Apologetics Sermon Illustration #50: Messianic Prophecy And A Red Carpet Premiere

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Point: Predictive prophecies are important in God’s attestation from His Word that Jesus is the Messiah. How could we further illustrate the importance of Messianic prophecies?

Picture: When I was younger I use to work security in Hollywood.  Our company would often get contracts and clients in the movie industry and movie premieres was a big staple of what we did.  You know: red carpets, paparazzi, celebrities in elegant dresses and searchlights rotating and beaming unto the night sky.  Anyone who knows me will know I’m not really a movie guy.  So there’s a lot of celebrities I don’t know and recognized.  There was a time right after September 11th our company had to have a lot more security measure for these red carpet events including checking bags and the use of metal detectors.  There was one particular night I was working for a premiere in which there was a lot of people coming not in the usual waves but they came all at once.  I was trying to do my job of checking for passes and also checking all bags.  The main actors and actresses of course wouldn’t need a pass.  They also were signaled to enter through another door that didn’t have the same level of security.  I was in between the door and also where the limo dropped off people.  Given the amount of people I started tunnel visioning and didn’t check faces since I was busy looking for bags and passes hanging on people’s necks.  A woman approach me and I notice she didn’t have a pass.  So I stopped her.  Suddenly my ear piece cracked with life.  It had everyone talking.  This included my boss and supervisor panicking.  And they were calling for me.  They were telling me that I had stopped the main actress of the movie.   She had accidentally walked towards me instead of moving with others with where she was going.  Of course I let her passed me right away.  My boss and supervisors walked over towards me.  They asked me laughingly if this is another case of where I didn’t know my celebrity (the name of the celebrity is omitted).  I said I didn’t know her.  They both paused.  Then they told me to turn around.  Behind me on top of the fancy theater in Hollywood was a big huge billboard that had the promotion of the movie.  It had much lights shining on it.  And of all things the movie promotion had a picture of only one person: the main actress.  I got to say I got kind of embarrassed.  Sure she didn’t dress like what she wore on the billboard but still it was a big huge picture of her. Not just her face but her whole person from head to toe.  All I need to do to identify her was to look back and see what she’s suppose to look like.  Then looking forward I know what to expect if I’m looking out for her.  And that is similar with Christ.  We look back in Redempetive History at the Messianic Prophecies found in the Old Testament.  Then with those expectations in looking forward to the New Testament in our reading of the Bible we see that Jesus is the Messiah whom we are looking for.

POSSIBLE SCENARIO FOR EMPLOYING THIS ILLUSTRATION DURING APOLOGETIC EVANGELISM

OPPONENT: How do we even know Jesus is the Messiah?  Anyone can claim to be the Messiah.

CHRISTIAN: That’s a good question.  I think the Old Testament made very specific predictions about the Messiah.  But you need to know the Old Testament portion of the Bible first.  You know why that’s important for knowing Jesus is the Messiah?  <Insert Illustration>.  So in this story what was it I need to do to identify the main actress while I was working?

OPPONENT: Turn behind you and look what you are to look out for.

CHRISTIAN: Exactly!  For more on Messianic Prophecies check out the following: The Scriptural Road of Emmaus: Messianic Types and Prophecies, Messianic Psalms: 4 Messages, Messianic Prophecy: Isaiah 53, An Exposition Series by John MacArthur and Messianic Prophecy The Suffering Servant (Isa 52:13-53) Youtube sermon by James White.

 

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