How Do You Know That Jesus Is The
Christ?
Psalm 40:6-8
In these
three verses David tells us four things by which the true Messiah, the Christ
of God, must be identified. Study them carefully. These four requirements find
their fulfilment in only one Person.
First, according to this
prophecy, THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH WOULD PUT AN END TO ALL THE SACRIFICES AND
CEREMONIES OF LEGAL WORSHIP. "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not
desire." The law was never intended by God to be a means of salvation. The
commandments, ceremonies, and sacrifices of the Mosaic economy were designed
only to portray Christ, show sinners their need of Christ, and point men to
Christ. Once Christ came the whole system of legal worship was set aside by God
(
Second, THE MESSIAH MUST
BE A MAN WHO IS JEHOVAH'S VOLUNTARY SERVANT."Mine ears hast thou
opened."That man who is Jehovah's voluntary servant is Jehovah's equal.
All creatures are Jehovah's servants by virtue of their being his creatures.
Only one who is himself God can be God's voluntary servant (John
Third, THE COMING OF MESSIAH MUST BE IN
FULFILMENT OF THE VOLUME OF SCRIPTURE PROPHECY CONTAINED IN THE OLD
TESTAMENT. He had to be born at
Fourth, THE MESSIAH MUST PERFECTLY
ACCOMPLISH THE WILL OF GOD. "I delight to do thy will, O God." We
know that Jesus is the Christ because he has fulfilled all the will of God,
obtaining eternal redemption for his people (Matt.
Don Fortner