Jn 1:11; Mk 15:29-32; Lk
19:41-42)
Jesus bore man’s
sins in His body on the cross; by His wounds man is healed (1 Pet 2:24)
Jesus did not open
His mouth to defend Himself when unjustly accused at His trial; He went to
His death quietly, without protest (Mt 26:62-63; 27:12-14)
Jesus was
crucified between two robbers (Mk 15:27-28)
Jesus was buried
by a rich man (Mt 27:57-61)
Jesus was raised
from the dead as many witnesses testified (Acts 10:40-41; 1 Cor 15:1-8)
Jesus was highly
exalted by God because of His death on the cross for man’s sins (Phil
2:8-11) |
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Study the above chart carefully, comparing the predictions of Isaiah to
the gospel account of Jesus’ life. Read all of the passages of Scripture
for yourself. You will see Jesus fulfilled everything that Isaiah
predicted about the Christ. Therefore, you have reason to believe
that there is a God, that the Bible is the Word of God, and that Jesus is
the Christ, the Son of God. If this evidence persuades you to believe,
why won’t you do as those who first were persuaded- repent of your sins
and be baptized that your sins might be forgiven- become a Christian, a
disciple of Jesus (Acts 2:36-38,41). You have reason to believe
that He is the King- reason to let Him rule your life! |
